Scanning cows

wiggy123

Quick question...
when do people think, a cow should be scanned at..my scanner man claims after 40 days is good!
then have another neighbour-who dislikes scanning, as it infers with the calf/cow! could possibly lead to abortion..any ideas?

in saying that--i plan to scan my cows before end of this month--they should be from 60-45 days incalf!
From my experience this year--i have ai'd 9 cows,on first service!and from what i see--all but 1 is incalf!
so this could be a good year for feritily--as last yr+2007 were bad years..according to reports--my father noticed same with his mares-returning in season alot!
Also another quick question--i tend to ai the nex day after seeing the cow a bulling--either that evening or morning--this correct!
the cow that is emptied was a bulling for nearly 2 days--i got her ai'd on the 2nd day(11 bells)and then notcied that evening she was a standing(heat)thought she would have still kept...
does male semen not live for 3 days??
as the females egg last a few hours...am i wrong??

locky76

i am advised by my scanner to do it as early as possible (once six weeks has elapsed) to get the most accurate results as regards sex and date since conception and hence date of birth. this is my third year doing it and he's within a week for all heifers and cows and fairly spot on with sexing the calf as well. he charged me €120 to do 27 cows last year. i get them scanned 45 days after the bull is taken away.

whelan1

we normally do the cows around 30 days after the bull goes out

Sam Kade

Why do you bother with scanning at all? If they are incalf they are incalf.

whelan1

yes we should sit back and wait for 9 months to realise theres a problem doh!

locky76

Sam Kade wrote: »

Why do you bother with scanning at all? If they are incalf they are incalf.

if a cow is not in calf you know within three to four months and you can fatten her up aand get her out the gate and home in an envelope before the rest of the cows are even thinking of calving!

Sam Kade

What ever happened to watching out for repeats? I used to scan cows before but gave it up, as it was an unnecessary expense.

squarebale

If I had time to guarentee that I'd see all repeats then I would have all AI and no bull. Anyway non-pregnant cows can be anoestrus ie. don't have heats or sub-oestrus - don't show heats. Scanning at 30 days assures you that the bull is working and helps to keep calving tight as any problems can be addressed early. Both this and non-pregnant cows out the door early probably cover the expense.

Sam Kade

squarebale wrote: »

If I had time to guarentee that I'd see all repeats then I would have all AI and no bull. Anyway non-pregnant cows can be anoestrus ie. don't have heats or sub-oestrus - don't show heats. Scanning at 30 days assures you that the bull is working and helps to keep calving tight as any problems can be addressed early. Both this and non-pregnant cows out the door early probably cover the expense.

So if you have a milking cow not in calf after 30 days you would cull her rather than milk her to the end of her lactation.

wiggy123

in scanning...is there no method like what they use on pregant women..ie --b safer for cow, mayb unsafe for the handler?

locky76

Sam Kade wrote: »

So if you have a milking cow not in calf after 30 days you would cull her rather than milk her to the end of her lactation.

stop being picky sam, scanning is a fool proof way to tell if she's in calf or not. it allows joe farmer (not his real name!) to make an informed decision earlier than relying on the dark arts of telling whether she's showing heat or not!:)

squarebale

Sam Kade wrote: »

So if you have a milking cow not in calf after 30 days you would cull her rather than milk her to the end of her lactation.

My breeding season starts about April 1st. I scan the cows that calved before Valentines day about 7 weeks later and anything that was put in calf for the first 20 days will show positive. If the number seems about right I'm happy that the bull is working and I have no infertility problems. I withdraw the bull around July 1st. I scan September 1st and get the cows handled around that time. Anything not in calf is fattened at that stage. It works for me Sam cause I am hard pressed for time with a job, 50 cows and five young kids. But maybe the expense of it would'nt suit everyone. I'm happy that carrying one non-pregnant cow over the winter would cost more than the two calls (8-9 bales silage, fluke, worm, lice, BVD, Lepto treatment) and I've got all the milk I'm gonna get at that stage.:):)

squarebale

I meant to say I wean September 1st