A dairy cow’s voluntary waiting period, the time after calving until breeding, is a flurry of internal activity. During the transition from pregnancy, cows are challenged with a slew of physiological processes including metabolic changes, an increase in energy demand, rebalancing of their immune system and hormonal stabilization. Eventually, this results in the resumption of cyclicity, an important fertility indicator for the next breeding. Perhaps the voluntary waiting period should be considered a preparation period.
Historically, the voluntary waiting period for many farms has been about 60 days. However, the length of your dairy’s voluntary waiting period does not necessarily matter as long as it is consistent, fits within your management parameters and cow performance remains optimal.
The most profitable voluntary waiting period has been found to be less than 70 days, but it is still profitable as long as it is greater than 42 days. It is most important you abide by it and track what is happening with cows during this timeframe.
Monitor cows during the voluntary waiting period
Even though reproductive protocols are on hold during the voluntary waiting period, progressive dairies monitor estrous during this time to ensure a cow’s cycle returns to normal.
Simply waiting until the voluntary waiting period expires before tracking estrous activity often results in missed opportunities for timely interventions to correct fertility challenges before they result in extended lactations, reduced pregnancy rates or culling due to reproductive failure.
Routinely monitoring for signs of heat during the voluntary waiting period has many benefits. Research shows:
- Estrous expression from day seven until 60 days postpartum is associated with the length of estrous and estrous intensity at first artificial insemination (A.I.).
- Cows showing no heat in the first 60 days after calving have a lower pregnancy per A.I. at first service (42.5%) than cows showing one heat (50.9%) or two heats (55.4%) during the voluntary waiting period.
Another study indicates cycling before the end of the voluntary waiting period is also valuable for herds following timed A.I. protocols. Data shows that for cows enrolled in timed A.I., those with no heat activity alert (38.8%) resulted in lower pregnancy per A.I. compared with cows with low (54.2%) or high activity increase (61.8%).
Cows that show one or two heats in the first 60 days also need 30 fewer days to become pregnant.
Peek under the hood
Understanding the data during this time is essential because the voluntary waiting period is a period of vulnerability for cows. About 75% of metabolic diseases and reproductive challenges occur in the three weeks after calving.
The underlying cause may be:
- Nutrition (negative energy balance, vitamin or mineral deficiency)
- Body condition (too low or too high)
- Diseases (mastitis, metritis, ketosis or other)
- Management factors
- Hormonal imbalances
Regardless of the source, these factors often have lingering effects beyond the voluntary waiting period.
Knowing what you cannot see goes a long way toward preventing and overcoming these issues. Actionable, accurate data about a cow’s activities and return to cyclicity during the voluntary waiting period offers you important insight into future fertility and performance.
Put actionable data to work
Accurate individual cow data allows farmers to detect when the animal is in heat and how intense the heat event is, beginning during the voluntary waiting period. It also eliminates the need for manual heat detection, freeing up employees for other tasks.
Plus, fewer days open equals higher milk production per cow per year and lower A.I. costs. Assuming the cost of an open day (outside of the voluntary waiting period) is $4, reducing the number of days open by five days equals $20 per cow. For a herd of 1,000 cows, the cost reduction would be $20,000.
Use voluntary waiting period estrous expression information to identify cows with irregular cycles or noncyclic cows. Include them on the work list for further examination before breeding protocols begin. With proper intervention and nutrition or management adjustments, cows can return to cyclicity, increasing the likelihood of positive pregnancy outcomes following the voluntary waiting period.
Additionally, data can be used as the basis for selective, targeted breeding protocols. For example, cows with the best genetic potential showing multiple heats can be selected for insemination with sexed semen, since these animals have a significantly higher conception rate than those not cycling regularly.
Ultimately, actionable data can be used to fine-tune your herd’s reproductive performance and overall efficiency. Stop waiting to see how cows come through the voluntary waiting period, and start acting to improve outcomes.
References omitted but are available upon request by sending an email to an editor.
Knowledge is power
Tracking estrous activity information is a great tool to help identify reproductive issues in a timely manner, making it easier to identify cows early and intervene before challenges become more significant issues. Use data to:
- Add cows with challenges (irregular cycles or noncycling) during the voluntary waiting period to the repro checklist in a timely fashion
- Gain insight into cows’ cycles to reduce unnecessary open days
- Strategically use sexed semen with higher-genetic-value cows
- Gain confidence in waiting for the right cycle to breed cows (no cherry-picking during the voluntary waiting period)
These steps help improve cow and labor efficiency while increasing positive reproductive outcomes for your herd.
