Is Heat Synchronization in Synch with Your Objectives?

Originally Published in Gulf Coast Cattleman

Estrus or heat synchronization is management tool allowing producers to influence their genetics, breeding season and calving window. There are many different heat synchronization protocols from which to choose. To determine which protocol best fits your operation you’ll need to consider a few factors. Protocols will vary from Bos Indicus to Bos Taurus cattle, cost investment, and time investment.

“Each protocol is a little different,” said Kyle Kemp, sire procurement specialist at Bovine Elite. “It all comes down to which protocol best fits your operation. Each protocol will have different results, cost, labor, and time. There are some that are as simple as giving a shot with heat detection and others that require you to feed MGA and use a shot program. There are several different protocols and each one is going to have different levels of cost and time. It’s also important determine if you will be using a fixed time breeding protocol or a protocol that allows you to breed off of heat detection. When you are preparing to start your Synchronization program you need to ask yourself, ‘What can we afford to do, how much time can I devote to this protocol, and is this the right protocol to use for when I can breed?’”

Kemp said the most cost-effective protocol is giving a prostaglandin (PG) shot and placing a heat detection aide. Then artificially inseminating on observed heats. The most commonly used protocol is the Select Synch + CIDR (7Day Protocol). Kemp said that heat synchronization protocols will also differ depending on if your cattle are Bos Indicus or Bos Taurus cattle.

“Bos Indicus cattle sometimes show little to less signs of heat,” Kemp said. “They’re not as active as some of the Bos Taurus breeds so heat can be harder to detect. That’s not to say Bos Indicus cattle do not show signs of heat, they do, they just don’t show signs of heat as clearly as Bos Taurus cattle at times. We now have research that has determined specific protocols that are more successful in Bos Indicus breeds.”

Larry Demouth, a representative of American Breeders Service, said Bos Indicus cattle can also be later maturing which can play a role in when heifers are bred.

“On later maturing Bos Indicus cattle we don’t expect them to have great conception rates as two-year-old heifers,” Demouth said. “Some breeds are less docile which can also impact conception rates as those cattle are going to be more stressed when being handled.”

Beyond economical ability, time availability and breed type, you need to consider the body condition of the cattle you plan to synchronize.

“I have had customers who wanted to do artificial insemination work, but their cattle were too thin after going through rough weather,” Demouth said. “If cattle are below a body condition score four, conception rates are not going to be good. You’ve got to get them in appropriate condition before trying to synchronize heats and breed them.”

Kemp said body condition can be a good indication of overall animal health and therefore fertility.

“A moderate frame size with a body condition score of five is ideal,” Kemp said. “You don’t want her to be overly fat, but you also don’t want her down at a body condition score three or lower. Now, I have seen thin cattle breed, but your chances of a successful synchronization, breeding, and pregnancy are going to decrease if your cattle are not in appropriate condition.”

Environmental factors can also impact the effectiveness of synchronization and breeding. For example, extreme weather conditions and cattle handling practices.

“Environment plays a huge factor in successful synchronization and breeding,” Kemp said. “Especially during the hot summer months here in the south, when it’s more than 100 plus degrees outside, you’re not going to be able to see much activity in your Cattle especially in Bos Taurus cattle. While those females will still be cycling, you’re not going to see heat indicators like riding or standing when it’s hot. You’re more likely to still see heat indicators in Bos Indicus cattle during warmer months just due to their heat tolerance. Likewise, Bos Taurus breeds are going to be more active during cooler months.”

Kemp said extreme weather can also be stressful on cattle causing females to skip cycles and even abort calves.

“A couple of years ago, we had a major freeze here in South Texas during many producers’ regular breeding season. Most cattle down here aren’t used to major temperature swings into negative digits. We saw a lot of cattle that weren’t coming into heat, weren’t breeding, and some aborted their calves due to the environmental stress.”

