serving

[mr grumpy]

We need to start serving again next week, just wondering what everyone's breeding policy is, how may times do you serve? how many time do you serve to a replacement to come back in to your herd, and then what do you go to? Beef? Fertility +??.

I was thinking of keeping our VWP at 45 days, and then two serves onto our replacement type bulls (maverick and evolution) if not in calf then 2 serves to Hereford, and if still not in calf by then 3 or 4 serves to fertility +.

What other views on this ?

 

[Headless chicken]

That's a lot of serving

 

[mr grumpy]

Well just been on a arla sustainably talk thingy and was told not to stop serving, even if you get up to 200 days in milk just keep going I kinda agree to a certain extent, as long as I ain't £30 a pop going in the cow

 

[Headless chicken]

I sort of agree to some extent.... Prehaps you would be better using a bull to sweep up?

 

[AGN76]

2 'expensive' straws, 2 beef, then send to bull

 

[mr grumpy]

Iv got a bull and love the bull working on the heifers but the problom is that we use RMS for the cows, I have no problem with it at all, in fact I really like it on the cows, the other worry I have I that with running a bull with the cows to sweep up have slippery yards so don't want any cows slipping down with injuries

 

[bigw]

We only serve once or twice to dairy then normally in with the bull or some beef AI, we used to give poor breeders loads of chances but don't tend to bother now unless they are really good milkers.

 

[bovine]

If you are using RMS you will generally use a lot of straws..........

What is the rationale for keeping on serving these cows? I can see it being great for the vet when they get fat, have trouble calving, get milk fever, a D/A, whites and then take another 250 days to get back in calf and it all starts again.

Generally if you calve year round then 200 days would be my recommended cut off. Depends on your calving pattern, how many replacements, heat detection and conception rate.

 

[Scholsey]

Keep serving if you need numbers, I have had cows hold after 15+ services whilst still giving a decent quantity of milk, no problems at all calving and then get in calf pre 100 days the following lactation. If you have enough then only breed from your most fertile i.e 1-2-3 services for replacements 4-5-6 beef, cull after that. I am probably a bit soft and stubborn and keep trying with the old girls, they've worked hard for you sometimes they deserve a bit of compassion back!

 

[sidjon]

I buy 250 straw's of dairy for 220 cows start service on the 23 of may keep going until I run out at about week 6 then chuck some bulls in leave them in until week 11 , pull bulls out anything empty off to works , have empty rate of 5% over last 5 year's with this policy.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I buy one straw per cow but split them two ways for the first 21 days then whole straws for 21 days then bulls in. This year I plan to carry on AI to blue triple impact even after the bulls are in but my enthusiasm may have waned by this point so the bulls may not gave back up every day.

I started on Monday and have served 64 in 4 days.

 

[lazy farmer]

we serve dairy for 4 weeks angus for the following 6 weeks then stop. tail paint and teaser bulls job done. we have 59 % hold to first service but our empty rate is too high at 14%

 

[sidjon]

we serve dairy for 4 weeks angus for the following 6 weeks then stop. tail paint and teaser bulls job done. we have 59 % hold to first service but our empty rate is too high at 14%

Why is it so high Chris? Do you feel incalf rate is a bit low? So get higher MT rate?

 

[mr grumpy]

How do all you spring calvers work with the vet, as in checking clean cows and what do you do as in PDing, do you PD as soon as they are 35day or after. Or do you PD a big amount in one go.
Sorry if a stupid question , but sometimes I'm a stupid person

 

[sidjon]

I personally keep the vets visits to a very minimal, I check for dirty cows and pd in one hit 8 week after bulls have been removed,

 

[lazy farmer]

Why is it so high Chris? Do you feel incalf rate is a bit low? So get higher MT rate?

its a good question, most years we have a very good first 2 cycles of AI(this season we had calved 89% in 5 weeks) then it falls away very quickly.

mr grumpy -we have the vet in once to check cows who either didn't cleanse or had a hard calving. we then check these ourselves 2 weeks later to ensure they are cleaning up well. and like sidjon we PD 8 weeks after the end of service. It terms of getting pregnancies p d ing at 35 days adds nothing

 

[bovine]

Discovering that what you are doing early is not generating pregnancies can be very worthwhile. Scanning 6 weeks in will let you see if the first 2 weeks cows are pregnant. If not then there is still time to do something about it. It is also time to do something about anything (hopefully very few) not yet served.

Scanning after you have finished bulling means you either congratulate yourself or get very sad.

 

[chaffcutter]

Best system I ever saw when we were milking was a 300 cow herd (big back then) . On day one he started AI on the milkers and turned Bulls in with two groups of heifers ( out at grass) , after 6 wks stopped AI and moved the Bulls in with the milkers. Herd all dried off together, day one of calving (outside) onwards calves dropped like rain, first 300 was the herd for the year, everything calving after went through the dairy ring, he had a brilliant reputation for these cattle because the buyers knew they were genuine and merely out of calving pattern.

 

[jimmer]

Keep serving if you need numbers, I have had cows hold after 15+ services whilst still giving a decent quantity of milk, no problems at all calving and then get in calf pre 100 days the following lactation. If you have enough then only breed from your most fertile i.e 1-2-3 services for replacements 4-5-6 beef, cull after that. I am probably a bit soft and stubborn and keep trying with the old girls, they've worked hard for you sometimes they deserve a bit of compassion back!

bid me on em

 

[multi power]

Well just been on a arla sustainably talk thingy and was told not to stop serving, even if you get up to 200 days in milk just keep going I kinda agree to a certain extent, as long as I ain't £30 a pop going in the cow

still serving at 200 days isnt going to suit calving pattern