Select Sires

Tips for Realizing the Benefits of Heifer A.I.
Transcript of Select Sires' Reproductive Moment Program
on DairyLine Radio Which Aired July 24, 2003
With Mel DeJarnette,
reproductive specialist,
Select Sires Inc.

Mel, this week’s Reproductive Moment focuses on heifer artificial insemination, and actually many use A.I. in cows but not in heifers. And the question is, why not?

Well, it has always been interesting to me how many dairymen use A.I in the milking herd but leave the heifers to a herd bull. I guess many dairymen tend to view heifers simply as an expense item on the balance sheet. They are often put on the back 40 where handling and observation is not always convenient, and because they're not productive members of the milking herd, any inputs are usually administered on a least-cost approach. Letting the herd bull breed your heifers is an incredible waste of one of the most valuable resources in the operation. Your heifers should have greater genetic potential than your cows. And breeding them to proven A.I. sires shifts the rate of genetic progress in the herd into overdrive. Not only that, heifers are more fertile than cows, which will result in more calves per unit of semen purchased. Selection for light birth weight, calving-ease sires will help to reduce the incidence of calving problems, which becomes extremely expensive when we consider the association with both cow and calf mortality rates, and both productive and reproductive performance during the subsequent lactation. When you sit down and start to put dollar values on these factors, you immediately begin to realize the return on investment from use of A.I. in heifers far exceeds the substantial returns that are available from use in cows. So why doesn’t everyone use A.I in heifers? Most often it is simply a matter of labor and convenience. The heifers are usually not housed in a convenient location for heat detection and breeding.

However most of these logistical problems can be easily overcome through the use of estrus synchronization. As with A.I., heifers are more responsive to synchronization programs than are cows. Most herds will have sufficient facilities that small groups of heifers could be moved to a more user-friendly site, if necessary, for synchronization breeding. With synchronization, all heat detection and breeding can be scheduled into a short, convenient two- to four- day period.

Additionally, synchronization of estrus in virgin dairy heifers has just become more efficient and effective than ever with the recent approval of the EAZI-BREED™ CIDR® cattle insert. Brought from New Zealand to the U.S. by Pharmacia Animal Health, the CIDR, as it’s commonly called, uses the natural hormone, progesterone, in combination with LUTALYSE® to very tightly synchronize fertile heats in both cycling and prepubital heifers. Select Sires is pleased to announce that we have added the CIDR to our line-up of supplemental herd-management products we offer to our customers. If you have more questions related to heifer A.I or estrus synchronization using the EAZI-BREED CIDR, don’t hesitate to contact your local Select Sires Reproductive Solutions™ specialist.

™Reproductive Solutions is a trademark of Select Sires Inc.
™EAZI-BREED is a trademark of InterAg, Hamilton, New Zealand
®CIDR is a registered trademark of InterAg, Hamilton, New Zealand
®LUTALYSE is a registered trademark of Pharmcia and Upjohn

Select Sires Inc., 11740 U.S. 42 North, Plain City, Ohio 43064 / Phone: (614) 873-4683 Fax: (614) 873-5751