Long-duration Implants Offer a Flexible, Labor-savings Solution

Key Takeaways

• Long-duration cattle implants can increase weight gain and average daily gain while eliminating the need for reimplanting during the feeding period.
• Using a 200-day implant like Synovex One Feedlot provides added operational flexibility by freeing up time and reducing day-to-day labor demands.
• Fewer trips through the chute improve labor efficiency and lower the risk of employee injury associated with handling heavier cattle later in the feeding cycle.
• Implanting lighter-weight cattle on arrival improves safety and reduces stress on both cattle and employees compared to rehandling animals later.
• Steers implanted with Synovex One Feedlot showed a 15.4% improvement in average daily gain and improved feed efficiency, with similar performance gains seen in heifers.

Long-duration implants offer significant potential for increased weight gain and improved average daily gain (ADG). And without the need to reimplant, it also creates three additional benefits for an operation:

• • More available time in the day
  • Increased labor efficiency
  • Lower risk of injury

Consider how to create new opportunities when using a long-duration implant such as 200-day Synovex One Feedlot.

More available time in the day

There’s never a shortage of work to do on a cattle operation. And, Mother Nature likes to throw unexpected curveballs. Be ready for the unexpected and take back some time in the day with the operational flexibility a long-duration implant offers.

Increased labor efficiency

Labor demands can create pain points to deal with -- high turnover, unreliability, inability to find help and the expense of training new employees. Imagine the extra time and resources available by using a long-duration implant with 200 days of uninterrupted performance.

Lower risk of injury

Handling livestock is one of the major sources of employee injury in the industry. A producer can lower that risk, however, with a long-duration implant. Lighter-weight cattle implanted on arrival at the feedlot can be handled more safely than a 1,000-pound animal coming through the chute later in the feeding cycle. Handling cattle less frequently means fewer opportunities for employees to get injured.

“Two long-term implants from Zoetis --  Synovex One Feedlot and Synovex One Grass --  provide a unique flexibility benefit,” said Gary Sides, cattle nutritionist, Cattle Strategic Technical Services, Zoetis.

The implants deliver additional labor savings and operational flexibility by allowing a producer to use one applicator and implant for all cattle -- whether steers or heifers, Dr. Sides added.

Of course, additional weight gain is part of all these considerations, too. Steers implanted with Synovex One Feedlot saw a 15.4% improvement in ADG and a 9.8% improvement in feed efficiency when compared with nonimplanted feeder cattle, and heifers demonstrated a 12% increase in ADG and a 7% improvement in feed efficiency.

Whether for horse, livestock, or pet, Valley Vet Supply is your one-stop shop for trusted care. Explore more of our implant category at ValleyVet.com