Estrous Characteristics and Pregnancy Rates of Beef Heifers Administered Two Synchronization Protocols12

Abstract

Two estrous synchronization protocols were used to determine their effect on estrous characteristics, synchronization rates, and pregnancy rates in nulliparous beef heifers on a commercial cow-calf operation in western New Mexico. Fifty-three Red Angus and Angus × Hereford heifers were sorted by age and BW to compare heifers treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) 7 d before treatment with prostaglandin F2α[PGF2α; SelectSynch (SS); n = 26] and heifers treated with two administrations of PGF2α14 d apart [Targeted Breeding™ (TB) (Pharmacia, Kalamazoo, MI); n = 27). An androgenized cow fitted with a chin-ball marker was placed in each pen of heifers, and a HeatWatch (HW) transmitter (DDx, Inc., Denver, CO) was attached to each heifer to monitor estrous characteristics. Heifers were artificially inseminated after estrus was determined by HW. Number of standing events tended (P=0.12) to increase for TB heifers compared with SS heifers (54.4 ± 7.4 and 37.5 ± 7.7, respectively). Duration of estrus was increased (P<0.05) in TB heifers (16.0 ± 1.3 h) compared with SS heifers (11.6 ± 1.3 h). However, overall synchronization and pregnancy rates were similar (P>0.10) between protocols. Androgenized cows identified 53% of the estruses detected by HW. When utilizing synchronization protocols, radiotelemetric estrous detection systems may identify more heifers in estrus than androgenized cows. Intensity of estrus was increased in TB heifers compared with SS heifers; however, synchronization and pregnancy rates were not influenced by synchronization protocol.