Tips for implementing a successful AI program

Earlier this year, experts from the Beef Reproduction Task Force shared tips on how to ensure AI programs are effective. At the top of their recommendations was time to integrate an AI system into the farm’s existing breeding program.

“It’s really a five-year project for any operation, because it takes time to add or change to a different breeding program,” said Christina Porter, a large animal veterinarian and ABS semen sales representative. said “The first question you have to start asking is: ‘What is the goal?’ You also have to consider your available facilities and manpower.”

Herd size can be a big determinant, Porter said.

“The size of the herd determines what kind of people you need on the crew. Is it a guy doing 50 head by himself, loading his breed guns? That can be a lot in a day. Or is it a full crew where we can do 650 without breaking a sweat?

Also, directly after the AI ​​procedure, it is best to keep the cattle in a nearby holding area where they do not have to travel long distances for food or water.

Being able to keep cows in top physical condition is also critical to a successful AI project.

“Physical condition is extremely, extremely important,” Porter said. “Cows are going to take care of themselves before they allow themselves to have another baby. If the cows are lean, only half of them will cycle, and if the body score is five, only 60% will cycle.

Also, it’s important to be realistic about AI’s capabilities.

“If 20 percent of your cows were open with bulls and you couldn’t breed them, there’s a good chance we wouldn’t be able to breed them either,” Porter said, adding that other conditions Such as hind calf problems, uterine diseases, fetal membranes and other problems may be present.

For operations willing to work on successful AI program integration, the benefits can be significant, Porter said.

“In our study, we took a 120-day breeding season in which bulls were bred using AI for 70 days through a systematic estrus synchronization program, killing non-pregnant females, and for 21 days,” Porter said. Nurture the cow born within.”

Porter and her colleague, Dr. Nikki Oosthuizen, emphasized the importance of low-stress coping for a successful AI program.

“It’s important to keep livestock handling stress to a minimum,” Oosthuizen said. “If you have a small crew with kids helping out, don’t give those kids hot shots and let them hotshot every animal.”

The process of coping with low stress begins the day the heifer is born and continues through breeding time.

“When a calf is born, it’s important that it has a maternal bond and frequent feedings,” Porter said. “This is our chance to prove that we’re not the bad guys.”

Creating a low-stress environment is easy, Porter said.

“The stress is the only thing that is unknown,” he said. “Stress destroys the social structure of normal cattle, but we can reduce stress through acclimation.”

Porter said one strategy to help calves that will be raised using AI is to calmly move through the gully and chute system without interruption.

He said it only takes 10 minutes to run calves through an open wound and let them see that nothing bad happens to them. “Then when it’s time to put in controlled internal drug release (CIDR) to help regulate their hormonal cycle for breeding. It’s no big deal.”

It is also important to carefully follow the directions for the drug, including storage and injection sites.

An online tool that Porter recommends for scheduling AI breeding cycles, the Estrus Synch Planner, can be found at https://www.iowabeefcenter.org/estrussynch.html.