Autumn breeding is getting under way for suckler herds that calve from August to October. Cow nutrition and indoor management have a big bearing on cow fertility and, ultimately, conception rates.

Cows that are fed to appetite on good-quality forage, and supplemented accordingly with concentrates, will prevent loss of body condition post-calving.

Outlined are five tips to help increase conception rates in autumn calving cows.

1 Energy, energy, energy

The most important aspect of a freshly calved cow’s diet is energy. Once calved, the cow has to perform three functions; maintain body condition, produce milk for the calf and get back in-calf.

Therefore, if the animal is not getting sufficient energy, milk yield and body condition will be affected, and more often than not, the cow will take longer to get back in-calf.

Target high-quality silage to autumn-calving cows and keep the diet consistent.

Cows will still need supplementing with concentrates during the breeding season, as this coincides with the period of peak milk production around 10 to 12 weeks post-calving.

Keep silage fresh by feeding daily and feed cows at the same time every day to get animals into a routine.

With silage at 72DMD or better, 1kg/day of concentrate during the breeding period will suffice. On 68 to 70DMD silage, 2kg/day will suffice, while at 66DMD silage, cows will need 3kg.

Once breeding has finished, concentrates can be removed from the diet on 70+DMD, and halved for 66 to 68DMD forages.

2 Minerals and health

Cows should be free from internal and external parasites before the breeding period. After a wet autumn, the risk of fluke will be high.

Therefore, treat cows with a flukicide which targets fluke at the appropriate stage of the parasite's life cycle. Consult with your vet on which will be the best product to use.

Make sure cows are also covered for mineral supplementation when they are indoors, as a lack of trace elements will impact on fertility.

3 Restrict suckling

Restricting calves to suckling their mothers twice per day during the breeding season has a positive effect on cow fertility.

The process works by locking calves into creep areas during the morning. Calves are allowed back in with cows again for one or two hours during the evening.

Calves are then locked out overnight and get access to the cows the following morning. There is no negative impact on calf performance with restricting suckling to twice daily.

4 Record heats and inseminations

Whether you use AI or a stock bull to serve cows, you should record heats and service dates. This way, you have an idea when repeats are likely.

If the cows are being covered by the bull, but there is a high incidence of repeats, then the animal may be sub-fertile and needs replacing immediately.

For herds with two or more bulls, rotating bulls after six weeks can help to offset the risk of a sub-fertile animal.

5 Floor options

Cows on slats can show weaker heats and as animals are penned at high stocking densities when housed, there may be less room for walking and mounting activity. This makes it harder to pick up animals for breeding when using AI.

Where possible, housing cows in sheds with slatted flooring and access to a straw lie will improve breeding activity.

Alternatively, rubber flooring can improve cow traction and increase mounting activity. If this is not an option, try to reduce stocking density in sheds to give cows more room during the breeding season.

For example, selling cows which have been marked for culling now will ease pressure on housing and may be worth more now compared with selling next spring.

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