Dairy Reproduction:Identifying Problems and Solutions for Your Herd

Nutrition

Transition Manageme

nt

Abortive Diseases

Environment

Cow

SemenRay Nebel,

PhD

Select Sires, Inc.

Cow

Comfort

People &

Processes

Goals, Key Performance Indicators, and Benchmarking

• Goals are target levels of performance toward which managers are striving.

• Benchmarks are standards by which performance can be measured or compared, and are not synonymous with goals. • Herds that represent specific categories (herd size,

production level or geographic location for example).

• A key performance indicator (KPI) is a metric that a dairy may use to gauge performance and whether future performance will be a success or failure.

Key Performance Indicators - Cows

• Weekly hard count of new pregnant cows ‒ this should be between 8 and 10 percent of the number of milking cows and is dependent on replacement rate

• Palpation pregnancy rate – best method to measure heat detection rate and is dependent of interval from breeding to examination.

• Cows ≥60%• Heifers ≥80%

• Number of cows leaving the herd within the first 60 days in milk – this measures involuntary culling, death and is an excellent indicator of the success or failure of the transition program

• 4 to 5% at 30 DIM and 6 to 8% by 60 DIM

Key Performance Indicators

• Butterfat percent for the first 30 DIM – greater than 5.0 in Holsteins correlates with cows metabolizing body fat and is an additional indication of the transition program

• Week four milk weights – by reviewing the trend of weekly milk weight averages, a four-week comparison can be made between different divisions of time. This is another measure to evaluate the transition program.

Benchmarks: Size, region, level of production

drms.org

DairyMetrics

Reproductive Performance

Pregnancy Rate

Conception Rate Submission RateVoluntaryWaitingPeriod

Verify the Voluntary Waiting Period

Verify the Voluntary Waiting Period

Verify the Voluntary Waiting Period

Verify the Voluntary Waiting Period

21 day Pregnancy Rate by Date

21 day Pregnancy Rate by DIM

Preg Rate Report Options – PCDART and DairyComp

Conception

Rates

Cow Labor Nutrition Environment Semen

Major Areas Affecting Reproductive Performance

Areas Pertaining to the Cow

Conception

Rates

Cow

Transition

Incidence of MetabolicDiseases

Incidence of Metritis

Body Condition

~3.25 @Calving

<1 BCS lostcalving-1st

service

Locomotion

SurfaceTrim

frequency

Cyclicity Disease

Vaccination Program Mastitis

Early EmbryonicLoss

Labor Nutrition Environment Semen

Transition Program

• Body Condition Score• Dry Cow (Far-off and close-up)• Fresh Cows 3.25 – 3.75

• Comfort Level• Stocking Rate – 80%• Heat Abatement

• Post-Partum Disease• Metritis - <10%• RP - <5%• Ketosis - <5%• DA - <5%

Transition Cow Index™

• Bunk space – both pre-fresh and fresh cow pens (30 inches per animal)

• Minimize pen moves (10 days prior to calving)• Stall size• Sand bedding• Identify cows needing medical attention

Labor

A.I.Techniques

SemenHandling

SemenPlacement

Synchronizationcompliance

Heat Detection

Visual ObservationStanding & 2ndary Signs

Reading Chalk/Paint

Motivation Time Budget

Adequate time or labor

Areas Pertaining to Labor

Systems for Breeding

Visual Observation

Walk and Chalk

Timed A.I.

Activity System

Natural Service

A.I. Technique

• Area of Semen Handling

• Thaw Temperature and Time• 95°F for minimum of 45 seconds

• Equipment Cleanliness

• Semen Handling (Thaw to Cows)• Maintain 95°F semen temperature

• Semen Placement • ¼ inch past the cervix in uterine body

Conception Rate by

Conception Rate by

Conception Rate by Tech

Conception Rate: A.I. tech by code

Conception Rate: Interval Analysis

Conception Rate: times bred

Conception Rate: times bred by code

Timed A.I. Program

• Review protocol and timing of hormone injections

• Review hormone storage and equipment (19 gauge - 1½” needle)

