Cow fertility issues

[NorthumbrianFarmer]

So I’ve recently pregnancy tested all my cows and 1/4 of them have came up empty and we are now a bit confused as to what is wrong.

Last year we had a similar problem but after testing the bull he wasn’t working 100% but this year we tested all 3 bull and all came back with good results and we also rotated the bulls around just incase.

We have taken blood and everything has come back fine and the vet said everything inside the cows all felt fine too. They are all blues out of dairy cows and I wasn’t sure if the dairy side can sometimes bring problems?

Anyone else have any thoughts of what could be the cause?

 

[HarryB97]

I was watching Baldys farm on YouTube and he’s moving away from blues out of the diary herd for the exact problem you are having, might be a common trait?

 

[NorthumbrianFarmer]

I was watching Baldys farm on YouTube and he’s moving away from blues out of the diary herd for the exact problem you are having, might be a common trait?

I will have to go see if I can find that video and compare

 

[box]

The first thing I'd be doing is liver biopsies on cull cows to rule out any mineral deficiencies, blood tests don't always tell the full story.

 

[livestock 1]

BVD would be the first thing, but you probably have all that covered. Do you bolus them? In the past we’ve had things come up short of something out of the blue for no particular reason. A wet year like this would be typical of a problematic time where grass is wet and looses value including minerals. Colder than average temperatures whereby there’s more in the root than the stems.
Dairy blues for us are the most likely to have problems but I always just assumed they were too soft for us with us being too far up the hill. Part of the problem as said above could be in the breeding. I have in the past given them a Cosicure bolus in such like times I think they are the best. We turn up short of iodine from time to time not sure why but it’s always in a poor weather year. Our cattle get minerals almost all the time but we are in a deficient area copper and selenium being the worst. If you are in a hurry to get them incalf they will need a mineral drench with the bolus

 

[tinsheet]

Blood test for everything, we had similar last year,
Smallenburg was the problem, had 25 empty cows.
Only positive I could take was cows that I kept, are now immune.

 

[Werzle]

So I’ve recently pregnancy tested all my cows and 1/4 of them have came up empty and we are now a bit confused as to what is wrong.

Last year we had a similar problem but after testing the bull he wasn’t working 100% but this year we tested all 3 bull and all came back with good results and we also rotated the bulls around just incase.

We have taken blood and everything has come back fine and the vet said everything inside the cows all felt fine too. They are all blues out of dairy cows and I wasn’t sure if the dairy side can sometimes bring problems?

Anyone else have any thoughts of what could be the cause?

Blues need to be fit to even come bulling in my experience, they arent like a black hfd that will thrive on fresh air. Schmallenberg would be my next guess but usually they get immunity after the first year

 

[NorthumbrianFarmer]

BVD would be the first thing, but you probably have all that covered. Do you bolus them? In the past we’ve had things come up short of something out of the blue for no particular reason. A wet year like this would be typical of a problematic time where grass is wet and looses value including minerals. Colder than average temperatures whereby there’s more in the root than the stems.
Dairy blues for us are the most likely to have problems but I always just assumed they were too soft for us with us being too far up the hill. Part of the problem as said above could be in the breeding. I have in the past given them a Cosicure bolus in such like times I think they are the best. We turn up short of iodine from time to time not sure why but it’s always in a poor weather year. Our cattle get minerals almost all the time but we are in a deficient area copper and selenium being the worst. If you are in a hurry to get them incalf they will need a mineral drench with the bolus

I vaccinate for BVD and lepto. We aren’t giving any bolus’s currently as any blood test we have ever done has always come back with everything being fine. Cows always have big standard cow minerals out in the field and sheds

 

[NorthumbrianFarmer]

Blood test for everything, we had similar last year,
Smallenburg was the problem, had 25 empty cows.
Only positive I could take was cows that I kept, are now immune.

Blood tests I’ve done for mineral deficiency are all coming back fine any other tests that should be done?

 

[livestock 1]

I vaccinate for BVD and lepto. We aren’t giving any bolus’s currently as any blood test we have ever done has always come back with everything being fine. Cows always have big standard cow minerals out in the field and sheds

I had a situation with a group of cows a couple of times years ago which turned out to be iodine deficiency. No idea why it cropped up but was cold wet summers on both occasions. The young lass that was here tb testing at the time was keen and interested in cattle she had been doing trials on different boluses and recommended Cosicure even before we found out what it was. It cured the problem on each occasion. Even if the blood tests are good they still could be missing something.
Do you have molybdenum lock up? Or high molybdenum? Are you in an area which has been mined in the past?

