One of the key aspects of running an efficient suckler system is good breeding management and herd fertility.
Cow condition score, bull fertility, the incidence of difficult calving and herd health are some of the main factors affecting fertility.
Poor herd fertility will have a major impact on farm output and income.
Having a defined, compact calving period and setting out clear objectives for targeting a 365-day calving interval, 12-week calving spread, less than 2.5% mortality at birth and less than 5% mortality at 28 days are very important.
Farmers’ disciplined approach to breeding has shown huge progress, which has had a positive effect on farm output and profitability.
Pregnancy scanning is a vital tool used on herds in the programme. The benefits of pregnancy scanning far exceed the cost. When it is at least 35 days since the last cow in the herd could have been served, then you should consider scanning the cows.
Scanning offers many advantages:
Firstly, it will identify pregnancy. This will allow you to cull empty cows.Secondly, most scanners are able to give you a good estimate of the number of weeks since each cow has gone in-calf. This is extremely helpful when a stock bull is used on the farm. You can use this information to predict the cow’s due date, which will influence how she is fed and when is the optimum time for vaccination.Scanning allows you to pen cows according to their predicted calving date and pen late-calvers together. These predicted late-calvers could be selected for culling next year when their calves have been weaned.
It is also possible to sell them at the mart now, prior to calving or with calves at foot. However, the benefits of selling may be negated by a reduction in output.
Selling works best where there are higher numbers of replacements available or where plans can be put in place to bring more replacements into the herd in 2016.
If the scanning reveals that, for example, more than 5% of your cows are empty, then this may signify that there is a fertility problem in your herd.
Maybe it was a bull issue or perhaps a mineral deficiency or disease problem. In any case, it should prompt you to investigate.
Pregnancy scanning
results 2015
All participants in the programme have scanned their cows at this stage.
Following the results, cows that are not in-calf are identified for culling. On average, 93% of the cows scanned in 2015 proved in-calf. This is an increase of 3% from 2014.
As shown in Figure 1, there appears to be minimal variation across each region. Issues identified for empty cows were bull fertility, stock bull removed early to tighten calving pattern and other individual case problems.
Programme farmer views on scanning
Marty Lenehan, Sligo
“Scanning helps to identify cows that are not in-calf early. I separate the empty cows from the main herd and sell them off grass. Provided cows haven’t gone over 12 to 14 weeks in-calf, you are able to detect if any cows are carrying twins. This is a huge benefit, as you can watch the condition of these individual cows in the runup to calving. You are also aware of what to expect at calving time. Overall, it makes breeding decisions easier on my farm.”
Niall Patterson, Leitrim
“When the cows are scanned, it really helps predict the expected calving date. I cross-reference this to my own records that I keep when the stock bull is turned out. At housing, I pen cows according to their predicted calving date and pen late-calving cows together. I find this is a great help at calving, as all the cows are being fed according to their requirements and it’s easier to monitor cows at calving time.”
One of the key aspects of running an efficient suckler system is good breeding management and herd fertility.
Cow condition score, bull fertility, the incidence of difficult calving and herd health are some of the main factors affecting fertility.
Poor herd fertility will have a major impact on farm output and income.
Having a defined, compact calving period and setting out clear objectives for targeting a 365-day calving interval, 12-week calving spread, less than 2.5% mortality at birth and less than 5% mortality at 28 days are very important.
Farmers’ disciplined approach to breeding has shown huge progress, which has had a positive effect on farm output and profitability.
Pregnancy scanning is a vital tool used on herds in the programme. The benefits of pregnancy scanning far exceed the cost. When it is at least 35 days since the last cow in the herd could have been served, then you should consider scanning the cows.
Scanning offers many advantages:
Firstly, it will identify pregnancy. This will allow you to cull empty cows.Secondly, most scanners are able to give you a good estimate of the number of weeks since each cow has gone in-calf. This is extremely helpful when a stock bull is used on the farm. You can use this information to predict the cow’s due date, which will influence how she is fed and when is the optimum time for vaccination.Scanning allows you to pen cows according to their predicted calving date and pen late-calvers together. These predicted late-calvers could be selected for culling next year when their calves have been weaned.
It is also possible to sell them at the mart now, prior to calving or with calves at foot. However, the benefits of selling may be negated by a reduction in output.
Selling works best where there are higher numbers of replacements available or where plans can be put in place to bring more replacements into the herd in 2016.
If the scanning reveals that, for example, more than 5% of your cows are empty, then this may signify that there is a fertility problem in your herd.
Maybe it was a bull issue or perhaps a mineral deficiency or disease problem. In any case, it should prompt you to investigate.
Pregnancy scanning
results 2015
All participants in the programme have scanned their cows at this stage.
Following the results, cows that are not in-calf are identified for culling. On average, 93% of the cows scanned in 2015 proved in-calf. This is an increase of 3% from 2014.
As shown in Figure 1, there appears to be minimal variation across each region. Issues identified for empty cows were bull fertility, stock bull removed early to tighten calving pattern and other individual case problems.
Programme farmer views on scanning
Marty Lenehan, Sligo
“Scanning helps to identify cows that are not in-calf early. I separate the empty cows from the main herd and sell them off grass. Provided cows haven’t gone over 12 to 14 weeks in-calf, you are able to detect if any cows are carrying twins. This is a huge benefit, as you can watch the condition of these individual cows in the runup to calving. You are also aware of what to expect at calving time. Overall, it makes breeding decisions easier on my farm.”
Niall Patterson, Leitrim
“When the cows are scanned, it really helps predict the expected calving date. I cross-reference this to my own records that I keep when the stock bull is turned out. At housing, I pen cows according to their predicted calving date and pen late-calving cows together. I find this is a great help at calving, as all the cows are being fed according to their requirements and it’s easier to monitor cows at calving time.”
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