How well do your cattle hold on first service?

[JMTHORNLEY]

Just curious as to everyone else's experience and how tightly people calve.

I've had to push my calving back next year to end of May instead of end of April and I have noticed a few less repeats. I always use Denis Brinicombe ProServe as advised, 4 weeks before hand and 2 weeks after they are with the bull but this year seems different.

Could this just be the year or something else?

 

[multi power]

So you have served them a month later and more have held first time?
Possibly because they have had more time between calving and serving

 

[JMTHORNLEY]

Yep that's the one, I will only ever have two/three at most be caught on second service everything else is usually within a three week period

 

[multi power]

Also there would be more sun on their backs with being a month later

 

[JMTHORNLEY]

yes I had thought that would help, my only worry now is with all this wet weather we are having up here if things are going to go to plan.

 

[Whitepeak]

If you've delayed service by a month they should hold better, as the cows will be fitter and have recovered from calving. I remember reading in a Roger Blowey vet book that roughly for every day you wait for first service conception rate increases by 1%; but obviously if you wait until 100days you won't get a 100% conception!

 

[JMTHORNLEY]

If you've delayed service by a month they should hold better, as the cows will be fitter and have recovered from calving. I remember reading in a Roger Blowey vet book that roughly for every day you wait for first service conception rate increases by 1%; but obviously if you wait until 100days you won't get a 100% conception!

Wouldn't that be the life ey 100% on first service...

My only real concern is bringing them back next year as the bull will have to be in with them by early / mid August at latest to have a chance for start / mid May and then late June the year after to get back on track. I don't want to push them to hard and try for mid July bulling next year as I feel this would have an extended calving time as some would miss on first and maybe even second services.
What are other peoples thoughts on this and would anyone have any suggestions to bring calving back earlier other than keep them as fit as poss and well mineraled up?

 

[Stewartry hill]

You will just have to keep them as fit as possible and we'll minerals estrumate is a possibility but you would still have some stragglers

 

[multi power]

I calve a lot of dairy cows over a 12 week period, it's not uncommon to calve cows 30/40 days earlier than last year, obviously some will also be later

 

[JMTHORNLEY]

I calve a lot of dairy cows over a 12 week period, it's not uncommon to calve cows 30/40 days earlier than last year, obviously some will also be later

i figured that would be the case but we have calved end of April/start of May all my life here and this year things have had to change as a one off but I've heard that is as good as a rest

 

[topground]

The natural cycle of cattle breeding is likely to be calving late March early April when new grass growth is available, the cow having lost weight over the winter to aid easier calving. The cow then is able to feed the calf and regain condition on a rising plane of nutrition ready for cyclng again from early to mid June ready to conceive. It works here for sucklers with the added assistance of a copper bolus on 1st June. Average 1.5 straws per pregnancy over the last few years usng Kamars and inseminating morning and evening depending on when standing heat observed.

 

[JMTHORNLEY]

Some excellent news this morning, cows are now in due to this weather, had mt test this morning so thought I'd get my vet to scan whilst here.

100% in calf, I've never had it before and doubt I'll ever see it again but as mentioned above perhaps that extra month of recovery time did the world of good? Add to the mix DB ProServe and I believe that everything was perfect.
Now this is the interesting part, I normally give 2/2-1/2 months to get in calf, bar 1 beast everything is calving within 3-4 weeks of each other, this will mean a sleepless few weeks but I've never seen anything like it before. Anyone else had any similar experience where everything has caught near on first service and such tight calving patterns?

 

[multi power]

Well done

 

[M-J-G]

I've had everything calved in 6 weeks before, despite the bulls running for 9.
Only had 100% pregnancy rate once, but I lost a calf or two more than normal that year, so I decided that perfection was unobtainable.

Unless the vet is a lot better than most I've dealt with, some of the cows could be a week or two either way, only calving time will answer that.

All of that said, it is still an achievement on your part to manage your cows in a way that allows them all to be in calf in a tight batch.

 

[JMTHORNLEY]

Thank you very much and yes I'm half and half as to weather his dates are spot on but I just couldn't get my head arround the shear fact they were all in calf. I've never seen it before and doubt I ever will in my farming career.

 

[brigadoon]

We scanned 100% this spring. First one stillborn and the rest all ok with one runt, still 2 to calf though.

 

[brigadoon]

We scanned 100% this spring. First one stillborn and the rest all ok with one runt, still 2 to calf though.

 

[brigadoon]

We scanned 100% this spring. First one stillborn and the rest all ok with one runt, still 2 to calf though.