How does Lutalyse (sp?) work?

cjb · #1 07/28/08, 05:44 PM

As I posted in another thread, my cow's summer heats have NOT been noticeable and I'm worried about letting her go too long without breeding her back.

How does Lutalyse work and how predictable is it?

Chixarecute · #2 07/28/08, 06:07 PM

Really rusty here..but seem to recall Lutalyse is a two shot series given several days apart...maybe that's if you're synchronizing the whole herd...but anyway...the chemical causes the follicles on the ovary to mature & be released, stimulating all the other hormones that go along with that process.

You can breed based on timing from the shot, I believe. You may want to plan on 2 units of bull & breed 2x 12 hours apart. Keep in mind that heat & humidty may not only suppress estrus but will have a huge impact on whether or not the cow actualy settles.

Big FYI - the chemical/syringe/etc. should NOT be handled by a woman who is pregnant. (Someone back me up/refresh my memory on this one.)

matt_man · #3 07/28/08, 08:39 PM

It will cause labor in a pregnant woman if handled or comes into skin contact. I personally wouldn't use it quite yet. I don't think that it is time to worry about not getting her bred. Also, being bred AI at this time of the year could be unsuccessful. We just had Daisy AI'd a week and a half ago and she was ready and felt good, according to who did it, but he said with the temps getting hot in the next two weeks it could very well cause embryonic death and not to get our hopes up too high.

If she comes in and you catch it, I wouldn't hesitate to breed her but don't be too awfully disappointed if she doesn't take. I wouldn't want to mess with her hormones if I didn't have to. I don't know what your weather is like there but it was 100* here today.

cjb · #4 07/28/08, 09:44 PM

Weather here has been weird this year - very cool, especially at night. Most people's hens stopped laying, molted too early etc. Just weird.

The good thing is that my goats cycled really late so I was able to breed them this year (I missed the winter breeding). However, maybe its messing with my cow.

For some reason, i thought that her lactation cycle would end after 10 months or so and I would be stuck with a useless cow for several more months until she delivers unless I bred her right away. So it works like a goat where I can just keep milking and breed her later?

sungirl · #5 07/28/08, 10:00 PM

Yes, you can milk over 10 months. I have heard of cows being fresh for 3 years before breeding again.

Patty.

matt_man · #6 07/28/08, 10:28 PM

Their lactations would only last 10 months if you were breeding her to calve at the same time every year. You would be drying her off 2 months before she was due to calve again. Her production will start to taper off over time. I am still getting 3 gallons a day from Heart, 7 months into her lactation and she isn't due until Feb 22nd. She peaked at 4.5 gallons/day.

Rachel