The fundamentals of calving down a cow and then getting her back in calf to calve down within 365 days was described as “a race against time” by a New Zealand dairy fertility expert at an event in Co Down on Monday.
Speaking on the farm of John and Jason Rankin near Newtownards, Joyce Voogt from LIC pointed out that there are 83 days from calving to conception if a cow is to calve down on the same day the following year.
“If there is a six-week compulsory stand down period after calving that means there are only six weeks or two cycles to get her in calf,” she told the group of predominantly spring-calving dairy farmers.
Speakers at the event were; Sam Campbell, AI Services; Joyce Voogt, LIC; and Chris Catherwood farm manager at the Rankin farm.Speakers at the event were Sam Campbell, AI Services; Joyce Voogt, LIC; and Chris Catherwood, farm manager at the Rankin farm.
She said that cows that calve down after six weeks into the calving season have much less time to get in calf during breeding and are more at risk of being non-cyclers.
The LIC vet said that it was important that these later-calving cows were healthy, not overfat and had a trouble-free calving so that cycling is not delayed.
NZ example
Giving a New Zealand perspective to the Co Down discussion group, Joyce’s husband Garry said that his 240-cow dairy herd in the Waikato get checked for heats from five weeks before breeding.
Garry said that around half of non-cycling cows are usually put on a CIDR programme before breeding to bring them on heat. This usually equates to around 8% of the whole herd.
He said that he usually gets close to 100% submission rates and 50% conception rates in cows with CIDRs.
Read more from the event in this week’s Irish Farmers Journal and at www.farmersjournal.ie
Read more
Battling the elements at LIC walk in Mayo
Dairy management notes: fodder, pug marks and nitrates
The fundamentals of calving down a cow and then getting her back in calf to calve down within 365 days was described as “a race against time” by a New Zealand dairy fertility expert at an event in Co Down on Monday.
Speaking on the farm of John and Jason Rankin near Newtownards, Joyce Voogt from LIC pointed out that there are 83 days from calving to conception if a cow is to calve down on the same day the following year.
“If there is a six-week compulsory stand down period after calving that means there are only six weeks or two cycles to get her in calf,” she told the group of predominantly spring-calving dairy farmers.
Speakers at the event were; Sam Campbell, AI Services; Joyce Voogt, LIC; and Chris Catherwood farm manager at the Rankin farm.Speakers at the event were Sam Campbell, AI Services; Joyce Voogt, LIC; and Chris Catherwood, farm manager at the Rankin farm.
She said that cows that calve down after six weeks into the calving season have much less time to get in calf during breeding and are more at risk of being non-cyclers.
The LIC vet said that it was important that these later-calving cows were healthy, not overfat and had a trouble-free calving so that cycling is not delayed.
NZ example
Giving a New Zealand perspective to the Co Down discussion group, Joyce’s husband Garry said that his 240-cow dairy herd in the Waikato get checked for heats from five weeks before breeding.
Garry said that around half of non-cycling cows are usually put on a CIDR programme before breeding to bring them on heat. This usually equates to around 8% of the whole herd.
He said that he usually gets close to 100% submission rates and 50% conception rates in cows with CIDRs.
Read more from the event in this week’s Irish Farmers Journal and at www.farmersjournal.ie
Read more
Battling the elements at LIC walk in Mayo
Dairy management notes: fodder, pug marks and nitrates
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: