Animal monitoring systems are a time-tested and proven solution for accurate heat detection. They can also unlock other reproductive efficiencies to bring more dollars to your bottom line.
Here are three ways monitoring systems can boost your herd’s reproduction:
1. Put more eyes on your heat detection
More accurate heat detection increases the number of cows on the breeding list, can reduce the need for synchronization programs and helps get cows pregnant faster. It also helps confirm problem breeders quicker.
Animal monitoring systems provide 24-hour heat detection, even when no one is around. This day and night monitoring helps ensure more accurate identification of cows in heat by measuring various ways cattle express heat. The CowScout monitoring system measures standing, mounting, chin resting, sniffing and increased activity.
Tracking multiple heat expressions gives you more objective information to make more confident reproduction decisions – especially with cows that never show heat or have more subtle heat expressions.
Some farms have been able to reduce or eliminate the number of animals they enroll in a timed A.I. program. A Washington state dairy I work with still uses a synchronization program for cows that are not detectably in heat. However, they have reduced their shots by 50% or more, reducing overall costs and improving pregnancy rates. Their 21-day pregnancy rate averages 35%, up 10% from before using a monitoring system.
2. Amp up your heifer reproduction
More and more farms are using monitoring systems on their youngstock.
A 750-cow farm in Vermont puts CowScout collars on their heifers one month before their target breeding age. This allows them to monitor the heifers’ natural cycles. Once a heifer is confirmed 60 days pregnant, the collar is put on a new animal. They still use timed A.I. but have lowered their hormone use. Since installing the system, they’ve increased their pregnancy rate by about five percentage points year over year.
3. Empower your employees
A two-site, 8,000-cow dairy and a long-time CowScout monitoring system user has experienced less employee turnover since adding their system. They find it easier to manage employees and have reduced the need for extensive training or retraining.
Their employees now have tasks that are easier to learn and navigate. Instead of learning how to detect heats and complete this task a few times a day, they learn the system and how to check a list for heats.
Using a monitoring system with animal location can give you even more time back. Instead of disrupting pens to find a cow to breed, the system locates and transmits the exact position of single or multiple cows to your mobile device or computer.
And if you’re used to locking up cows and tail-chalking them daily – you no longer need to. Monitoring systems eliminate this job for you.
The beauty of monitoring systems is that they can be tailored to meet your needs, from lightening workloads and creating a predictable schedule, to providing valuable data you can use to analyze your reproductive program, and hold your team accountable.
Look for an all-in-one solution for heat detection, identification and more, like GEA CowScout.
Contact your local GEA dealer to learn more today.
GEA offers today’s progressive dairy producers leading-edge milking and manure equipment technology, along with a full line of aftermarket products and services – all under one umbrella. With GEA, you truly have a team who offers comprehensive solutions for your operation at the highest possible operating efficiency.
