How do you keep track of heats and breeding records?

Ayers Farms, Perryville, Ohio: We have a daily input sheet where all breedings, fresh cows, culls and dry cows are recorded. Jesse records information into Dairy Comp 305 five or six days a week. For breedings, we record date, cow number, technician, service sire number and breeding code. Breeding codes are very important when running trials to see if other protocols are worthwhile to continue. Dairy Comp can do lots of analysis, but you have to keep accurate records for it to be worthwhile.

Burns Dairy, Hornell, N.Y.: All data is stored on Dairy Comp 305. All heats and breedings are recorded with the information entered by the farm owner to avoid any misinformation or confusion. We use a handwritten notebook for pregnancy checks and problem cows as a backup to Dairy Comp. The more information you have for each cow, the better your decision-making will be for each cow.

Collins Dairy, Greenleaf, Wis.: We enter everything into Dairy Comp 305. Select Sires enters any heats and breedings, and the herdsman on the farm enters ovsynch breedings. Additionally, all health events are entered including RPs, ketosis, milk fever, hard calving and so forth. Matings are done by both Select Sires and Alta Genetics and are in the Dairy Comp system as well.

Holmes Dairy, Argyle, Wis.: Tim Heiring enters all heats and breedings into Dairy Comp 305 and into a hard copy breeding booklet. All heats observed before the cows or heifers have reached their voluntary waiting periods are considered a "heat too soon." Breedings are recorded as standing heat, paint, Lutalyse 2, double breed (bred again 24 hours or less after first initial breeding), presynch, and vet synch.
Accurate recording of heats early on aids in the process of "cherry picking" cows to breed as they reach their VWP. Also, based on how the cow's last breeding was coded, we can determine whether or not to breed the cow that is mid-cycle with questionable paint rub. All said and done, the more accurate the records, the better.

Kloppe Dairy Farm, New Haven, Mo.: We use PC Dart to record all heats and breedings. Jill Gerling, herd manager, records all data in the program. We print off heat detection lists weekly to assist us in watching heats twice daily. We find that if the same person who breeds the animal records the data, there is a reduced likelihood that information is lost or incorrectly recorded. We even record heats for heifers that are not yet of breeding age and cows during the voluntary waiting period.

Schilling Dairy, Darlington, Wis: All reproductive data is recorded on the Dairy Comp 305 herd management software. Heats and breedings are entered by the breeders. Brian records herd health data and ovsynch protocols. Dairy Comp 305 is used to provide protocol lists and herd checklists.

How do you confirm pregnant or open cows?

Ayers Farms, Perryville, Ohio: We pregnancy check weekly at 39 days postbreeding. Dr. Byers uses ultrasound for pregnancy diagnosis. We also record twins as we have found 75 to 80 percent of cows with twins will calve one to two weeks early so we give them a longer dry period. All cows are resynched with GnRH one week prior to vet check. All open cows with good CL get prostaglandin. Cows with no CL get a second GnRH and then complete the ovsynch protocol.

Burns Dairy, Hornell, N.Y.: We pregnancy check every two weeks, 30 to 43 days since last heat (DSLH). Cows that are 37 to 43 DSLH receive GnRH one week prior to herd check. Animals 30 to 36 DSLH, if open with a CL, get started on ovsynch. If animals have a follicular cyst, less than 1 cm CL or no dominant structure, they are administered GnRH seven days apart and then rechecked at the following pregnancy check for a dominant CL. All pregnancies are done using an ultrasound, twins are noted and cows are rechecked at 60 to 90 DSLH.

Collins Dairy, Greenleaf, Wis.: We have our veterinarian come out once a week to check cows. He ultrasounds at 35 days since A.I. and gender checks at 67 days post-A.I. Cows are recheced at 180 days post-A.I.

Holmes Dairy, Argyle, Wis.: Dr. B.J. Jones, from Center Hill Vet Clinic in Darlington, comes every Tuesday late morning. He will ultrasound at 32 days postbreeding. If the cow is pregnant, he will ultrasound again at 58 days to confirm the pregnancy, check for twins and also will sex the fetus.
If the cow is open with a CL or cyst, the cow will be started on an ovsynch-resynch program. If open and no structures are present, the cow will be resynched with a GnRH-prostagland-GnRH (GPG) protocol. These cows are rechecked in one week, and if a CL is present, they are resynched with Ovsynch 56. Cows that bleed off are also started on ovsynch approximately one week after bleed off. If over 210 DIM, she will be put on the DNB list.

Kloppe Dairy Farm, New Haven, Mo.: Our veterinarian does herd health checks every two weeks using ultrasound to confirm pregnant cows. After breeding, checks are done at 35 days and rechecks are performed after 50 days.

Schilling Dairy, Darlington, Wis: Cows are ultrasound at 33 days carried calf (DCC) to determine pregnancy. Open cows with a CL are resynched with ovsynch starting with 4 cc GnRH and then double Lutalyse doses 24 hours apart. Open cows without a CL are given 4 cc GnRH and rechecked the following week for a CL. Pregnant cows are re-ultrasound at 60 DCC to confirm pregnancy, determine fetal sex and to check for twins.

What are some changes you might implement to improve reproduction?

Ayers Farms, Perryville, Ohio: We are always open to change and try to listen to success stories from other farmers. So far, we are not a huge fan of activity monitors. The technology is changing so quickly, and that system you put in today is outdated next year. If we think something would benefit us, we usually run trials to find out for sure before changing.

Burns Dairy, Hornell, N.Y.: We are looking into a better heat observation system such as transponders. Also, a better cooling system in the barn to mitigate for summer heat would be a plus. Eventually, we would like to upgrade the milking parlor to use technology more efficiently, such as daily milk weights, temperatures and ketone levels in the milk.

Collins Dairy, Greenleaf, Wis.: We would like to put sand in all breeding groups for added comfort and less slipping.

Holmes Dairy, Argyle, Wis.: Synchronization protocols are constantly evaluated to use the most current research. We are considering adding a second prostaglandin in our ovsynch program 24 hours after the third Lutalyse. We are continually looking at ways to improve cow comfort and are considering adding a stall extender to lengthen the stalls.

Kloppe Dairy Farm, New Haven, Mo.: We look forward to implementing smartphone technology in the upcoming years to simplify processes. Additionally, we are eager to learn how transponders, which we just began using in summer 2015, will improve our rates.

Schilling Dairy, Darlington, Wis: Two things we changed after last year's Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council meeting and after listening to Paul Fricke that we have implemented include:

• Raising our first dose of GnRH in our ovsynch protocol from 2 cc to 4 cc
  
• Adding an additional 5 cc Lutalyse 24 hours after our first Lutalyse in our ovsynch protocol
  
• As our herd production level has continued to improve and as our stocking density has gone up, we feel those two technologies have helped us maintain and possibly improve our conception rates.

Additional insight from these herds can be found in the November issue of Hoard's Dairyman on pages 731 to 733.

Also, you can click here to read "Nutrition health propels reproduction" as well as "They share insight on breeding protocols."

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2015
November 30, 2015