More fertility insights increase profitability on dairy farms

Funny really, that the voluntary waiting period on many dairy farms is a period of quiet waiting. While insight into the cows' reproductive signals during this period is golden. A missed opportunity if we are not tracking them already! A progressive dairy farmer therefore does not wait quietly during the voluntary waiting period after calving, but uses this period as an active preparation phase for the next gestation. What exactly do these insights tell us and what does it benefit the dairy farmer?

Conception rate

If you wait out the voluntary waiting period and start observing cows for heat signals after 60 days, it is no guarantee of success. Research shows(1) that cows that show no heat in the first 60 days after calving have a lower pregnancy per AI at first service (42.5%) than cows that show one heat (50.9%) or two heats (55.4%) in the voluntary waiting period. Another research(2) points out that within timed AI cows, cows with no alert (38.8%) had reduced pregnancy per AI compared with cows with low (54.2%) or high activity increase (61.8%). So even farms working with timed AI would do well to know whether or not cows have shown a heat in the voluntary waiting period.

Dairy profitability

Cows that show one or two heats in the first 60 days also need 30 fewer days to become pregnant (see figure 1). A disadvantage of late-pregnant cows is not only the number of open days, but also the fact that they often become over conditioned in the subsequent dry period. This leads to more issues during calving and starting up in the next lactation. This launches a negative spiral of events for the cow. Poor conception rate in lactating dairy cows ranks as one of the most limiting factors(3) to dairy profitability.

Causes of fertility problems

There are several causes(4, 5, 6) that can lead to an irregular cycle or failure to cycle in dairy cows. Nutrition (negative energy balance, vitamin or mineral deficiency), body condition (too low or too high condition score), diseases (mastitis, metritis, among others), management factors (poor housing, heat stress, etc.) or hormonal imbalances may underlie fertility problems. Monitoring and possible treatment by the veterinarian, optimizing feed management in the transition phase or working on cow comfort are possible actions to get the cow back into the right rhythm and reduce open days.

Actively preparing

The solution to improve reproduction results? A better understanding of the cows' cycles. By recording the heats of recently calved cows, you can immediately see whether it is regular or perhaps none at all, how often she has been in heat and how strong the heat was. In all cases, you have the opportunity to take preventive action during the voluntary waiting period so that the cow is ready for successful insemination after this phase. So don't wait, but actively prepare! Moreover, you can use this knowledge to implement more expensive sexed semen strategically on cows that have the best genetic potential and have shown multiple heats, as they have a significantly higher conception rate, than cows that have not yet shown a heat during the voluntary waiting period.

Fertility insights

Automatic heat detection is an ideal tool in this regard. For example, Nedap CowControl detects when the cow is in heat and how strong the heat is, including those in the voluntary waiting period. So without extra labor you get insight into the cyclicity of all cows. Through the dashboard in Nedap CowControl you can see an overview of reproduction data of all your cows under reproduction checks. Animals that are irregularly cyclical or non-cyclical can easily be filtered out and put on your work list for further examination by a fertility expert. With the right treatment, this cow becomes cyclical again and has a higher chance of becoming pregnant in the insemination period.

Nedap CowControl provides direct insight into the cyclicity of all cows, including those in the voluntary waiting period. This way you can actively prepare the cows for the next pregnancy.

Fewer unnecessary open days, more profit

The positive effect of actively preparing for the next gestation is clear: fewer unnecessary open days, thus higher milk yield per cow/year, higher labor efficiency and lower AI costs. A better understanding of fertility data per cow additionally has the benefit of increasing the likelihood of successful application of sexed semen. If you assume that the cost per open day(7) is about $4, and you can reduce the average number of open days - outside of the voluntary waiting period - by 5 days, this results in a benefit of $20 per cow. For a herd of 500 cows, this quickly adds up to $10,000.

Are you ready for more insight into the fertility data of your cows?

Do you want to start fine-tuning the reproduction strategy on your farm? Then contact our local distributors of automated heat detection systems*. Look here for your local partner.

*Insights in irregularly and non-cyclic cows are available for Nedap Now users. Nedap Now is the cloud-based platform for Nedap solutions.

Sources:

1) Effect of transition cow health and estrous expression detected by an automated activity monitoring system within 60 days in milk on reproductive performance of lactating Holstein cows - Journal of Dairy Science

2) Association of activity and subsequent fertility of dairy cows after spontaneous estrus or timed artificial insemination - Journal of Dairy Science

3) Treatment of Cycling and Noncycling Lactating Dairy Cows with Progesterone During Ovsynch1 - Journal of Dairy Science

4) Non-Cycling Cows | Dairy Australia

5) Early treatment of non-cycling cows and novel treatment options - Vetlife

6) Management and Treatment of Dairy Cows that are Not Cycling or have Follicular Cysts – DAIReXNET

7) Dairy Farm “Cost of Days Open” | CCE Delaware