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Suckler farmers operating autumn calving herds where calves are primarily born in August and September will most likely have started serving cows in early November.
That means the first wave of cows mated will be coming up on the three-week mark from service to AI or the stock bull.
Therefore, over the next week, keep a close eye on these cows for signs of repeat breeding activity.
If you know which cows were served early, marking animals with some tail paint will help show up animals in heat. Tail paint can be quickly applied to cows standing at the feed rail eating fresh silage.
There will always be a few cows that repeat. But if you are seeing big numbers of animals coming back in heat, then there may be an underlying fertility issue with the stock bull or cows that needs addressing immediately.
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