Donor females offer the key to a herd’s genetic progress. These elite females provide access to faster genetic advancements resulting in more valuable live calves.
Here are a few obvious and not-so-obvious tips to help producers reach the goal of advancing their herd’s genetics.
1. Let cows (donors) be cows.
Females that don’t get bred, get pregnant, go through gestation, birth a calf, and have a consistent and working reproductive system don’t make ideal donor candidates.
“Donors always do better if they’re bred back, or have a calf on them, rather than being constantly open,” says Josh Greenhorn, Greenhorn Cattle Company co-owner. Greenhorn Cattle Company has been working with Vytelle since 2021, and operates two Powered by Vytelle Satellite locations based in Waynesville, Ohio and Bloomfield, Indiana.
Ensure normal internal hormone levels by allowing her to raise a calf.
Don’t select donors. Select cows that can donate.
2. Be mindful of age and status.
Females as young as 6 months of age, open cows as early as 15 days post-calving, and pregnant animals within the first 120 days of gestation qualify as donors. Oocyte quality and embryo results will improve after puberty. Consult with your satellite manager or Vytelle representative to learn about what you can expect from your donor based on her age, breed, and reproductive status. As regular estrous cycles are maintained, keep safe collection timelines in mind.
3. Hit the Body Condition Score (BCS) target.
“Try to aim for the middle of the road with BCS,” Greenhorn says. “In our experience, the fatter cattle don’t do as well. They often don’t breed back as they’re too fleshy.”
Like Greenhorn, Vytelle recommends targeting a 3 to 3.5 on the 1 to 5 beef BCS scale. Too skinny females lack the nutrients to produce high-quality oocytes while too fleshy animals release hormones from fat tissue that fight against oocyte production. Both categories change reproductive hormone levels, initiate random follicular growth and ovulation, plus increase postpartum intervals which negatively influence oocyte production for 60 days.
4. Exterior factors impact interior strength.
While Vytelle’s system allows you to ‘just bring the cow,’ some exterior conditions affect health and oocyte value. Optimal pasture, grass, and hay maintain and reinforce health and vitality. This ‘out-of-body’ strength is the foundation that translates to the female’s internal system helping create optimal oocytes.
5. Build a solid nutritional plan.
Establishing and maintaining a suitable and environmentally conscious nutrition program at least 60 days before aspiration is key for successful embryo production. Work with a nutritionist to formulate balanced rations to meet protein, energy, minerals, and vitamin requirements. Mineral protocols should include organic and inorganic sources plus optional EPA and DHA rumen-protected fatty acids. Magnesium and zinc are also essential for reproductive vitality. In general, minerals should offer more than 14% phosphorus and at least 25 milligrams of selenium.
Greenhorn recommends Multimin 90 and variations of VitaFerm with Concept-Aid for winter and summer, although you should consult with a nutritionist for a specific plan for your herd.
6. Don’t forget the vaccines—reproductive too.
Follow the annual vaccination protocol of a trusted veterinarian, especially for donors in an embryo transfer or embryo production program. And don’t forget about pre-breeding, reproductive vaccines targeting BVD, IBR, and Leptospirosis for all ages. Since donors come from various regions and climate conditions, no one-size-fits-all answer is available. Vaccines should be administered approximately 45+ days before aspiration for best collection results.
“For vaccinations, we use a 6-way plus Blackleg and pinkeye in the spring and fall,” Greenhorn says. “We also rotate between live and killed vaccines, using live every 3 years so they aren’t immune to it.”
7. Collect while they’re pregnant.
Building upon the first tip shared, don’t just bring donors, bring cows that can donate. The best way to do this is to get donors bred while being used to produce embryos.
Pregnancy resets the ovaries and the endocrine system. A normal life including reproductive processes allows consistent and normal healing and recovery to produce higher-quality oocytes. It also delivers aspiration longevity.
“We had some donors, when we used to use a competitor to Vytelle, that we couldn’t get to produce anything when they were on FSH shots. Then, when we did Vytelle, we got them to make embryos again,” Greenhorn stated. Vytelle ADVANCE™ does not use FSH.
The Vytelle difference
Vytelle is setting the standard in IVF reproduction with a rich product development pipeline focused on tools to drive to 70% pregnancy rates. Vytelle ADVANCE is the in vitro fertilization process that checks all the boxes. Skip the donor set up, forget the added labor and just bring the cow.
Just bring the cow…without any hormones and shots that add cost and negatively impact reproductive life. By properly supporting donors, and keeping them healthy, they’ll produce high-quality oocytes over a long and productive lifespan.