Feeding calves

Important tips for ET work

Feeding calves

Important tips for ET work

Are you considering doing embryo transfer work on one of your Holstein Friesian cows?

It’s a lot simpler to register any calves born if you follow this checklist below:

  • The dam (donor cow) and sire must be DNA profiled to enable the ET progeny to be DNA parentage verified prior to registration. It is recommended that the breeder ensures that the dam and sire have a DNA profile prior to ET work commencing.
  • The recipient (the cow or heifer receiving the embryo) needs to be properly recorded in either the LIC or CRV database prior to the procedure. This also applies to beef animals used as recipients. Management numbers, or herd ids, are not a reliable form of identification. A birth identification number needs to be recorded as well. If a recipient only has a management number, the animal will not be able to be located on the national database once they are culled.
  • Any calves born as a result of ET work must be DNA parentage verified to their sire and dam prior to registration.
  • Registrations of animals resulting from ET won’t be accepted, unless all previously required documentation has been correctly carried out and the Certificate of Embryo Recovery and Transplant serial number are recorded on the database.
  • The prefix of the owner of the ET calf at the time of registration will be used when registering an animal resulting from embryo transplant, irrespective of who bred the calf or owned the donor dam. This also applies to registering ET animals resulting from imported embryos.
  • The letters -ET will be added as a suffix to the names of calves resulting from embryo transplant.
If you’d like to discuss any of this information further, please contact Sharon Goldsbury at the Holstein Friesian NZ office.

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