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Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 9:50 am
by Dominic
Hi
I know that you can't get a raddle for bulls but is there any way of marking the bull or cows so that you know which ones have been served.
I check my cattle twice a day and spend time with them but the bull very rarely pays his girls any attention when I'm up there.
I was unsure as to wether he had served them last year as nothing was seen , however when the vet PD'd them they were in all calf so he obvioulsy knows his job , but maybe he prefers it with the lights out :p
I would prefer a tighter calving next year and would like to have more specific dates , rather than just watching the cow's udder grow.
Thanks in advance
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 1:30 pm
by ann
Hi
You could try putting bovine beacons on your cows, you stick them onto just behind the tail and if the bull serves them they will glow red for quite some while, they are available from Genus
Ref getting your cows to calf closer together, wait until the last one has been calved about 6wks and then put the bull in with them,
this way you should get a closer calving time, I would also try putting a high fertility mineral bucket in with your cows about 6wks before they calf and keep it up until about 3mths afeter they have been served, well worth the extra bit of money in MHO
good luck :p :p
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 7:25 pm
by dai
what you could do is get the vet to synchronise your cows - its just a quick jab, and then in 10 days time you know that all your cows will come bulling. We use it extensively with limousins and herefords, and it hasn'e affected fertility, conception rates or performance.
Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 9:15 pm
by Ryan
I'm sure Dai won't mind if I clarify some facts concerning synchronisation.
As far as a 'quick jab' of a prostaglandin is concerned, a single injection will usually produce a response within 6 days (i.e. your cow will come bulling) when given at the correct time. Synchronising usually involves two injections of prostaglandin, 10 or 11 days apart; you can then expect your cattle to come bulling 3 or 4 days after the second injection (the response tends to be more rapid after two injections). Prostaglandins do not work shortly before, during, or shortly after bulling. The idea of two injections is that if the first is (inadvertently) given too close to when your cow was bulling (despite the fact that bulling wasn't detected), the second will 'catch her' at the right time (near mid-cycle), and in the cows in which the first injection actually did work, in 10-11 days time they will be at a stage when a second injection will also work (i.e. also somewhere near mid-cycle), so after the second injection, theoretically all your cattle could be bulling within a day or so of each other....
'Heat detectors' that can be glued to your cattle's rumps can be very useful - and expensive. I find them a useful adjunct to monitoring, although if it wasn't for the fact that the only box I've used was out of date and I got it for nothing, I think I'd be inclined to focus on stockmanship.
And as Dai says, there's no adverse affect on fertility.
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 1:30 pm
by ann
Ref heat detectors
I think mine worked out at about £1.50 each, maybe that expensive
but I didn't think it was bad considering the cost of living these days.
:p :p
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 1:33 pm
by Dominic
Those sound a fab idea and that doesn't sound expensive to me.
How do I get some ??
Thanks to all of you for yor input
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 1:37 pm
by Ryan
Hi Dominic,
Any agricultural merchant, or a 'Town & Country' store will be able to sort you out. Prices do vary with the type of detector; some stay on longer than others, and some are affected by cattle going underneath low-hanging branches... but they'll be able to discuss the pros & cons of each type with you if you ask.
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 3:55 pm
by Kathy Millar
Those heat detectors sound interesting. I don't think we have such a thing here but could you give me more info such as brand names and how they work? :;):
Kathy
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 5:10 pm
by Ryan
Hi Kathy,
At the risk of incurring the wrath of other manufacturers, I think that by far the most well-known brand is the Kamar heat detector; (details can inevitably be found on Google). They come in boxes of 25, along with a tube of glue and an applicator (and a diagram showing where to stick them!)
The only prices I had available were the price quoted to me by my agricultural supplier, and the price I could get it for direct from my veterinary wholesaler. Since then, largely as a result of Ann's comments, I've found it very much cheaper on the internet (£18.00 per box of 25 if you buy ten boxes).
The manufacturers claim the detectors have 'a uniquely pressure-sensitive design', and that they 'are activated only by standing heat behaviour, not false mounting'. Apparently, they need constant pressure from the mounting cow/bull for about four seconds or so before they change colour to a very obvious bright red. I have to say that I have found them quite useful, and very easy to see at a distance.
There are other detectors available which can be peeled off a roll and stuck on; they also turn a day-glo red after pressure but they don't seem to have the sticking power of the Kamar detectors, and they can be dislodged easily if you have low hanging branches in your fields; Kamar detectors have the sticking power of superglue!!
Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2006 5:23 pm
by dai
thanks for clearing up any confusion i'd left - i'm a cowmen, not a writer i'm afraid....
heat detectors can seem a good idea, but they are susceptible to false readings - if another cow rides her, if another cow rests her head on it in the race, if she scratches her back on something etc etc. This all means that they're fine, if your cow is kept in a cleared lowland field, preferably on her own.... ???
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 8:38 am
by Dominic
Very Good Dai :p
That did make me chuckle !
Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:49 pm
by Inger
Self-adhesive heat detecting pads are now available. You dip them in hot water for a few seconds before applying them between the hip bones on the spine. It takes a reasonable amount of pressure to turn it red. We have had problems with them coming off. But I just note the day it went missing and it usually coincides with mating. I also get them vetted so that I can get my estimated delivery date comfirmed. Sometimes the cow cycles again after the first mating, so I have to adjust my dates by 3 weeks. Its handy to know. Bulling Beacons aren't full proof, but they're a handy aid when you can't check on them every day and you can see the red colour from a fair distance.