gender select ai

[B Adams]

I am going to try gender select semen on my jersey's. Has anyone used it?
The two bulls that I have access to through abs global, are memorial or
trooper. I have found some info on memorial but can't find it on trooper. Anyone familiar with these 2 bulls. I haven't spoken with selectsires.com yet to see what they have offered. Any info would be a great help or if you are using gender select what bulls are you using? Thanks a million, B Adams

[james dilley]

There was A wrire up in last wekks. Farm And Dairy news paper its on line and has A decent article on this subject.. P S the paper also comes on select news stands..

[B Adams]

Thanks for the heads up on the article. I realize its not a 100% percent but the odds are better than with a bull in my opinion. I just don't know that much about jersey bulls on which one to pick.

[Tractorgrl]

We just began using Sepx in December 2005. We'll know how it goes in August/ September.

[Tractorgrl]

Forgot to mention, we've been using the Sepx on our Holsteins.

[Sprout]

I've personaly never tried it but it's common for the dairies up here to use x-semen on thier best cows that they want replacments out of. I would see what their success rate is and their guarantee behind it. It's probably very accurate or close. I think they sex the sperm by spinning it in a simple centrifuge and then taking the lighter or heavier portion, but don't quote me.

[DaleK]

Don't forget that the fertility is lower on sexed semen, about 75% of normal. In normal times I'd be interested in trying some on heifers but I doubt that anybody is using sexed semen here now, heifers just aren't worth anything. We'd rather have bull calves. Springing heifers to milk are selling for $4-500 Canadian, ship them to slaughter and they're worth $1000. My neighbour trucked a bunch of cows to slaughter last week and there were 50 springing Holstein heifers waiting in the pen ahead of them to be slaughtered and the guys working there said that's a normal day, all the heifer dealers that bought heifers last fall hoping for the border to open are now aborting them and selling them to be shipped south for slaughter.

[JeffNY]

As Dalek said, sexed semen has lower fertility, Conception Rates are much lower. So you have to ask yourself, is it worth the lower CR to have a higher chance at getting a heifer? Or what if you do have a pregnancy, and it is a bull after trying perhaps a couple times because of its lower fertility.



I was talking with someone about this, and supposedly at one time, sexed semen can cause problems with fertility down the road. Well it could make sence, considering your CR with sexed semen does go down. I personally rather use regular ol' semen, semen that has a higher CR and risk getting a bull, and be glad if I get a heifer.


As far as heifer prices go, locally they are still up. Many big farms are still culling and buying. Back a couple weeks ago, I overheard someone say at a local auction, heifers were going for 1700, these were for springers. The average was 1700, which is good.


Jeff