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Suckler cows that predominantly calve from February to late April should be long settled in-calf by early to mid-autumn.
Therefore, pregnancy scanning is a task that could be carried out from mid-September onward, as cows can be accurately scanned from 40 days post-service.
Many technicians can also determine the calf sex when scanning is carried out around 60 to 70 days after service.
That means mid to late September is an ideal time for scanning spring calving herds where the bulk of calves are born in March and April.
Culling
Scanning early allows empty cows to be weaned and sold live whilst they are in good flesh. These cows may also hit the market before the flush of dry cows this autumn.
In most cases, the number of cows scanning empty will be small, as issues with fertility should have been picked up with big numbers of cows coming back in heat throughout summer.
Handling
Many herd owners hold off scanning until housing, as it is more practical from a time perspective and reduces handling.
But there is an opportunity to combine scanning in September with other routine herd management tasks.
For example, worming calves for lungworm, vaccinating against respiratory diseases ahead of weaning and splitting heifer and bull calves for targeted meal feeding.
SHARING OPTIONS: