1. Nutrition:
Cows need to be under a good nutritional plan including mineral supplementation. Maintaining or increasing an acceptable body condition. Cows losing condition or over-conditioned have a lower reproductive activity.
2. Reproductive tract examination:
It is always recommended that cows are palpated and tested by ultrasound before entering into the ET program. When preparing donor cows to be done on-farm, your local veterinarian can examine your cows to determine the status of their reproductive tract.
Uterus:
Normal uterus involution after calving. Discard the presence of pathological conditions including uterine infections, if there is a problem, it needs to be treated accordingly before a cow is placed into an ET program. Ensure that the cows are open.
Ovaries:
Determine the presence and quality of normal ovarian structures. Cycling vs. non-cycling. Presence of abnormalities such as cystic ovaries, adhesions of scar tissue, etc.
3. Health:
Vaccinations should be up to date. Pay special attention when using modified live vaccines for BVD and IBR. If vaccinating, cows need to be done 40 days or more before starting the super-ovulation protocol. Do not dip the cows with pour on medications for at least 10 days before starting the super-ovulation protocol.
4. Handling:
Handle donors calmly and keep them under as low stress environment as possible. CIDR application and injections can be administered by the producer right on-farm. Apply CIDRs. It is recommended to rinse and disinfect your CIDR applicator between cows. Ensure that all injections are administered intramuscularly (the neck region is preferred especially in over-conditioned cows). When giving injections, always check donors to ensure the CIDR is still in place.
5. Insemination/Semen:
Two inseminations are required and are performed 12 hours apart; the timing of the 1st breeding will depend on the super-ovulation protocol to be used.
Use high quality semen, in general it is recommended to have three dosages of semen on hand in case one may explode or the cow shows an extended heat that will require a 3rd breeding. On some occasions and under specific circumstances a few more straws of semen will be recommended. If there is any doubt regarding the quality of the semen to be used, please let us know. We can evaluate frozen semen prior to use, increasing the chances for success by discarding potentially infertile or sub-fertile semen. Save all semen straws for us and attach them to the super-ovulation record.
6. Flushing Day:
It is recommended to have an indoor place to flush the donors since at certain times of the year the environmental conditions can be unpredictable. Donor cows cannot be flushed outdoors when it's raining, too cold, or extremely windy. Have the super-ovulation record filled out and returned to us. Please check and let us know if the cow needs to be DNA tested.
NOTE: Keep us informed with the development of the program. In case of any problems or if you have any questions, please let us know so we can help with the situation before is too late. Make sure the instructions are understood and followed precisely, since these programs are very sensitive.