The use of sexed semen to get extra worth from livestock

Sexed semen breeding programmes for the meat trade have basically excited by growing genetically awesome substitute heifers.

“Male sexed semen is a chance to seize worth. The chance’s higher when the associated fee unfold between oxen and heifers is vital,” says Dr Ken Odde, professor and division head emeritus of the Division of Animal Sciences and Trade at Kansas State College.

Since retiring from academia, Odde has excited by developing extra profitability for his circle of relatives’s industrial cow-calf ranch in South Dakota in america.

“About six years in the past, I used to be sitting on the sale barn in Mobridge, South Dakota, and the associated fee unfold between [oxen] and heifers simply struck me that day,” says Odde.
From that ‘aha’ second, Odde began to pursue what a sexed semen breeding programme may just appear to be for his ranch.

He stocks methods and protocols to imagine for good fortune, together with fertility variations between cows and heifers, the usage of split-time or fixed-time synthetic insemination (AI), and the price of the usage of breeding indicator patches to measure oestrus depth.

Price of breeding for bulls
Ahead of breeding with sexed semen, Odde appeared again at trade developments to peer the industrial affect of breeding for extra men.

“We’ve were given years of historical past when maximum sexed semen used to be centered at generating women folk,” says Odde. “Breeding for men is a shift in pondering, and in the end it’s pushed by means of how prime the associated fee distinction is between oxen and heifers.”

Knowledge from Awesome Farm animals (see Desk 1) displays that the associated fee consistent with hundredweight (cwt) distinction between oxen and heifers has been on an upward development for almost 3 a long time. Odde says the associated fee distinction between oxen and heifers has been basically pushed by means of expanding carcass weights and the emerging value of acquire.

Feedlot close-out efficiency information in Kansas (see Desk 2) from August 2017 confirmed the typical value of acquire used to be US$5,66 (R106,75) consistent with cwt upper for heifers as opposed to oxen. That 12 months, maize used to be somewhat affordable to feed at $3,91/bushel (R2 704/t). In August 2022, the typical value of acquire used to be US$12,77 (R240,40) consistent with cwt upper for heifers than for oxen, when the maize value used to be US$8,69/bushel (R6 010/t).

“Oxen may also be fed to better weights extra successfully,” Odde provides. “The craze of accelerating carcass weights is usually a motive force of manufacturing extra male calves with sexed semen, in particular when feed costs are upper.”

On-ranch revel in
The primary set of women folk to be bred with sexed semen on Odde’s ranch used maternal feminine sexed semen on heifers (see Desk 3) and predominantly utilised terminal male sexed semen on cows (see Desk 4). Following an oestrus synchronisation protocol, heifers had been bred by means of visible warmth detection the usage of Estrotect Breeding Indicator patches to assist in oestrus detection all over 5 days of tracking.

The heifers’ AI being pregnant charge used to be 63,4%. Within the first 12 months, cows had been bred the usage of more than one protocols. With fixed-time AI, cow replica charges had been 40,9%. Two cow teams had been bred the usage of split-time AI at 70 hours post-prostaglandin injection for cows with activated Estrotect patches.

If patches weren’t activated, insemination came about at 90 hours with an injection of GnRH. The split-time teams had being pregnant charges of 45% and 47%.

“We predict with split-time AI, we had been in a position to pick out up a couple of extra cows working them via a 2nd time. Alternatively, it’s beautiful labour-intensive, so we’ve moved against extra fixed-time AI with the cows.”

Within the 3rd 12 months of study, male sexed semen used to be used throughout all of the heifers and cows.

“We now have learnt we get well fertility on our yearling heifers than on mature cows,” says Odde. “We will simply produce extra bull calves from our heifers, in order that’s one thing we wish to overview additional.”

Phrases of recommendation
If you’re taking into account breeding with sexed semen, Odde suggests the usage of a protocol that is helping make chute-side breeding selections in response to oestrus depth accrued by way of a breeding indicator patch. If part of the patch or extra is rubbed off, women folk are just right applicants to be bred with sexed semen.

Will have to not up to part of the patch floor ink be rubbed off, it’s absolute best to make use of more economical standard semen to assist arrange prices of your genetics funding.

Maintaining a tally of marketplace developments is some other control observe to imagine. “You want an working out of the industrial dynamics,” he says.

For some herds, it will paintings higher to expand extra substitute heifers by way of sexed semen and advertising the ones replacements to terminal-focused operations, in particular when substitute women folk are in call for.

“It may well be that male sexed semen works smartly in some scenarios, and a couple of years later, it won’t have the similar incentive,” Odde provides.

“When there’s a just right value distinction between oxen and heifers, it will probably in reality paintings smartly.”
Odde introduced his on-ranch analysis findings all over the Red meat Growth Federation Annual Symposium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on 3 July.

For more info on breeding indicator patches, consult with Estrotect.com.

The Estrotect Breeding Indicator is the trade same old for optimising livestock breeding potency and economics. With tens of millions and tens of millions of gadgets bought world wide, Estrotect is the one breeding control device examined in a mess of college research by means of researchers. Electronic mail Dr Kenn Odde at [email protected].