Transcript CAFRE Development Service

Level II Agricultural
Business Operations
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Understand the reproduction cycle
Assess herd reproductive efficiency
Understand the decisions involved in
developing a breeding plan
◦ Bull selection
◦ Selecting cow replacements
◦ Bull and cow management
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Gestation Length:
Interval from conception to calving
Average: 287 days
Range:
280-300 days
Oestrous Cycle Length:
Interval from one heat to another
Average: 21 days
Range:
18-24 days
Calving Interval:
Interval between successive calvings
Average: 415 days
Range:
360-500 days+
Calving
75 days
Calving
Breeding/Conception
Calving
Pregnancy – 290 days
Breeding Conception
Pregnancy – 290 days
365 days
Calving
400+
days
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Calving - March/April/May
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Service - June/July/August
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Weaning - September/October/November
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Dry period - December/January/February
1.
Calving Interval (Cow)
Number of days between calvings
2.
Calving Index (Herd)
Average of calving Intervals
3.
Calving Spread
Days/weeks from first to last calf born
Two herds of 50 Cows
Herd A
Calving index 380 days
Herd B
Calving index 415 days
Direct costs of cow
slipping 35 days
Lost calf growth
Feeding an empty cow
Total cost
£
35 x £1.80/kg = £63.00
Av daily cost 50p x 35 = £17.00
£80/cow or £2.30 per day
Herd A advantage = 50 cows x £80/cow = £4000
Replacing an empty cow
Calving not being
batched
• Financial cost
(heifer cost – cull cow value)
Extra handling time
• Financial cost
Breeding extra replacements
• Using a maternal bull on more
cows
• Biosecurity cost
buying in replacements of
unknown disease status
Managing extra groups
Calving date slippage
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Calf sold 1st October each year
Cow calves 1-3-11 - calf weighs 300kg at sale
Cow calves 1-5-12 - calf weighs 230kg at sale
Cow calves 1-7-13 - calf weighs 160kg at sale
Eventually - Can’t get to calf sale as a cow is
calving!!
Having a clearly defined calving period
or periods
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Labour
◦ Less time supervising calvings.
◦ Reduced risk of difficult calvings due to overfit cows
◦ Bigger/more even batches of calves
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Disease
◦ Reduced disease spread from older to younger calves
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Weaning weight
◦ Calves born earlier are heavier at weaning
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Marketing
◦ More even batches of store cattle
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Replacement heifers
◦ More heifer calves at suitable weight for bulling
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Housing
◦ More calving accommodation may be needed.
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Disease
◦ More calves at same stage if disease breaks out
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Marketing
◦ All ready at same time – cash flow
Take the bull out!
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Cow
◦ Replacement rate
◦ Selecting replacements
◦ 2 year calving
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Bull
◦ Estimated Breeding Values (EBV’s)
◦ Physical characteristics
◦ Natural Service versus AI
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Cows do not last forever and will leave the
herd for a variety of reasons:
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Old/ Sick / Lame
Empty
Poor fertility (Late)
Poor productivity
Other undesirable traits
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Herds should have a clear replacement policy
and plan ahead
Suckler herds have a typical Replacement
Rate of 15 – 30% (Average = 20%)
E.g. At 20% replacement rate, a 50 cow herd
will require 10 replacements every year just
to sustain itself
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What characteristics are you looking for?
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Hybrid vigour
Milk
Calving ability
Longevity
Size
Breed
Advantages
Bio-security
Performance History
Can select genetics
Cost
Disadvantages
Need Maternal bull/AI
Reduced cash flow
Limited supply
Advantages
Simple to manage
Plenty of choice
Disadvantages
Bio-security
No control of genetics
Cost
Time sourcing
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Most efficient
◦ One less batch of heifers
◦ Can carry 13% more cows on the same resource
◦ Additional calves per lifetime
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Targets
◦ Serve at min of 60% of mature weight
 e.g. 650kg cow = 390kg at 15 months of age
◦ Calve down at 85% of mature weight
 E.g. 650kg cow = 550kg at calving 24months
Bull Selection Ease
EBVs
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Estimated Breeding Values
◦ Genetic potential for number of traits
◦ Comparison within breeds
◦ Maternal – Self Replacing Index
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Calving ease daughters
Milk
Gestation length
Scrotal size (fertility)
Fat depth
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Estimated Breeding Values
◦ Genetic potential for number of traits
◦ Comparison within breeds
◦ Terminal – Terminal Production Index
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Calving ease direct
200, 400 & 600 day weights
Muscle depth / eye muscle area
Carcase weight
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Physical Characteristics
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Health Status
“Correct”
Good Locomotion
Temperament
High Libido
Conformation
Age
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What should a normal bull be able to
achieve?
◦ A 90 – 95% pregnancy rate in a group of 40 cows
over a 9 – 10 week period.
◦ Young bulls (<2 years old) should only serve 20
cows in first season
AI or Natural Service ... ?
AI :
 Greater genetic progress due to better
genetics.
 Can match bulls to individual cows.
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Detecting cows in heat can be difficult and
time consuming.
How good is your AI technique – does it
affect your herd conception rates?
AI or Natural Service ... ?
Bull - Natural service:
Time saving - does all the heat detection for
you.
Conception rates – potentially better.
 Bull could have fertility problem.
 Genetic progress limited compared to AI.
 Danger – especially indoors.
Standing to be mounted
Head mounting
Lip-curling
Chin-resting
Sniffing
Secondary Signs of Heat
- Less Important Signs
Restlessness/Bellowing
Not standing to be
mounted
Licking other cows
Soliciting
Cajoling
Hair loss/dirt marks
Cows prioritise how they use their nutritional
resources.
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Produce milk for her calf
Maintain her body condition
Get back in calf
Decreasing
priority
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A good guide to nutrition
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Cows scored on a scale 0 - 5
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Underfeeding → thinner
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Feeding more than requirements → fatter
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Important at mating, calving and
weaning
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Can reduce feed costs
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Crucial to fertility
Condition Score 2
Condition Score 3
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Can be carried out at 5-6 weeks
Identifies empty cows
◦ Allow for planned culling
◦ Prevents feed wastage
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Identifies bull fertility issues
Identifies twins
◦ Can adjust feeding
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Estimated calving dates
◦ Planning housing and feeding requirements
◦ Weaning dates
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Discuss herd fertility with your vet
◦ Vaccination policy – BVD, Leptospirosis
◦ Mineral deficiencies
◦ Bull assessment (MOT)
◦ Biosecurity
◦ Individual problem cows
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Breeding efficiency essential for profitable
production
Targets
◦ 365 Calving index
◦ Calving heifers at 24 months
◦ Use EBVs to produce high genetic merit
replacements and finishing stock
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Manage cow condition to maximise fertility