estroPLAN Helps Producers Fine-tune the Art of Heat Detection

 

Jonathan Hess, DVM, says synchronized breeding programs are extremely common. In fact, every one of his clients in south central Idaho uses some type of estrus synchronization program.

 

What is unusual, however, is his preference for heat detection breeding programs, rather than timed breeding programs. Timed breeding programs, which have been popularized in recent years, do not require producers to look for heat as they did in the past; rather, they simply inject the appropriate products, wait for certain days and inseminate the cows.

 

Hess sees the tide turning back to the simpler, heat-detection approach.

 

“When time-synced programs came out, everyone thought they were the greatest thing,” Hess commented. “They are good, and they do serve a purpose. But, now the new thinking is we must listen to the cow.” 

 

“Over the past eight years or so, I’ve gone back to celebrating heat and letting the cows tell us when they are ready. If we are going to get a pregnancy rate in the mid or upper 20s, we really need to focus on efficient heat detection,” he elaborated. 

 

One of the reasons Hess says he prefers heat detection is a desire for high pregnancy rates, which he says he now knows is attainable. Another is his concern about what he calls “breeding for infertility” by administering hormones and breeding cows without observing heat.

 

As he put it, “If you breed cows that don’t show heat, you may be selecting for infertility and not even know it. If you don’t get them pregnant, they don’t give milk and they don’t have calves.”

 

Hess explained that there is a “huge association” between cows that show better heat and the amount of estrogen they have. The amount of estrogen dictates fertility and sexual receptivity.

 

Another reason he and his clients are reverting to the heat detection approach is that the injection regimen is much simpler—and less costly.

 

“Heat detection programs require fewer shots, so there is less drug required and fewer cows to find and shoot. With timed programs, you have to give as many as five shots per cow – operation wide this may mean as many as 500 on a given day. And, if one shot is off a day, it’s a pain.”

 

So, heat detection techniques can reduce labor and product costs. EstroPLAN, in particular, though, has an added benefit. According to Hess, expression of heat is more pronounced. Hess says that is a big advantage—and why he uses estroPLAN exclusively for his clients’ heat detection programs.

 

“All the prostaglandins will bring the cow into heat,” Hess offered. “The unique thing about estroPLAN is that it causes a much more intense heat. So, the signs show more, and it’s easier to detect it. Even cows in free stall and tie stall barns show heat with it.”

 

That increased ability to detect heat has translated into some pretty impressive outcomes for Hess’s clients. 

 

“One of my goals for my clients is to keep more than 9 percent of the milking herd pregnant each month,” he explained. “One of my large producers (a 4,900 cow dairy) was consistently hitting that percentage. But their first month on estroPLAN, 12.5 percent of the herd was pregnant. Our heat detection rate went up 3 percent for the year, and we were more than 150 days in milk. And, more cows were pregnant every month. That kind of sealed the deal for me. I want to recommend the best product for the breeder. It makes his job so much easier.”

 

And, speaking of easier, Hess also noted that estroPLAN’s 2 cc dose (compared to the competition’s 5 cc dose) means that one bottle does 50 cows, instead of just 20. He also mentioned that prostaglandins have some added health benefits for the cow, because they cycle the cow, cleaning out the uterus and enhancing uterine health. 

 

The regimen Hess uses calls for administering a first shot between 42 and 48 days in milk (DIM), giving all shots on the same day of the week. The second dose is administered from day 56 to day 62, again on the same day of the week. If a cow doesn’t show heat, he determines whether to go into a timed program or continue trying for heat detection at two-week intervals.

 

To lay the groundwork for any type of ES program, Hess suggests that producers first make sure their records are “perfect” in terms of what cows are bred and which are not.

 

“The most common mistake producers make is to breed cows and not record it. Let’s say the next day is shot day. The breeder administers prostaglandin, and you just terminated that pregnancy. Far and away the biggest error breeders make is failing to enter breed dates into the system and therefore aborting cows. Often they don’t even know it until the breed dates is entered.”

 

Talking to your veterinarian and figuring out which program will fit your dairy best is the next step. And, make sure you have a competent breeder. Finally, Hess says, “think about how you can maximize heat detection.”

 

As for what product should be used for heat detection, Hess is unequivocal.

 

“AgriLabs is a good company, and estroPLAN is a standout compared to the competition. I want it to take hold with other producers because I think it is really a good thing.” 

 

Detecting heat in dairy cows can be a real challenge. It is time-consuming and often frustrating, because signs of heat can be quite subtle. When heat is not detected, valuable reproductive opportunities are lost. And, those lost opportunities can be costly.

 

University of Florida research indicates that the average value of a new pregnancy in a Holstein herd is $278 when stages of gestation and lactation are taken into account, along with milk yield and price, cost of culling and replacement heifers and other variables.1 Further, a 12- to 12.5-month calving interval delivers optimal benefits in terms of milk production and profitability, studies show. To achieve that goal, cows must be pregnant 85 days into lactation—and that means taking advantage of every opportunity for pregnancy. EstroPLAN can help.

 

A synthetic analog of the prostaglandins that occur naturally during the cow’s estrus cycle—estroPLAN helps make heats more predictable, thus facilitating breeding and reproduction. It does this by causing luteolysis, which leads to the maturation of a new follicle, followed by ovulation and standing estrus, or heat. 

 

So, estroPLAN gives you a window of time when the cow likely will come into heat—usually 2-5 days after administering the product, after which she can be bred. When combined with other reproductive management practices, prostaglandin products such as estroPLAN can:

• Assist in predicting heat or ovulation

• Facilitate assisted reproductive programs

• Help cycling females conceive earlier in the breeding period

• Reduce time (and labor) required for heat detection

• Increase reproductive rates among prepubertal heifers 

• Help with reproductive problems such as endometritis, luteal cysts and mummified fetuses

 

EstroPLAN contains 250 mcg/ml of cloprostenol, the most widely used prostaglandin in the world. Clinical trials over the past five years—involving more than 13,000 cows in various breeding systems—demonstrate estroPLAN’s real-world effectiveness. Available in 20 mL/10 dose and 100 mL/50 dose sizes, estroPLAN requires only a 2 mL dose. For more information visit www.agrilabs.com/estroPLAN