As a cattle vet, I am particularly interested in cattle and fertility and keep a small number of suckler cows. Like a lot of other farmers in a similar position, I find getting my cows and heifers back in calf a challenge every year. The cost of buying and keeping a stock bull is prohibitive due to the number of cows I keep. This is even before I consider the difficulties in choosing a bull that suits all my cows and heifers.
As a cattle vet, I am particularly interested in cattle and fertility and keep a small number of suckler cows. Like a lot of other farmers in a similar position, I find getting my cows and heifers back in calf a challenge every year.
The cost of buying and keeping a stock bull is prohibitive due to the number of cows I keep. This is even before I consider the difficulties in choosing a bull that suits all my cows and heifers.
As a part-time suckler farmer with limited time resources, I need easy calving, but also want quality weanlings to sell in the autumn.
AI allows me to use my choice of bull on each individual cow, easy calving for heifers, more terminal traits for bigger older cows.
For this reason, I have moved towards AI in recent years and, this year will solely use AI.
I have synchronised all the cows and heifers to be served at a fixed time. Newer synchronising regimes for suckler cows are delivering better results, provided management practices are modified and aimed towards fertility.
Nutrition, breaking the maternal bond and good heat detection for any repeats are essential. I feed my cows 2kg of nuts daily for six to 10 weeks around the breeding season, along with good-quality grass.
Benefits
Even though this comes at a cost, it gives several benefits, including better cow condition leading to better fertility, more milk for the calves, good option for grass tetany prevention and, most importantly, makes it very easy to get them in for treatments and AI; thus proving cost-effective for a lot of suckler farmers.
The calves are creep-fed ahead of the cows under an electric fence in an effort to break the maternal bond. Not ideal, but the best I can do due to farm layout and time pressures.
For heat detection, I use patches and a vasectomised bull with a chin ball. The vasectomised bull is excellent and all cows have already been seen in heat before the start of the breeding season.
If you are interested in looking at management ideas to facilitate AI in your suckler herd, you should talk to your vet to see what would work best on your farm.
Donal Lynch owns and runs Donal Lynch Veterinary, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Donal Lynch Veterinary is part of XLVets. XLVets is a group of progressive practices who are working together to achieve a better future for agriculture and veterinary in Ireland. Visit www.xlvets.ie
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