When it comes to reproductive success, every detail matters. After a heifer calf hits the ground, the chances she survives calfhood, reaches the breeding pen, becomes pregnant, and delivers a healthy calf herself can be disrupted by many variables along the way.
In the past, dairies often had a surplus of heifers. But as more dairies move to dairy x beef crossbreeding, they often have fewer replacement heifers available. That leaves less room for error when it comes to reproduction.
What can producers do to optimize their repro routine?
For Dr. Todd Bilby, Merck Animal Health Director of Dairy Technical Services, he believes five areas on the farm can often be tightened up.
1. It all starts with a healthy diet
Setting up a cow for reproductive success starts well before we breed her. If we have animals nutritionally where they need to be, in the right body condition score and not deficient in any vitamins or minerals, we should have success when it comes to breeding time.
2. Nailing the transition
Any health issue at calving can take a toll on a cow’s fertility. Even if she makes a full recovery, her reproductive health will likely be compromised. It’s important to monitor fresh cows for transition issues to ensure they’ll get the chance to calve again in the future.
3. Making data-driven decisions
If you receive an alert that an animal is in heat or is not feeling well and you don’t do anything about it, then you aren’t using that information to its best ability. A rumination or activity monitor just becomes an expensive piece of jewelry if you aren’t taking advantage of the data it captures.
4. Eliminating protocol drift
It’s critical to not only establish a solid set of protocols but have a routine training program set in place.
5. Setting specific goals
Every farm is different, and not every farm should share the same goals. Your goals should be unique to your operation and tailored to where your cows are at today and where you want them to be in the future.
Although each dairy operates in their own unique way, they all share one aspect. The need to get the most from their reproduction program.
With the full-solution M-Power portfolio from Merck Animal Health, producers have access to the most powerful solutions, no matter how they run their dairy. With all the right tools all in one place, it’s easy to combine methods and solutions for greater results. See what the power of M-Power can do for you today at Reproductive-Efficiency.com.
