Non return rates

[Grassman247]

Getting far to many repeats year on year and has been like this since 2014, funnily enough that same year our yield went up.

We have got days ranging from 35% on some days upto 80% on other days.

Only 2 of us do the Ai and we both do it on the autumn herd and the empty rate there this year was 5%

What are other block Calvers seeing? Anyone else seeing there fertility head in the wrong direction?

Heats are really good and strong and the repeat days are spot on so heat detection isn’t an issue

 

[More to life]

Getting far to many repeats year on year and has been like this since 2014, funnily enough that same year our yield went up.

We have got days ranging from 35% on some days upto 80% on other days.

Only 2 of us do the Ai and we both do it on the autumn herd and the empty rate there this year was 5%

What are other block Calvers seeing? Anyone else seeing there fertility head in the wrong direction?

Heats are really good and strong and the repeat days are spot on so heat detection isn’t an issue

Have increased feeding to compensate for your extra yield or is it coming of there backs.

 

[Headless chicken]

Getting far to many repeats year on year and has been like this since 2014, funnily enough that same year our yield went up.

We have got days ranging from 35% on some days upto 80% on other days.

Only 2 of us do the Ai and we both do it on the autumn herd and the empty rate there this year was 5%

What are other block Calvers seeing? Anyone else seeing there fertility head in the wrong direction?

Heats are really good and strong and the repeat days are spot on so heat detection isn’t an issue

Imo weather is far less consistent than it ever has been. I feel sorry for spring Calvers some days trying to get cows to hold and the rain is coming in sideways.

 

[dinderleat]

What’s your conception rates like and have you tested the semen? Are you slipping your empties round or culling hard?

 

[Grassman247]

Have increased feeding to compensate for your extra yield or is it coming of there backs.

Yes 4kgs of cake and 17kgs of DM, cows are nice and fit just won’t hold

 

[Grassman247]

What’s your conception rates like and have you tested the semen? Are you slipping your empties round or culling hard?

Have tested semen every year and always the same result, have built new Ai facilities on the spring herd as we felt the downhill race squashing the cows wasn’t helping and it’s made no difference, empty rate has always been around 18% but we are running 25% replacement rates, all cull cows are sold out

 

[Grassman247]

Should probably add this farm had half of it covered in waste paper before we took it on and many of the PH’s are higher than 7, not sure if this has a bearing on fertility

 

[Farmer Fin]

Infectious disease status. Bloods / liver samples for trace elements. If nothing else these need to be ruled out.

 

[In the pit]

What do you mean by fit

 

[Grassman247]

Infectious disease status. Bloods / liver samples for trace elements. If nothing else these need to be ruled out.

BVD Free, salmonella and IBR vaccinated, testing for johnes but haven’t found any, bloods and livers taken every year and minerals or bolus accordingly

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

Holsteins?

 

[multi power]

Imo weather is far less consistent than it ever has been. I feel sorry for spring Calvers some days trying to get cows to hold and the rain is coming in sideways.

What rain? In 6 weeks of ai we have had only 2 proper wet days

 

[multi power]

Yes 4kgs of cake and 17kgs of DM, cows are nice and fit just won’t hold

What sort of yeilds?

 

[In the pit]

What's your condition score at calving
What's your condition score a month after calving

 

[Grassman247]

Holsteins?

Crossbreds, NZ friesian base

 

[Grassman247]

What sort of yeilds?

Peaking at 33 litres, average 7900 litres per cow

 

[In the pit]

We have had a fantastic service period with few returns

 

[dinderleat]

Ai refresher course

 

[multi power]

Peaking at 33 litres, average 7900 litres per cow

Energy is what they need, 33 litres off 4kg cake and grass is not sustainable

 

[In the pit]

Energy is what they need, 33 litres off 4kg cake and grass is not sustainable

Yeah not fed enough
Milking off there backs
Enough to get them bulling but not enough to hold in calf