|
GETTING STARTED WITH LOWLINES
There are three ways
to get started with breeding purebred Lowlines:
Embryos
Pregnant recipients
Heifers and Cows
Each option has its good and
bad points and the choice will essentially come down to which one
best suites your needs.
EMBRYOS
This is the cheapest way to
enter the business. You can buy frozen embryos from the females and
bulls of your choice.
It is important
that you buy quality genetics, seek advice from someone with
experience if you do not have the required knowledge.
Embryos are also fully tax
deductible for bona fide primary producers. It is generally quite
difficult to obtain insurance cover for a minimum success rate in an
ET program. Some insurers used to offer minimum 50% success
rate. However this is now only available on larger numbers of
embryos if available at all.
When
purchasing frozen embryos it is best to buy grade 1 (highest grade
embryos). Grading of embryos refers to their potential viability
in the embryo transfer process and does not have any bearing on the
quality of the offspring. As the freezing and thawing process
can in some cases cause a small downgrade in embryo viability it is
best to start with the highest grade embryos.
Some
vendors offer a guarantee on the embryo quality at
thawing. Ideally you would want embryos to thaw out as they were
graded prior to freezing. Guarantees of conception rates are not
frequently offered as there are many factors that determine the
success rate of an embryo transfer program.
It
is a good idea to find out where the embryos were collected and
frozen. Most embryo collection is performed by highly qualified
vets either on farm or at licensed centres. Just make sure you
know where the embryos you are buying were collected and make
yourself comfortable with the reputation of the vet or
centre.
Now
you have selected the genetics, you’re happy with the reputation
of the vendor and the collection vet or centre the next step is the
all important embryo transfer program. The bottom line is
converting these embryos into pregnancies and ultimately live calves.
(seek advice from a recognised ET vet before you
start).
With
embryos you can organise for the embryo transfer to be conducted
under contract at a number of centres in Australia as well as by a
number of breeders who conduct their own ET programs.
Alternatively you can run your own recipients and have the embryos
transferred on your property. Considering the value of Lowline
embryos it would be inadvisable to conduct you first ET programs
without advice from an experienced ET vet or from operators who are
experienced in running ET programs.
The
biggest risk with buying embryos is the success rate in the ET
program. Success rates do vary with seasons and particularly
when implanting small numbers of embryos. A reasonable number
of grade 1 embryos in a well run ET program should result in
pregnancy rates greater than 50% but when you start implanting small
numbers the results can be variable. For example you can
transfer 4 embryos and get 3 pregnancies for a 75% success
rate. You could also end up with 1 pregnancy for a 25% success
rate. It’s just a matter of biological variability.
The bigger the numbers the greater the chance of achieving average or
better results.
Utilising the services of
a reputable embryo transfer vet and management of the recipients are
the critical factors in achieving good pregnancy results. If you
are inexperienced with ET programs it is best to speak with a number
of experienced operators and get their ideas.
Some
people prefer heifers to cows, dairy cross to beef cows as their
recipients. As a minimum, recipients should be in good health,
on a rising plane of nutrition, have adequate levels of vitamins and
minerals in their diet and have acceptable temperament for all the
handling they will receive in the program.
Back to Top
To avoid the work and the
risks associated with buying embryos some people prefer to purchase
pregnant recipients. If you do not intend to buy at least 8 to
10 embryos then buying a pregnancy is probably the better
choice. The costs are higher than buying embryos, but the risks
are greatly reduced and you know exactly where you are. All the
expenses in purchasing a pregnant recipient are tax deductible except
the actual capital value of the recipient.
Most
vendors calculate a pregnant recipient price based on the cost of 2
embryos, the costs of achieving a pregnancy including the recipient
and a premium for doing the ET work and taking the risk with
the embryos. For this you receive a recipient confirmed in calf
at 90 days. A number of livestock insurers offer cover for the
pregnancy right through until the calf is 30 days old.
Considering the costs involved, insurance offers very good peace of
mind and capital protection particularly for purchasers of smaller
numbers of recipients.
After
satisfying yourself that the genetics of the pregnancy ( most
important that you are buying from quality seed stock) are what you
are after you might want to ask a few questions about the quality of
the actual recipient.
When you think that not only the gestation but also the rearing to
weaning is preformed by the recipient the quality of this female is
very important, ideally you want a female that will calve easily, has
good milking potential and a quiet temperament.
Back to Top
HEIFERS AND COWS
To breed cattle you eventually need females. So why not buy a
heifer? The value of Quality Lowline females in Australia is
still very high and considering the demand for this breed this should
remain the case for some time. So the biggest hurdle in buying
a female is the cost and being able to find a quality female.
Most people are anxious to keep their best stock so you must be
careful.
Once
you have a female you would want to utilise her as an embryo
donor. The biggest risk here is the variability in females in
their ability to produce viable embryos. This variability
applies to all breeds of cattle. The flushing history of the
female or her mother may give some indication of how
the animal will respond.
If
you are lucky, a heifer you purchase may be a very good embryo
producer and pay for her purchase price very quickly. However
equally likely is the prospect that a heifer may not be a good embryo
producer and may need a natural calf before she will respond
adequately to the super ovulation drugs. And some females just
never seem to make good donors.
While
vet examination can determine if a female has active ovaries and is
reproductively sound there is still no way to accurately determine
her flushing ability. If you can buy a proven donor then
that’s a good option. But you want to make sure you get
the entire flushing history of a donor to make sure your not just
told of the good flushes. And some donors can stop
producing embryos and need a natural calf to get them back on track.
The
best way around this is to play the numbers game and buy a number of
females. While this adds expense it increases the likelihood of
purchasing a good embryo donor. One good donor out of the
three would be a fair result and make the exercise worthwhile.
Purchasing of females is a capital item and is not tax
deductible. Females can be readily insured.
Back to Top
|
