The beginning of the breeding season is here and often farmers ask what protocol they should adopt for their late calvers to ensure they are calving within the first six weeks of the calving season.
However, cows needs recovery time after calving, as the voluntary waiting period is about 42 days or six weeks. This means that cows that are only recently calved will not be bred for another six weeks.
In your typical 12-week breeding season, this will only give this cow two chances of going back in calf, meaning they will still more than likely be outside the six-week window.
One option is to milk these cows once-a-day (OAD) until they are bred or until they are deemed to be in-calf, as OAD milking will reduce the demands on the cow’s energy, allowing the cow to use her energy to recover and put back on condition.
This reduced energy demand allows the cow to return to their natural reproductive cycle quicker, and will see them come bulling in a shorter space of time.
OAD also increases their chances of conception to first service due to the reduced energy demand.
Though there may be a loss of potential income through OAD, it is less than 5% of the cost of replacing cows should they not go in calf, according to Teagasc.
Another option is just breeding these late calving cows as they come bulling with no intervention and normal milking, and replace them with heifers.
However, as we know there is going to be a shortage of heifers, whatever is available is more than likely not going to be cheap.
Synchronisation of late calvers
Another option is to synchronise your late calvers to get them back in calf earlier in the season.
With a synchronisation programme, cows still need to be calved a minimum of 30 days before commencing this programme, but it will offer the farmer a great control of late calvers.
Through a synchronisation programme, submission rates will be 100% and timed artificial insemination (AI) will not require farmers to detect heats, which can prove difficult as breeding progresses.
The cost of a synchronisation programme could cost a farmer about €25-30/cow plus a vet call-out cost if needed, but the benefits of it outdo the cost.
If you get a cow back in calf on the first few days of the breeding season, then she is going to be in milk earlier the following lactation.
In spring-calving herds, where all cows are dried in December, late-calvers have lower milk production compared with a February-calved cow producing 6,500L.
- A March-calving cow produces 500L less or 8% less;
- An April-calving cow produces 900L less or 14% less;
- A May-calving cow produces 1,200L less or 20% less;
- A June-calving cow produces 1,800L less or 28% less.
If a synchronisation programme is being implemented on late calvers, it is crucial that the programme is followed precisely. Otherwise, it may not be effective or work at all if the timing of these injections are not followed.
The following synchronisation programme should be followed for late calvers:
If you are panning on using a synchronisation programme on these late calvers in the coming weeks, you should discuss it with your AI technician to make sure he is available on the planned day of insemination.
To try and avoid late calvers next year, these options are very much an option, but for cows still getting served towards the end of the breeding season, short gestation bulls should be used, as the impact late calving cows can have on milk sales has been observed.
