Planning for Good Fertility

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Planning for Good Fertility
David Black Paragon Veterinary Group
Young Farmers Discussion Group 28th January 2005
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Declining Pregnancy Rates
In UK declining at 1 per year
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Not a Lot of People Know That

• A heifer calf is born with all her oocytes (eggs)
• 96 of all services result in a fertilised embryo
• Lively calves during calving are a bad sign
• Sternal position within 12 minutes 86 chance
  of surviving to at least 6 weeks
• (Acidosis and calving stress)

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Colostrum the Elixir of Life

• Providing antibody protection, locally and
  systemically
• The quality and quantity of colostrum
• Options for giving colostrum
• Providing for the colostrum deficient mother
• Risks of pooled colostrum consult your vet

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Hidden Fertility Costs

• Retained foetal membranes 298
• Milk fever 220
• Lameness 268
• Mastitis 236
• Slight calving difficulty 105
• Serious calving difficulty 307
• Missed oestrus 18

Prof H. Dobson 2003
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Cost Components

• Milk fever
• Calving to conception increases by 10 days
• Require an extra 0.4 inseminations
• Lameness
• If lame in previous 60 days 10 reduction in
  conception
• But NB culling!
• Normal 5, mild lameness 10, severe lameness 22

Prof H. Dobson 2003
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Fertex Scoring
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Fertex Example

• 100-cow herd with a calving interval of 419 days
  at 2.27 serves per conception with an FTC of 21
• Calving Interval (419-365) x 2 108 per cow
• Pregnancy Rate (serves/conception) 2.27-1.83 x
  20 8.80 per cow
• (NB 1.83 serves/conception pregnancy rate
  of 55)
• FTC (21-6) x 700 10,500/100 cows or 105 per
  cow
• Total 221.80 per cow OR approximately 3.5
  pence per litre, assuming an average lactation
  yield of 6500 litres per cow

Compared with average vet/med costs of
0.5-1.0p/litre!
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Unseen Losses!

• 8-10 of cows show heat during pregnancy
• 33 of cows are culled for infertility
• 25 of cull cows at the abattoir are pregnant

Prof H. Dobson 2003
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Conception Rate
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2
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Replacement Rates
50 Conception Rate 50 Oestrus Detection 90
of cows in calf by 200 days
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Lifetime Yields - Holstein
NMR Data
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Daily Lifetime Yields - Holstein
NMR Data
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Example of Q-sum
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Q-Sum
Restocking
Feed Changes
Cosecure
All Services
BVD Vaccination
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Inter-oestrus Intervals
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Inter-oestrus Intervals
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Heat Detection
Average mount is 7 seconds (5-140 per
heat) Standing time averages 15 hours but often lt6

• No specific time set aside 35
• 1/2 hour per day 50
• 2 x 1/2 hours per day 65
• 3 x 1/2 hours per day 87
• 4 x 1/2 hours per day 95
• Mounting cow - within five days of ovulation
• Standing cow - within twelve hours of
  ovulation

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Requirements for a Pregnancy

• Correct identification of oestrus
• A viable ovum released into the female tract
• Adequate numbers of viable sperm
• Semen inserted at the correct time into the
  correct part of the female reproductive tract
• A suitable uterine environment to support the
  fertilised ovum, developing embryo and foetus

Failure of one or more Infertility on an
individual or herd basis
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Follicle Dynamics
Estrumate
Estrumate
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When you are running flat out
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The Most Important Animal on a Dairy Farm is.
The Dry Cow!
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Dry Clean Ventilated Comfortable Safe
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Cow Comfort

• Key to lameness control
• Cubicle size, numbers, bedding, straw yards
• Escape routes-space/cow-cow/heifer groups
• Walking surfaces
• Trough space
• Welly boot test

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Bovine Virus Diarrhoea Virus (BVD)

• Immunosuppressive
• Major contributor to pneumonia, calf scour
  outbreaks ??
• Major effect on fertility
• Can kill in its own right as Mucosal Disease
• Often an unseen enemy

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Prevention and Control of BVD

• The dangerous animal is the persistently infected
  (PI)
• PI arises when it is a foetus and its dam is
  infected with BVDv
• Avoid buying in PIs or incubating animals
• Vaccinate

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Avoiding Trouble

• Have a health plan!
• Have a fertility plan!
• Biosecurity plan
• Purchasing policy
• Arrival procedures
• Vaccination procedures
• Treatment procedures

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Targets and Action Plans

• Setting objectives
• SMART targets
• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time based
• Action plans
• Improving performance

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What Is a Health Plan?

• An agreed approach to prevention and control of
  disease
• Prevention is better than cure, but how can
  disease be prevented
• As Recommended by DEFRA Welfare Codes
• A practical guide to effective healthcare on your
  farm, fitted to your objectives and resources
• A dynamic process, that changes with
  circumstances
• Risk based

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Risk ManagementAvoiding the Disasters

• Securing the herd
• Biosecurity
• Purchasing policies
• Moving stock
• Incoming stock policy
• Inquiries
• Quarantine
• Testing
• Treatments

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Standard Operating Procedures, Training and
Competence

• Specific procedures
• Oestrus detection
• Feeding
• Inseminating
• Recording

• Treatments
• Assessment
• Diagnosis
• Treatment protocols
• Footbathing
• Drying Off
• Vaccinating

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Utilising Health Fertility Plans

• Review
• Progression
• Adaptation
• Linkage
• Completing the loop
• Expect the unexpected

• Monitor effectiveness
• Cost benefit
• discuss with your vet

Health fertility planning is a dynamic
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Invest in HealthDont Pay for Disease
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Work closely with your vet
(we are not only there for the simple things in
life!)
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Imagine...
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The Future of Farming needs A Healthy
Industry which needs Healthy Animals
Attitude is Everything by Bonnie Mohr
www.bonniemohr.com