3 important things to consider as turnout and breeding meet

After a long winter, turnout and the start of breeding have coincided on many suckler farms. Teagasc Beef Specialist, Catherine Egan has some key advice for suckler farmers to maximise the success of the breeding season.

Good cow fertility is a key profit driver and reproductive efficiency is central to economic and environmental sustainability. Cow condition score, bull fertility, the incidence of difficult calving and herd health are some of the main factors that affect fertility in the herd.  

The change in the weather over the past week has allowed stock to finally be turned out. It has been a very long spring with cows and calves housed, particularly for cows calved from mid-January onwards. On a lot of farms, the breeding season is starting at the same time. There are three important points to consider:

Body Condition Score

Depending on forage quality, cows’ body condition score (BCS) will vary on farm. At the start of the breeding season, a cow needs to be on an increasing plane of nutrition with a BCS of 2.5 to give her the best possible chance of going back in calf. Thin cows that are in poor condition or lose a lot of weight post-calving will have a delayed return to heat. On most farms, concentrates have been fed in the past few weeks due to extended housing period, with a number of cows showing signs of heat. This will pay dividends now.

Observing heat

The period from once the cow calves until the start of the oestrus cycle again is a major window which impacts the reproductive efficiency of suckler herds. This is usually 60-70 days post calving for suckler cows or 70-90 days in first-calving heifers.

In order to maintain a 365-day calving interval, the aim is to get the cow back in calf within one to two cycles after calving. It is important to keep records and monitor cows that are showing signs of heat. Record when you see a cow being mated and watch for signs of cows coming on heat repeatedly. Any issues with herd health need to be checked out fully in consultation with your vet. Uterine infections can significantly delay the onset of cycling.

Pregnancy scanning

When it is at least 35 days since the last cow in the herd could have been served, then you should consider scanning the cows. It will identify which cows are in calf and cows that are not in calf.

Most scanners are able to give you a good estimate of the number of weeks that each cow has gone in calf. This is extremely helpful when a stock bull is used on the farm to identify expected calving date.

If the scanning reveals, for example, that more than 5% of your cows are empty then this may signify that there is a fertility problem in your herd. Maybe it was a bull issue or perhaps a mineral deficiency or a disease problem. Either way, it should prompt you into investigating the issue further.

This year, a mid breeding season scan should be considered to help identify cows that are not in calf or not cycling to rectify any issue faster. The breeding season could be extended by two weeks this year to avoid cows being lost from the system and a resulting high replacement rate on account of a difficult spring.

Also read: Breeding season commences at Newford

Also read: Getting your cow back in calf – the key factors to consider