2022 Spring Edition

Happy New Year!  We hope this newsletter finds you happy, healthy and enjoying 2022.  The Bova-Tech team is looking forward to great things this year and reconnecting with our valued clients and friends. 

 

Spring is just around the corner and our schedule fills up very quickly so our newsletter is geared towards implants and flushing.  Our main directive is the collection and processing of top quality embryos for your program, whether it is for immediate transplant or cryopreservation and storage for use or marketing at a later date.  Please contact the office as soon as possible to secure a date for your implants, flushing or In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) requirements at 403-332-1567 or email info@bova-tech.com 

 

A few key points to remember as we head into the busy season

 

Please note that Donor cows must be al least 60 days post-partum before the program starts or 70-100 days into lactation for dairy cows.

 

Setting up and Artificially Inseminating donor cows must be done precisely.  Once your appointment is booked we will send you the protocols and the drugs required.

 

Synchronization needs to begin 16 days prior to the on-farm flush, please ensure you have provided us with the tattoo of the donor.  If you plan to implant fresh or frozen embryos we will need to know how many recipients to set up.  If the frozen embryos are stored at BTL please advise us so we can bring them to your farm.  If they are stored at an alternate facility please contact that facility to pay for storage and have them released to Bova-Tech.

On-Farm Flushing

BTL will send you all the necessary drugs, and provide detailed instructions for their use to insure the best possible results.  Cows will be flushed on farm via the BTL Export Certified Mobile Lab.

 

Embryo Transfer

We can transfer fresh or frozen embryos as required; the synchronization protocols for recipient females are simple and easy to follow allowing you to keep recipients on-farm if you wish.

 

Ultrasonography

Ultrasonography allows us to examine the reproductive tract of donors and recipients cows which enables us to make better decisions on the use of super-ovulatory treatments and timing for synchronization protocols. Ultrasonography also makes a recipient program more efficient by allowing us to re-implant or re-synchronize recipients at sooner intervals after the last implant.

Key Management Notes for Donor Cows

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).  Instructions for CIDR use are located at the end of this newsletter.  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 a cow since at certain times of the year the environmental conditions can be unpredictable. Donor cows cannot be flushed outdoors when is 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.

Key Management Notes for Recipients

Selection of recipients is one of the most important aspects of any ET program. In most cases the implanting of embryos involves a financially valuable genetic material that, in order to have a successful program, is required to have good quality, well managed recipients. Estrous synchronization protocols are very useful but they cannot replace good management. Feeding and vaccination protocols are very important areas that often are neglected.

 

​1. Selection: 

a. Cows 3 to 8 years old make good recipients once they have a good calving record. Cows will be better suited when transferring embryos of relatively high birth weights. In general, cows have more milk than heifers, an important factor to consider when they have to raise an embryo calf.

b. Heifers are good recipients providing they’ve reached their breeding weight (around 65-70% of mature weight) and are cycling. Avoid embryos with large EPD’s for birth weights in heifers.

c.  1st calvers are still growing and are under more stress than the rest of the herd due to the fact that they have to raise a calf.  For these reasons 1st calvers can be difficult to get pregnant, if they are under intensive management and receiving enough good quality feed they can be used as recipients.

d.  Use fertile animals.  Cows with calves at foot that have no history of calving problems, and are open not because they fail to conceive by AI or natural breeding, make good recipients. Retain animals successfully used previously as recipients. Do not use recipients that have been prepared unsuccessful twice before. 

e.  Animals with temperament problems should be removed from the program.

f.  Select animals that maintain or are gaining body condition, an ideal score of 2.5-3 is preferred at the time of transferring the embryos. 

 

2.  Management:

a.  Cows need to be at least 60 days post-calving, when possible, it is recommended to wait a little longer (75-80 days).

b.  Recipients need to be adapted and kept on the same feeding program for 6 weeks before getting implanted and 8 weeks after. It is not advisable to move recipients from a dry lot to a pasture with lush grass immediately after implanting. If for some reason feed needs to be changed, do it gradually over a period of 4 weeks. Keep recipients under the same management conditions for as long as possible.

c.  Administer Vitamin A, D and E and mineral supplementation at least 4-6 weeks prior to implanting.

d.  Recipient identification is essential, tags must be easy to read and whenever possible put tags in both ears.

e.  Vaccination protocols must be up to date, pay special attention when vaccinating recipients and/or calves nursing recipients with modified live vaccines for BVD and IBR. Do not vaccinate 40 days prior to the implanting date. Consult with your veterinarian if some modifications need to be made to the vaccination protocols.

f.  Do pregnancy diagnosis on every recipient before getting them in an ET program.

g.  We do not recommend AI for recipients that show heat after receiving an embryo, there is a chance that some of these cows are pregnant. Using a bull is safest.

h.  Move recipients slowly and keep them calm at all times while they are getting used to the handling system.​

 

3.  Preparing Recipients:

a.  Embryos are implanted 6 to 8 days after recipients have had a heat, we can implant embryos in cows that have either natural or synchronized heats. For practical purposes, most of the time recipients get synchronized to implant embryos on a determined date; many times they are prepared to coincide with the flushing of the donors.

b.  There are many different protocols used to synchronize estrus (heats) in recipient cows, each with certain advantages to it. These protocols require the use of drugs such as prostaglandins (Estrumate, Lutalyse), GnRH (Fertiline, Cystorelin, Factrel) and progesterone (CIDR).

c.  How to apply CIDRs. It is recommended to rinse and disinfect your CIDR applicator between cows.  See instructions below.

d.  The use of recipients can be optimized by performing an early pregnancy diagnosis around 21 to 23 days after being implanted. Cows that show heat around 14 days after being implanted can be tested by ultrasound and re-implanted 7 days later if they are open. Cows that did not show heat can be “preg checked” and the open ones can be re-synchronized immediately to be implanted in 16 days. It is not recommended to use cows as recipients if they do not get pregnant after a second implant.​

 

4.  Implanting Day:

a.  There are minimum requirements for handling facilities when implanting recipients, most squeeze chutes work fine for this purpose. We should be able to place a pole behind the animals since in many cases recipients stand better without catching their heads.

b.  Recipients receive a sedative (Acepromazine maleate) a few minutes before getting implanted, while waiting behind in the chute. The use of “Ace” allows working with less risk of damage or injury to the cows and personnel, recipients should move smoothly as they get into the squeeze and stay calm.

c.  All recipients get an epidural just before getting implanted and they must be herded slowly right after.

d.  Depending on the program used, it may be required to have the heats and breeding records on hand the day of implanting the embryos.​

 

Never hesitate to contact us with any problems or questions about the program. Communication is vital.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us as we are happy to help with any problems or concerns regarding your program.

 

Give us a call to book your Flushing, IVF or Implant appointment at 403-332-1567.  We look forward to seeing you this spring!

Email Bova-Tech
42128 Township Rd 272, Rocky View County, Alberta, Canada
403-332-1567

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