As one of the key parts of breeding management, Dirk Huntenburg said that for heat detection, farmers should strongly consider the use of a teaser bull.

“Tail painting and scratch cards help, but they are labour-intensive. A teaser bull will work for you 24/7,” he said.

The Carrick-on-Suir-based veterinary practitioner was speaking at a talk on breeding organised by Waterford Macra na Feirme on Tuesday 22 March in Treacy’s Hotel.

He went through a number of steps in order to achieve the highest possible pregnancy rate in the shortest period of time.

Genetics

According to Huntenberg, EBI has changed a lot since it was introduced and farmers should consider genomic testing of both heifers and any stock bulls.

Nutrition

The main emphasis in nutrition for dairy and beef farmers at this time of year is body condition score (BCS). At calving, BCS should be 3.25, while at mating it should be slightly lower at around 2.75.

“Avoid loss of body condition between calving and breeding. It should be no more than a loss of 0.5,” said Huntenburg. “Good feeding is all a cow wants. A high-protein ration without adequate energy will affect conception. The mineral status of the cow should also be established and supplemented.”

The main minerals to look out for are selenium, iodine, copper and cobalt.

Disease control

“BVD is a real success story for AHI,” he said. “There are still problems with PI removal and it is essential that they are identified. There should be no contact between PI animals and breeding stock. BVD vaccination should be continued.”

Other key diseases that cause problems in breeding animals are leptospirosis, IBR, salmonella and neospora.

Mating management

A textbook breeding season would achieve a 90% submission rate in the first three weeks.

“The target weight for heifers at breeding should be 320kg,” said Huntenburg. “Heat detection should be mainly eyeballing.”

Using a teaser bull “makes detection very easy. At the age of one to one-and-a-half years, the bull is the right size, depending on temperament. This works best in closed herds, but if necessary it is possible for the vet to change the direction of the penis to prevent the spread of disease. He said that synchronisation programmes can also be “very successful and achieve high submission rates”.

Advice

“Your vet can detect severe dirty cows and treat them, with positive effect on subsequent fertility,” added Huntenburg. “Two to three planned veterinary visits in three-week intervals should cover the entire breeding season.”

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