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FIXED TIME AI - FTAI

Enhance Genetics offers Fixed Time Breeding Programs. Fixed Time AI is the use of a combination of synthetic hormones that are injected or implanted into the cows in order to synchronise a number of cows or heifers to come on heat at the same time. 

This means there is no need for heat detection and all the animals in the program are inseminated at the same time on the same day. There are many benefits for this including, getting around 50% of your heard in calf on the same day, reducing calving periods, reduced labour checking for heats and reduced costs of only having AI Technician out once if you learn to inset CIDRs yourself or twice if you need CIDRs inserted for you. 

NATURAL HEAT AI

Enhance Genetics also offers Natural Heat Insemination – this is where the owner observes a cow on standing heat (being ridden by another cow) this indicates a cow is ready to be bred. The AI Technician will then AI the cow 12 hours later. This system is beneficial to those with a small number animals to be inseminated.

This system, however does rely on effective heat detection by the owner which can be time costly. 

AI Program - FTAI

The most common program used by Enhance Genetics can be seen here. However there are alternatives and variations on this program that are also used depending on the breeders criteria. 

The program seen here is advocate by ABS who state: ” The most commonly used protocol for beef fixed time programs is the 7-day CO-Sync + CIDR for both heifers and cows. These are essentially the same protocol, apart from a larger time interval between CIDR removal + PG and insemination of cows (60-66 hr) compared to heifers (52-56 hr) as shown here”- (ABS Australia 2022).

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*Dotted line represents expected timing of ovulation. Gabriel Bombardelli, Henrique Soares, and Ricardo Chebel Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota

AIing with Sexed Semen

Using sexed semen is becoming increasingly more popular. However there are some pros and cons to be weighed up before using it.

  • Sexed semen can cost up to twice as mush as conventional semen
  • Per straw sexed semen contains 2-4 million sperm compared to 15-20 million per conventional straw
  • Sexed semen is 90% accurate – you still have a chance of getting the opposite sex to your chosen gender.
 Using sexed semen in a FTAI setting is still in it’s early stages and multiple studies have been and are still being conducted to find the best timing to use sexed semen. 

Current studies suggest cows and heifers should be AI’ed 18-24 hours after standing heat for optimal results. 

 

If you are considering using sexed semen please let us know before we discuss program timings as timings will change.

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