 

[NorthumbrianFarmer]

I had a situation with a group of cows a couple of times years ago which turned out to be iodine deficiency. No idea why it cropped up but was cold wet summers on both occasions. The young lass that was here tb testing at the time was keen and interested in cattle she had been doing trials on different boluses and recommended Cosicure even before we found out what it was. It cured the problem on each occasion. Even if the blood tests are good they still could be missing something.
Do you have molybdenum lock up? Or high molybdenum? Are you in an area which has been mined in the past?

We maybe do just need to start bolusing just incase I know the one our vets suggest have iodine in. As for the molybdenum I honestly don’t know. Places around us have been mined before but never actually on my farm apart from a few test holes.

I have just been sitting here wondering if a hardier type of cow would make a difference. the cows are at 850 feet on rough grazing, all our neighbours are running Angus or sim-luings and I’ve been asking and non of them bolus ever just rock salt

 

[livestock 1]

We maybe do just need to start bolusing just incase I know the one our vets suggest have iodine in. As for the molybdenum I honestly don’t know. Places around us have been mined before but never actually on my farm apart from a few test holes.

I have just been sitting here wondering if a hardier type of cow would make a difference. the cows are at 850 feet on rough grazing, all our neighbours are running Angus or sim-luings and I’ve been asking and non of them bolus ever just rock salt

If it was me I would give them a bolus Cosicure do a high iodine one and I would give them a vitamin drench at the same time a chelated one. Check with the vet that it’s ok to do that for your area I’m 99% sure it will be.

 

[Woolless]

We maybe do just need to start bolusing just incase I know the one our vets suggest have iodine in. As for the molybdenum I honestly don’t know. Places around us have been mined before but never actually on my farm apart from a few test holes.

I have just been sitting here wondering if a hardier type of cow would make a difference. the cows are at 850 feet on rough grazing, all our neighbours are running Angus or sim-luings and I’ve been asking and non of them bolus ever just rock salt

I would say that you've answered your own question there. Firstly, Blue semen will mainly be used on dairy cows which haven't got in calf to a dairy bull, so may not be the most fertile or otherwise functional. Secondly, Holsteins and Blues are both lean breeds. A suckler cow needs to carry fat. Thirdly, I think your neighbours are running more suitable cattle for your type of ground.

Of course with your smaller numbers, one more cow in calf would be a great result and one less would be really poor, so it could be that there's no fundamental issue, just a bit of bad luck.

 

[tinsheet]

Blood tests I’ve done for mineral deficiency are all coming back fine any other tests that should be done?

Bvd, lepto, ibr. For a start
Chat with your vet go from there good luck

 

[NorthumbrianFarmer]

I would say that you've answered your own question there. Firstly, Blue semen will mainly be used on dairy cows which haven't got in calf to a dairy bull, so may not be the most fertile or otherwise functional. Secondly, Holsteins and Blues are both lean breeds. A suckler cow needs to carry fat. Thirdly, I think your neighbours are running more suitable cattle for your type of ground.

Of course with your smaller numbers, one more cow in calf would be a great result and one less would be really poor, so it could be that there's no fundamental issue, just a bit of bad luck.

It was 14 cows out of 60 so I think it is maybe out the realms of luck unfortunately. But I wasn’t aware that blues are often used when they won’t get pregnant usually so that does explain a lot

 

[NorthumbrianFarmer]

If it was me I would give them a bolus Cosicure do a high iodine one and I would give them a vitamin drench at the same time a chelated one. Check with the vet that it’s ok to do that for your area I’m 99% sure it will be.

I will ask him about it thank you. I understand why people are coming out of cows these

 

[puppet]

It was 14 cows out of 60 so I think it is maybe out the realms of luck unfortunately. But I wasn’t aware that blues are often used when they won’t get pregnant usually so that does explain a lot

Anything different about the 14? How long was bull running with them after they calved?

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

It was 14 cows out of 60 so I think it is maybe out the realms of luck unfortunately. But I wasn’t aware that blues are often used when they won’t get pregnant usually so that does explain a lot

I wouldn’t read too much into that. Dairy cows are under extreme pressure these days so are going to be much harder to get in calf than a suckler cow which in comparison has a much easier life. The average number of lactations from a dairy cow are 3.6, suckler cows is more than twice this.

TE status is the first thing to look at, but the second thing I would look at is cow condition and feeding. You will have fewer problems if they maintain level condition in my experience , if you subscribe to the theory that cows should live off reserves over winter that will not suit blue x dairy cows, neither will outwintering

 

[NorthumbrianFarmer]

Anything different about the 14? How long was bull running with them after they calved?

Bull was in 12 weeks and the cows just really blend in with the rest really

 

[AftonShepherd]

Many of them later calving this year? Or spread throughout?