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The breeding season for many autumn-calving suckler herds is about to start.
Cows that are bred in the second half of October and hold to first service will be calving from early August next year.
Herd fertility is the most important aspect of any suckler enterprise. If cows are not in calf, then there are no cattle for sale.
Therefore, herd management during the breeding season should be a top priority.
Outlined are 10 tips that will help deliver a successful breeding season this autumn.
1. Have cows on a steady diet
Cow nutrition is vital during the breeding season. To maximise conception rates, cows should be on a settled diet and getting sufficient energy to maintain body condition and milk production.
To boost dry matter energy intake during the breeding season, feed cows 1kg/day of high-quality silage (74+DMD), 2kg/day of good-quality silage (70DMD), 3kg/day of average silage (66DMD) and 4kg of poor silage (62 DMD).
Continue to feed at the outlined levels for a period of 30 days after the end of the breeding season. Feed rates can then be reduced depending on silage quality.
The majority of herds are now housed, so there will be little variation in the daily forage (silage) diet.
But where autumn cows remain at grass and will be bred in the coming weeks, housing in the middle of the breeding season can reduce conception rates.
Therefore, it may be better to house now and allow cows to settle on the indoor diet first.
2. Stock bull
Is the stock bull rested, moving freely on all feet and in good body condition?
Lameness will reduce the mobility of the bull and his ability to serve cows. Make sure the bull is in working order.
Observe the bull to make sure he is mounting cows correctly and there are no defects with the penis. Also, check the bull’s testicles for lumps or defects.
3. Limit size of breeding group
For a young bull in his first season, limit the size of the cow group.
As a rule of thumb, give the bull one cow per month of age in his first year, ie a 16-month-old bull should serve no more than 16 cows.
For a mature bull, group size can be increased. However, if you are after a compact calving pattern then a group of 30 cows will be plenty, even for a mature bull.
4. Mix cow group
In some herds, there is a chance that there will be multiple cows in heat on the same day, which can put the stock bull under pressure to serve them all.
Therefore, in herds with two or more breeding groups, it may be a good idea to group cows based on calving date.
That way you can have a better mix of early-calving cows and later-calving cows, which will even the spread of cows as they come into heat. This will hopefully ease the pressure on the stock bull.
5. Heat detection
Regardless of whether you use AI or natural service, you should be watching cows for standing heats. Record cows and the dates they were observed.
Heat detection aids are a good investment when using AI, as some cows will display weak or short heats when penned on concrete slats and these animals can be easily missed.
Observe cows three to four times per day with each period lasting a minimum of 20 minutes. Morning and late evening are often the best time to observe cows.
6. Record breeding dates
Similar to recording the dates of standing heats, record any insemination dates, or when you seen the bull serving cows.
Then in three weeks’ time, keep a vigilant watch for any signs of repeat breeding activity in these animals.
If a big percentage of cows repeat, there may be an issue with a sub-fertile bull. A semen analysis will confirm this.
Early action will allow you to replace the bull, so that there is no major slip in the calving pattern.
7. Rotate stock bulls
For larger herds with more than one stock bull, a good way to reduce the impact of a sub-fertile stock bull is to rotate bulls after a period of four to six weeks.
This hopefully means cows that repeat are being served by a fruitful bull, increasing conception rates.
8. Breeding on slats
While some farmers have never had any problem with the stock bull serving cows on slats, other farmers have had issues, such as bulls being injured.
Often with young stock bulls they will have been bred and reared in sheds with solid, bedded floors and never been on slats before.
Make sure the bull is used to slats before joining a group of cows. Rubber slats can help to increase grip and comfort for the bull when mounting cows.
9. Separate cows and calves
During the breeding season, restricting calves from suckling their dam to mornings and evenings only, will help to bring cows into heat. Cows will also display stronger heats.
Calves should be locked away from the cow in a separate creep area during the day and again overnight.
Allowing the calves to suck the cow for one hour in the morning and again in the evening will have no negative effect on weight gain.
10. Pick an end date
How long do you want to spend calving cows next year? Having a handful of late-calving cows is a serious drain on any herd in terms of labour, time management and reduced output.
Therefore, make the decision to stop breeding cows on a set date and stick to it. This may be after a 10-, 12-, or 15-week period.
The easiest way to do this is to remove the stock bull, scan cows around 30 to 40 days later, wean empty cows early and sell.
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