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Veterinarian View | November 2024

Recipients: Why Quality Matters


contributed article by Dr. Vince Collison, Collison Embryo and Veterinary Services,

Rockwell City, Iowa



What makes a good recipient (recip) cow? This is a question we get asked frequently. This is the time of year when people are starting to make plans for next spring and try to acquire enough recipients to meet their needs.


When I first got into the embryo transfer (ET) business, I thought ET would be a great way to utilize lower quality cows to propagate superior genetics. But over the years, I’ve seen a wide variety of cows used for recipients and can tell you from first-hand experience that quality matters. In my opinion, when it comes to achieving the best pregnancy rates possible, recipients can make all of the difference.


Selection

When selecting cows for recipients, it probably makes the most sense to use cows that are more maternal based. We are involved predominantly with beef cattle and feel that a commercial Angus-based cow or some cross of an Angus works the best for recipients.

There are other breeds and crosses that will also work as recipients, but when you’re looking for cows and don’t get a lot of history on them the Angus and Angus crosses have a higher probability of having inherent fertility.


There is a phenomenon on the ovaries called the antral follicle count. It is basically a total count of small follicles that are present on the cow’s ovaries at any point in time. Higher fertility is associated with higher antral follicle counts.


In the past, we have tried to screen for antral follicle counts in recipients that we have purchased in an attempt to select the most fertile cows. The counts were made from an ultrasound image of the ovary using a unit that gave a more high-resolution image of the ovary than our typical field ultrasound unit.


What we found was that the commercial Angus and Angus cross cows almost always had a high antral follicle count. It was in the range of 92 to 95 percent having the higher counts. Not that other breeds didn’t have animals with these higher counts, but we found the higher percentages in the Angus and Angus cross females. These are commercial Angus that are typically the majority of a commercial cow herd and have been selected for their ability to have a calf every year on time, so it wasn’t surprising to see these results, as they are naturally selected for fertility. They also seem to consistently have good maternal and mothering instincts as well.


Body Condition

The other thing is to have cows that are in good flesh but not too fat. While thin cows that are in a negative energy balance will not be as fertile, excessively fat cows can be less fertile as well. The fat can interfere with normal hormone balances, but also will deposit in the pelvic cavity and the broad ligaments of the uterus, making it more difficult to transfer an embryo.


I would rather see a thin cow gaining weight than a fat cow that is on a diet trying to be thinned down. If a cow has been nursing a calf every year, excess condition is usually not a problem. If a cow has been left open for more than a year, their ability to become pregnant drops off dramatically. This is usually due to the effects of becoming excessively over conditioned.


Age Matters

Age is another factor I consider important. There are cows that get to be pretty old and still work as recipients, but I consider a cow in the 3- to 4-year-old range as being in the ideal age for a recipient with the best chance of success. Many of these will go on to work fine after the age of 6, but you will find that by 10 years there may be cows that end up with issues such as bad udders and poorer fertility that will take them out as a recipient candidate.


It’s best to continue to add younger cows to the recipient pool each year so you’re not forced to use excessively old cows. We also get asked about using virgin heifers for recipients. We do have clients who use heifers, but there’s always the issues of are they going to milk enough, be a good enough mother or even be able to give birth to the embryo calf without troubles.


It’s probably best to let them have their first calf and prove themselves before entering the recipient pool. If a producer is limited on ideal recipients and has to draw from some other less than ideal cows, it is best to prioritize embryos so that the best embryos are used in the most ideal recipients.


Vaccination Timing

When it comes to the health, be sure to get vaccinations done 30 days prior to setting up recipients for transfers. Testing for diseases is a personal preference. Most clients do not do any screen testing for anything if they are using cows from their own herd. Common things to test for are Johne’s, BLV, Neospora, PI-BVD, and Anaplasmosis.


Very few clients will test for anything when purchasing a group of cows unless they have a specific issue they want to screen for. Many places that sell recipients test for a variety of things, but it is very variable what they will test for. When purchasing cows, it can be very hard to get an accurate history on the source. So, if there are certain disease issues you are concerned about it is best to test the cow for that disease. There are certain limitations on testing for diseases such as Johne’s, but a positive test on a recently purchased cow can prevent you from introducing the cow into the herd and reduce your risk.


Nutritional Needs

For nutrition make sure the cows are getting what they need in terms of energy and protein requirements to fully express their reproductive potential. Also, trace mineral needs must to be met for copper, zinc, selenium, etc. These are key for proper metabolic function and play a major role in the reproductive process. We recommend using a chelated trace mineral from 60 days pre-calving through the breeding season.


In conclusion, for maximum success try to use the highest quality cows for recipients that you can. They have the most potential for the highest pregnancy rate and they are hopefully going to be raising some of the best calves in the herd.



Dr. Vince Collison is co-owner of Collison Embryo and Veterinary Services PAC

in Rockwell City, Iowa.

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Bill Schermer, Owner/Herd Consultant
641.425.2641 | bill@stockmanmag.com

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605.690.6050 | makayla@stockmanmag.com

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