Help! first time hatching!

[Lacrystol]

Yeah it has been a HUGE loss. Luckily only 4 were heifers. Something fishy is going on though.... I do artificial insemination for my cows and do not buy sexed semen (like girl or boy semen) because it is just too expensive (About 150 a vial and takes about 4 vials to impregnate!) so I buy straight run semen but out of 36 calves only 8 were heifers. Something is not right..... I have a bull now so all calves starting june 8th are from my own bull....

Why not let the cows do it themselves why do you have to inject them??

 

[Lacrystol]

Quote:
Oh yes! There are sooo many costs to a calf! And then to get a bull calf is just terrible! I barely cut even when a bull calf is born. And that is when it is a healthy holstein bull calf. A jersey bull calf goes for about 10 dollars at an auction..... Non-pedigree that is. I only have 2 jerseys though. And I always breed them with sexed semen to make sure they have a small heifer so that there is no trouble with calving. I once bred my favorite jersey with "straight run" semen and the calf was too large and she died giving birth.... Now that is just terrible, You lose a calf, AND a milking cow....

Well there's a fine example for keeping them paired up with each other.

 

[casportpony]

Quote:
Oh yes! There are sooo many costs to a calf! And then to get a bull calf is just terrible! I barely cut even when a bull calf is born. And that is when it is a healthy holstein bull calf. A jersey bull calf goes for about 10 dollars at an auction..... Non-pedigree that is. I only have 2 jerseys though. And I always breed them with sexed semen to make sure they have a small heifer so that there is no trouble with calving. I once bred my favorite jersey with "straight run" semen and the calf was too large and she died giving birth.... Now that is just terrible, You lose a calf, AND a milking cow....

Well there's a fine example for keeping them paired up with each other.

I'm confused, what do you mean? -Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Yeah it has been a HUGE loss. Luckily only 4 were heifers. Something fishy is going on though.... I do artificial insemination for my cows and do not buy sexed semen (like girl or boy semen) because it is just too expensive (About 150 a vial and takes about 4 vials to impregnate!) so I buy straight run semen but out of 36 calves only 8 were heifers. Something is not right..... I have a bull now so all calves starting june 8th are from my own bull....

Why not let the cows do it themselves why do you have to inject them??

Probably for some of the same reasons you would for horses.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Yeah it has been a HUGE loss. Luckily only 4 were heifers. Something fishy is going on though.... I do artificial insemination for my cows and do not buy sexed semen (like girl or boy semen) because it is just too expensive (About 150 a vial and takes about 4 vials to impregnate!) so I buy straight run semen but out of 36 calves only 8 were heifers. Something is not right..... I have a bull now so all calves starting june 8th are from my own bull....

Why not let the cows do it themselves why do you have to inject them??

Read this:
http://m.wikihow.com/Artificially-Inseminate-Cows-and-Heifers

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

I had no idea we were talking about anything but adult ducks having water to splash in - my suggestion had nothing to do with broodies, y'all. 

I know you were speaking in general. But I didn't want to shoot up any ideas.

I knew what you meant, your post was quite clear to me, lol. I also use the cement tubs for my adults, they're inexpensive and easy to clean.

-Kathy

Questions keep coming up and it just seemed to me like all the more reason to disturbed.

I maybe reading them wrong but I have seen this one to many times from antsiness. . Lol

No harm in telling someone what type of pool they should look for.

-Kathy

 

[18angovem]

Quote:
Do you mean let the cows breed with the bulls naturally? Well for one you can buy good pedigree semen so that your calves will sell for more if they are bulls and if they are girls they will have better characterstics. A heifer with good characteristics will have an easier time giving birth due to a straighter back and wider hips and will have a more upright udder and can be milked longer. For second you don't have to pay to feed and keep a big bull. Also you don't have to deal with a bull. I do have a bull now due to having trouble with getting all boys. (I think that the "Straight run" semen was straight run and the leftover boy semen. Also you don't really inject them..... More like insert stuff into them....

 

[18angovem]

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Im confused as well....

 

[Amykins]

Quote:
^ This. Owning a bull is no day at the picnic...they're even worse than having an ungelded, untrained stallion!

 

[Lacrystol]

Probably for some of the same reasons you would for horses.

-Kathy

Personally I would let my horses breed with each other so that makes no sence.