In the game of dairy herd reproduction, it’s the simple things that separate the top-performing herds from the rest. If you’re looking to up your game in terms of reproductive performance, get back to the basics with these five fundamental tips.
1. Provide the best transition period possible
It may go without saying, but everything that happens to a cow before, during and after calving prepares her for how she will perform reproductively. And that starts with providing an adequate dry period for each lactation group. Regardless of the standard dry period length you set, keep in mind that first-lactation cows will have a shorter gestation by about eight to 10 days.
After calving, a well-managed fresh cow program will result in fewer sick cows with less metritis, ketosis, milk fever, retained placentas, mastitis, etc. And fewer fresh cow problems lead to healthier cows, ready to get in on the reproductive game, right on schedule.
2. Synchronize ovulation
It’s a fact that not all cows will show heat on their own. To help them out on the path to a pregnancy, a synchronization program provides that added assistance that some need to come into estrus.
To determine your best bet for a synchronization program, many factors should come into play. How soon is too soon to breed cows, and what is your voluntary wait period (VWP)?
Should you dry off cows still giving over 80 pounds of milk per day? How aggressive do you want to be to get cows pregnant, or how simple do you want to keep your program? What facilities and labor are in place on your dairy?
High-producing herds may have a different strategy and VWP than low-producing herds. And farms with headlocks and plenty of labor may choose an alternate strategy than farms with a palpation rail or a limited labor force.
Keep in mind that compliance is the number one enemy of successful synch programs. Every synch protocol can provide great results if compliance is 100 percent.
Once your synchronization plan is in place, you will also need to decide whether to cherry-pick cows to breed in standing heat off the first or second prostaglandin shots, and how you’ll resynchronize any cows checked open. Regardless of your approach, a well-planned synchronization program is the only way to achieve maximum fertility results.
3. Handle semen properly
Semen handling is a key step in the game of reproduction that can make or break your conception rates. Despite the care taken to ensure quality semen delivered by your A.I. company, many issues can happen at precisely the moments of thawing semen and loading A.I. guns. Improve your odds for more pregnancies with these fundamental semen-handling tips:
- Raise canisters no higher than the frost line as you transfer semen from the tank to the thaw unit.
- Withdraw semen from the tank and into the thaw unit within 5 seconds. If you can’t get what you need within that time, lower the canister back into the tank for 10 to 15 seconds and try again.
- Change water and clean the thaw unit on a daily basis. This prevents temperature variation and mold growth from mineral deposits that could form in the heating plate of the thaw unit.
- Thaw one-quarter cc semen straws at 97 to 98ºF for a minimum of 45 seconds.
- Pre-warm your sheaths and A.I. guns inside the gun warmer before loading your guns.
- Use a gun warmer to help maintain semen quality during the time between thawing a unit of semen and actually breeding the cow.
- Clean and maintain the gun warmer and A.I. guns on a daily basis.
- Ensure that the time between thawing and breeding the last cow does not exceed 10 minutes, so do not thaw more units than the number of cows you can locate and breed in 10 minutes.
4. Master your A.I. technique
Just as professional athletes don’t get to the top without mastering their technique, dairy herds can’t achieve top reproductive performance without implementing the perfect A.I. techniques. And while practice can make perfect, it’s perfect practice that takes you to the top.
Whether a technician from an A.I. company or an in-house breeder handles the inseminations on your farm, their thorough training is key. Routine checks by experienced trainers or technicians on semen placement and overall technique will help keep reproductive performance on the right track.
For training courses and refreshers on mastering breeding techniques, talk to your A.I. rep.
5. Take the time to heat detect
The first four fundamentals will never be enough if the cows being bred are not in heat or have not been set up correctly for timed A.I. A cow in a strong standing heat is easy to identify, but many other cows come into heat without showing strong signs.
Skilled breeders can tell the difference and are able to notice secondary signs of estrus to breed those extra cows in heat.
Masterfully detecting heats requires dedication and time. Many technicians have other responsibilities on the dairy and don’t spend enough time heat detecting.
Spending the time to notice just one extra cow in heat to breed each day would result in 365 extra cows bred per year. Assuming the four fundamentals above are in place, a 35 percent conception rate on those extra 365 cows in heat equates to 128 extra pregnancies per year.
Every dairy needs to get back to the basics of reproduction to keep repro results on track. Keep these five fundamentals in mind and comply with proper protocols to take your reproductive game to the top.
