Heat Detection Patches

[ZNT]

I have found them the best Freddy. So long as you get them warm before you stick them on. Helps glue stick better. I think they give a clearer picture of what is going on than paint. For some of the newer people to heat detection (not you Freddy) ZNT has made a very good video on what to look for. Here is the link http://www.zntcattle.com/2011/04/heat-detection-in-cattle-video.html

Thank you Aussie!  I wanted to put together a better video than this, but as any of you know, heat detection can be very frustrating, and to be running a video camera to catch the shot is even more frustrating.  My cows are definitely not actors, and they do not "mount-up" on cue.  It does get the point across, so hopefully a few others get to see what I so needed to know when I started A.I.ing cows back in the 80's.

 

[DakotaCow]

As far as Estrotect, used to be estrusalert, they have worked quite well for me. I would say instead of using kmar glue I use tail adhesive or even prime time, it cuts the time it takes to apply glue and you can move more through the cute faster. Really helps when you have 200 to pull cidrs on in the day! As for what I use now...All Weather Quik Shot spray paint for livestock marking. I like green, it works on all colors of cattle. A seven dollar can will do close to 250 head of cattle and it wont just wash off in the rain!

 

[justintime]

Most of the Ai studs and distributors sell the Estrotect patches. I got some at Genex this week and I know Hawkeye also handles  them

 

[savaged]

If you have any trees or anything cows can rub on I would stay away from estrotect. You will have a bunch of patches scratched off from cows rubbing on things......not real jumps. I have had the best luck with KMARS. I hardly ever loose one and don't ever get any false reads. It takes constant pressure for the red die to release into the patch to make it red. The estrotects are just a big scratch ticket that usually doesnt pay off for me. When the Kmars are red you are 95% sure they are standing, when the estrotects are red I would say if your not their watching them you are more like 50% sure its standing heat. If your watching the cows fairly decent the Kmars will only turn slightly red the first hour of jumps. Then when they are red solid you know they are standing good. Then I always breed 2 times a day. If they are starting night, I breed the next am. If they are starting to stand in the am, I breed them that evening. Then the ones that come in midnight, midday I seem to roll the dice and just pick one or the other and have never found a good one to do.

I have the same opinion after trying some this year.  I've always used KMARS (use the type that use glue) and find them to be generally pretty reliable and few false reads.  The Estrotects started to rub off almost immediately, and even though I knew there were no mounts, in the first hour the cow's had scratched them up pretty good just from tail switches.  I'll stick with KMARS.

 

[Doc]

As far as the false heats go . Its been my experience if they scratch it off from a limb or something there will still be streaks of grey on it. When mounted by cow in standing heat , all the grey is gone. I used kamars until 3 years ago when I switched.