Premier Embryos

We reccomend that you maintain donors and recipents on the same diet. Avoid high protein feed, not >16% protein.

Any of the following regimes can be used to prepare recipients:

Prostaglandin Injection: This can be used in cycling animals that did not show heat in the previous 7 days. The response varies from 50% upwards with the onset of heat over 4 days.

CIDR plus Prostaglandin: This is the most reliable treatment. Insert CIDR for 9 days, inject with prostaglandin on day 8, withdraw CIDR on day 9 and expect heat on day 11. Response is excellent with onset of heat on day 11 and confined to a 12 hour spread.

Recipients in standing heat within 24 hours before or after the donor are acceptable for transfer. Do not present recipients unless they are seen on heat.

Young, healthy, thriving maiden heifers are best, 350Kg is an ideal weight for Holstein embryos, 450-500Kg for Beef embryos Avoid over-fat animals. Young cows also give good results, older cows are not good recipients.

Additional feeding for 4 weeks before and after transfer is valuable.

Avoid lush, wet pasture

Trace elements and important, particularly copper and selenium. If in doubt, supplement at least 3 weeks before transfers

Avoid changes in housing and diet for 1 month before and after transdfer.

In our experience, recipients managed indoors give a 15% better pregnancy rate than those managed outdoors.

Premier Embryos reccomend a closed herd policy with regard to recipient heifers. If clients are unable to provide thier own recipients, there will be an inevitable increase in the risk of acquiring disease. However, if required, Premier Embryos can arrange the provision of recipients. We have a number of farmers contracted to supply recipients on a regular basis. These recipients are provided according to the following specifications:

BVD: tested negative for this disease prior to selection as recipient. A negative test indicates that the animal was not carrying the disease at the time of the test and vaccinated against BVD according to the manufacturer’s reccomendations.
Leptospirosis: Vaccinated against L. and L._ with according to manufacturer’s reccomendations.
Neospora: All recipients are tested negative prior to implantation.
Johne’s Disease: tested serologically negative for Johne’s Disease prior to selection as a recipient. Some animals which carry the organism responsible for causing Johne’s Disease may not be revealed as carriers by the serological testing for the disease. A negative test cannot therefore be absolutlely relied upon to indicate freedom from disease, even at time of testing.

Premier Embryos reccomend the following biosecurity measures where maintainance of s closed herd is not possible and recipients are bought in:
1 - Calve outdoors: weather permitting.
2 - Single suckling policy
3 - Test and Slaughter recipients post rearing of first embryo
4 - Keep recipients and offspring separte from main herd.
5- Consult your own Veterinary Surgeon.

The above list is not exhaustive. It contains some measures which should be considered.

Recipients have not been immunised to protect the new born against calf scour. This should be discussed with your own Veterinary Surgeon and undertaken at the appropriate stage of pregnancy.