What are some of the most critical outside factors (like weather) that affect flush success?
Management and Environment are huge factors. This is true for donors AND recipients. In my opinion it is unreasonable to call them outside factors, because they ARE the factors. All I do as an ET practitioner is manage the process of ET. Meanwhile the client is managing the cow—from nutrition to housing, comfort, heat detection, AI timing, etc. Here are some general ideas. Get rid of the stress. No pain (sore feet), good air, no overcrowding. Nutrition is huge: cows need to be on a well balanced diet with adequate minerals in a palatable form. We are all aware of heat stress and its ability to shut down reproduction. I’ve seen this happen in prolonged very cold winters as well. Don’t forget about photoperiod. Some cows do better under professional management…in a dedicated donor barn. That’s not because the breeders don’t have the skills to manage their cow. Most often taking care of the donor cow doesn’t fit well with their operation. Square peg, round hole syndrome.
