AI Syncro Costs

[ValenteRanching]

Just wondering if anyone syncro's there AI cows or if everyone just heat detects... 

For anyone that heat detects what are all the costs involved and what is your per cow price and percent of catch on average?

Thanks alot, Chad.

 

[CM Livestock]

it all depends on if you are willing to live with them and what you value you r time at

 

[LN]

I could total up costs of the products we use for synchronization, but that still wouldn't include many other hidden costs involved.

It'd be hard to take estimates from anyone on what it would cost because all of our situations are different.

Anyway, we synchronize cows using Select Synch and synchronize heifers with CIDRs.

Overall, of all the cows synched we had a 56% success rate. However, we were in a horrible drought last year and had issues with getting cows to come in heat, but of the ones that we did detect and AI'd, 90% stuck and all the heifers were stuck too.

I prefer synchronizing because we do a large number and I just want to get it over with in a short time period and we have enough labor so it's not too overwhelming.

 

[CMB]

We've got a meyer 734 cow that detects and rides just as good or better than any bull I've ever seen. She's so good that I've gotta keep the young heifers away from her(she weighs 2000) because she just doesn't leave them alone and I'm affraid she'll hurt one. When we do synch though the vet puts the cidrs in and breeds for us so it costs more. Avg probably $50-$60 head.

 

[Bulldaddy]

We try to breed as many as possible on natural heat and sync those we don't catch with CIDRs.  We use esterus alert patches and check heat three times per day with one check being after dark.  It was tough getting those first calf heifers bred back with the drought we had this past year.  No problem with the cows.

 

[ValenteRanching]

Thanks for the input everyone. I think i'll try to use CIDR's. Would a 50% catch be out of the question?

 

[CAB]

Our out of pocket costs run approximately $17.00/head. That's not considering the extra times through the chute. We still want to heat detect as much as possible and depending on the year, we'll run 60 to 75% conception. I would think that you would get @ least 50% even if you time breed which would require one more shot @ $3 to $4/head. These prices do not include semen or a tech. We went to the estro-plan this year instead of using lute & thought that we had the cows bunched together tighter & hotter heats.

 

[chambero]

Our material costs on $140 hd are:
CIDRs - $9.91 ea
GnRH (Cystorelin) - $2.27/dose (each cow gets two shots)
Lutalyse - $2.40/dose
Estrus Alert Patches - $1.03 ea

So we have about $18 a head in them. 

On straight time AI - we get around 50%.  We pulled CIDRs yesterday morning.  We'll breed the ones in heat Friday afternoon and then the rest of them on Saturday afternoon.  On that protocol, we'll get around 60% stuck.

 

[cowman 52]

Just home from breeding 80 head-- drug cost 610.00 of the 80 had 11 heifers,  69 cows,  of the 80 had 3 with no sign of heat but C L and bred them anyway. Will know in 3 weeks what happened. 

 

[Joe Boy]

My cost runs about the same as chambero's.  I have paid more for the chemicals and more for the CIDRS.  I usually have two to three paid helpers.  My wife has helped me but we get along better with me hiring someone as she does not ever work with the cattle and I speak cattle and she is a school teacher used to speaking kid language...ha...

I really enjoyed meeting chamero yesterday and he has some really nice calves.  I also enjoyed seen Zane again.  Two great guys....