• When or IF needle is changed

• Review compliance

Estimated results for different first service TAI programs in lactating dairy cows

Source: Victor Cabrera and Julio Giordano. 2013. UW-Dairy Repro$ Plus: A Reproductive Economic Analysis Tool

Synchronization Program VWP (days) Mean (Range)Presynch-Ovsynch-14 70-85 37 (32-42)Presynch-Ovsynch-10, 11 or 12 70-85 43 (37-47)Double-Ovsynch 70-85 47 (40-50)G-6-G 70-85 45 (37-47)Ovsynch 60-75 33 (30-37)Cosynch-72 60-75 26 (25-33)Presynch-Ovsynch-14 w/CIDR® 70-85 40 (35-45)Presynch-Ovsynch- 10, 11 or 12 w/CIDR 70-85 47 (40-50)Double-Ovsynch w/CIDR 70-85 50 (43-53)Ovsynch w/CIDR 60-75 36 (33-40)

Conception Rate (%)

Environment

Facilities Time Budget Cow Comfort

Areas Pertaining to Environment

Conception Rate by Month

Typical Time Budget

www.msu.edu/~mdr/vol15no3/cowtime.html Kathy Lee

ActivityTime devoted daily to

activity

Eating3 to 5 hours(9 to 14 meals per day)

Lying down (resting) 12 to 14 hours

Standing walking in alley 2 to 3 hours

Drinking 30 minutes

Stocking Density

What is ideal stocking density???

Cow Comfort

• Stocking Rate – headlocks/bunk space/stalls

• Stall Size/Cow Size • Lunge Space• Bedding

• Footing• Foot Care (trimming and foot baths)

• Heat Abatement – Stalls & Holding Pen• Mastitis • % Resting

• Cud Chewing

Cow Comfort Index

Stall Standing Index

Semen

Sex Semen

versus

Conventional

Sire Conception

Rate

Areas Pertaining to Semen

Holstein Active Proven Sires: Sire Conception Rate

Stud +0.0 or > +1.0 or > +2.0 or > +3.0 or >Select Sires 58 42 23 6

Genex 26 20 15 3

Accelerated 28 21 14 6

Semex 26 17 7 1

Alta NA NA NA NA

ABS NA NA NA NA

Source: December 2013 NAAB Active Proven Sire List

Conception Rate Heifers: times bred by stud

Areas Pertaining to Nutrition

Nutrition

Transition Rumen Health

Acidosis Ketosis

Ration

Particle length Mixing & Delivery

Manure Evaluation

Water Mycotoxins

DON alfatoxin

Common Symptoms of Acidosis

• Low milk fat test; < 3.0• Sore hooves; laminitis • Cycling feed intake • Diarrhea • Liver abscesses • Low rumen pH (< 5.8) in 30 to 50% of animals

tested • Limited cud chewing

Common Symptoms of Ketosis

• Ketosis usually occurs within a few days to a few weeks after calving.

• Characterized by low blood glucose, excess ketone bodies in blood and urine, lack of appetite, either lethargy or excitability, weight loss, depressed milk production.

• Any factor resulting in a reduction of dry matter intake (DMI) increases the risk for ketosis.

• Elevated BCS at calving (BCS ≥ 4.0)

Guidelines for Particle Size

Manure Evaluation

• When used in context with the other things we evaluate, it can give you an idea of how well the rumen is functioning and where and how well feeds are being digested.

• There is a sound, biological basis for why manure looks the way it does.

• Color – Consistency - Content

Mycotoxins

• It appears that at least six kinds of mycotoxins can affect dairy herds fertility: aflatoxin, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, ergotamine, ocratoxin and toxin T2.

• Controlling mycotoxins presence is therefore extremely important and may be a relevant cause of infertility in lactating dairy cows.

Major Areas Affecting Reproductive Performance

Nutrition

Transition Manageme

nt

Abortive Diseases

Environment

Cow

SemenPeople &

Processes

Cow

Comfort