The key to achieving good repro results is being proactive and addressing any issues before mating starts.
Many things go into making mating time successful, here are some to consider:
Health
It’s simple: sick cows are less likely to get in-calf.
Common issues after calving include metritis and endometritis, which we can detect through metrichecking. Typically it takes around two weeks for the treatment to restore the uterus to full health, so getting this done early is helpful.
Lameness problems also often crop up in spring. Early treatment of lame cows is important for quicker and better recovery. Lame cows usually lose weight and therefore are slower to cycle, and they’re also less likely to show bulling behaviour. This leads them being more likely to be empty at scanning time. It has been shown that first calvers who are lame at their next mating have a reduced lifespan compared to their peers.
Many other diseases will also impact the health and energy status of cows, and they’re particularly at risk of illness over the transition period of calving. So keep an eye out for unwell cows ahead of mating, and help keep any sick ones eating well by providing pain relief (such as Ketomax or Metacam) while treating their initial disease.
Condition
Ideally cows should be in peak condition for mating – a body condition score of at least 4.5 is recommended.
While it’s not possible to prevent weight loss post-calving, doing what you can to minimise this loss helps to improve a cow’s chances of getting back in-calf quickly. A loss of more than one condition score does negatively impact fertility.
If possible, preferential feeding of light cows is helpful, but making sure all cows are fully fed is a must.
Mineral status
Identifying any mineral deficiencies and addressing them before mating will help improve fertility.
Discover deficiencies by blood testing a representative sample of the herd. If you can, aim to test six weeks pre-mating as this will allow samples to be taken, analysed, and results returned with time to organise and implement supplementation. Bloods taken at this time of year can also look at the cow’s energy status, allowing you to see if cows have received adequate feed through the transition period.
The right mineral levels will get your cows to optimum health before the planned start of mating.
Heats
Heat detecting will help you identify if your cows are cycling ahead of mating and if you have non-cycling issues in your herd – as a guide, over 75% of your herd should be cycling 10 days before mating.
The adoption of cow wearables has improved heat detection on many farms. However, like any technology, it may not always get things right, so do check that what it’s telling you about your cows makes sense.
Manual methods, such as tail paint, are still useful and effective to help check for heats. Just make sure everyone working with the cows is trained in what to look for to spot a cow on heat.
Identifying any non-cyclers early gives you time to intervene and treat them prior to the planned start of mating. The aim is usually to get these cows served in the first week of AB and to maximise the returns on the treatment costs. We have various intervention programmes available – give us a call to discuss the options and what might suit you.
Bulls
Select bulls to complement your cows and produce improved progeny, with better milk production and better health (such as hoof conformation).
For bulls you have already or are bringing on-farm, there are a few things to get done prior to mating time. Ensure they are vaccinated for BVD before they mix with cows. Check they are fit and their feet are in good nick to cope with mating demands, as any pain in the hind legs or feet will stop bulls mounting properly. Examine them for signs of other illnesses – a fever from sickness can reduce the fertility of a bull for the following three months.
Planning the genetics of your future herd can make a bigger impact on your bottom dollar than many of the things you do in everyday farm running.
