Most farmers are now at the six-week stage of breeding. Many will be turning out bulls to clean up the rest of the repeats as it gets much harder to spot cows in heat when there are fewer cows bulling. On the other hand, some farmers will use vasectomised bulls and continue to artificially inseminate until the end of the breeding season. If using mop-up bulls, you should match the number of bulls to the number of cows not yet pregnant. As a rule of thumb and depending on herd fertility, about 55% of the cows served in the first round should be in calf. If 90/100 cows were served this means that 50/100 cows held in the first three weeks. If 40 cows were served in the second three-week period and if 60% of these held, this is another 24 cows in calf. So at this point around 74/100 cows should be pregnant, leaving 26 cows to be served over the next six weeks.
Most farmers are now at the six-week stage of breeding. Many will be turning out bulls to clean up the rest of the repeats as it gets much harder to spot cows in heat when there are fewer cows bulling. On the other hand, some farmers will use vasectomised bulls and continue to artificially inseminate until the end of the breeding season.
If using mop-up bulls, you should match the number of bulls to the number of cows not yet pregnant. As a rule of thumb and depending on herd fertility, about 55% of the cows served in the first round should be in calf. If 90/100 cows were served this means that 50/100 cows held in the first three weeks. If 40 cows were served in the second three-week period and if 60% of these held, this is another 24 cows in calf. So at this point around 74/100 cows should be pregnant, leaving 26 cows to be served over the next six weeks.
On bull power, one mature bull should be capable of serving 25 to 30 cows, while a young bull in his first season should only be asked to serve 15 to 20 cows. Get bulls fertility-tested before service but be aware that bulls can become sub-fertile during the breeding season so it is not a guarantee.
Having more than one bull reduces the risk of infertility. Larger herds or farms where there are long walks should consider rotating bulls to give them a break, 24 hours on and 24 hours off is a good policy.
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Brushing up on heat detection
Special focus: spring AI
Dairy management: grass
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