Environmental stress doesn’t only come from extreme weather though. Having adequate handling facilities and maintaining low-stress handling techniques are very important to the success of heat synchronization and artificial insemination. Especially if your cattle aren’t used to being handled frequently or are prone to getting stirred up in the pens, you may want to choose a protocol that requires fewer trips through the chute. Implementing low-stress handling techniques and giving cattle good experiences coming into the pens well before synchronization may aide in lowering stress levels on synchronization day. In most synchronization protocols, cattle will be brought up and run through the chute a minimum of three times within 10 days. Having those cattle used to coming into the pens and being handled properly ahead of time is very beneficial.

“Anytime you are doing anything with cattle, the way you handle those cattle greatly impacts the stress they are under and the effectiveness of whatever procedure you’re carrying out,” Kemp said. “If you are sitting there hot-shotting nonstop, hollering, roughhousing and running cattle through the chute at a high pace, you are negatively impacting the outcome of your procedure. When you are stressed, your cattle are going to be stressed too. Make it easy on cattle and easy on you. Learn and utilize the pressure points of handling cattle properly. There can be a time and place for a hotshot, but that is only when an animal is really stubborn and just won’t move through the facilities. If every time they come up, it’s a horrible experience they’re going to be more skittish and stress more. When cattle are stressed, it’s not a safe situation for anyone. Be calm, keep stress low, and be safe. You will have much better results from a low-stress situation.”

Kemp also said the changing of feed, water sources, facilities or pastures shortly before synchronization and breeding can all cause change in cattle. These changes with cattle handling and feeding leading up to synchronization can cause stress. However, if necessary changes to feeding, location and handling, are implemented correctly over adequate time, cattle should adjust well. Improving nutrition and handling techniques can improve heat detection and low stress handling at the time of synchronization and breeding.

“You need to have good facilities with a chute, not just a headgate,” said Demouth. “Some breeding services have facilities you can bring your cattle into, but ideally you need to have functional working facilities on site.

Demouth said the most time-consuming part of artificial insemination can be watching for heats, but synchronizing females takes the time and guess work out of the equation. While there will be a time investment in bringing females up to working facilities to synchronize, you will save time spent out watching for observed heats.

“If you’re just trying to observe individual heats without synchronizing, you have to be out there going through cattle multiple times a day,” Demouth said. “That’s a lot of time. If you synchronize heats, you can determine and control your breeding and calving seasons.”

Additionally, synchronizing heats will shorten your calving season saving time spent checking for and tagging calves. Having a shorter calving season will also result in a more uniform set of calves that will be easier to market. Kemp said smaller operations actually benefit greatly from heat synchronization and artificial insemination, whether they’re commercial or seedstock operators.

“There are just as many great benefits of heat synchronization and artificial insemination on a small operation as there are on a large operation,” Kemp said. “If you do have a smaller herd, it’s even more critical that you are utilizing better genetics with each calf crop. Plus, if you are synchronizing heats to artificially inseminate, you are able to use higher quality genetics and have more bull options to choose from that are more cost effective than purchasing a bull. If you’re purchasing semen, you’re going to know that bull is proven, you have his EPDs and performance. You don’t have the expense of purchasing a bull, feeding a bull, building facilities for a bull, and then repairing those facilities when the bull tears them up. There are great bulls available for $20 to $50 per straw. Yes, the first year, you will have some investment to purchase your artificial insemination kit, but that will last years to come.”

Look at your economical options. Consider your time availability. Note your herd’s breed type, body condition, and stress level when being handled. Determine your ideal breeding and calving seasons and plan for the weather during that time of year. Consider your available facilities or the distance you would need to haul cattle to a breeding facility. These factors will all help you determine the best synchronization protocol for your herd. Once you have mapped out your situation and end goal, there are many resources available for those planning to heat synchronize and artificial inseminate.  Companies like Bovine Elite or ABS can connect you with a technician, provide training through an artificial insemination clinic, and offer equipment for purchase. Contacting your local Extension agent and veterinarian are also great places to start. Many technicians and veterinarians will provide on site services or allow animals to be brought to their facilities for synchronization and breeding. Whether you have the facilities and training to synchronize and artificially inseminate on your own or prefer to hire a professional, heat synchronization and artificial insemination is an extremely cost-effective way to take control of your calving window while improving your calves’ genetic potential.