BDGP breeding guide

Established Experts in Bovine Genetics

A.I. IN SUCKLERS MADE EASY

BREEDING PROFITABLE REPLACEMENTS BDGP BREEDING ADVICE

Sire Selection for: Male & Female Replacement Strategy Requirements of the BDGP scheme

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Calving details Surveys Genotyping Replacement strategy males/ Replacement strategy females Carbon Navigator Training

Male Replacement strategy for commercial herds ■ Males can be 4 or 5 star in either Replacement or Terminal Index within or across breed.

■A fter 30th Jun 2016 (80% of A.I. bulls used must be 4 or 5 star within or across breed).

■3 0th Jun 2019 (where using a stock bull, at least one in the herd must have been genotyped 4 or 5 star).

■3 0th Jun 2020 (where using a stock bull, at least one in the herd must have been genotyped 4 or 5 star).

Female Replacement strategy for commercial herds ■ For females to meet the criteria they must be, 16 months old and 4 or 5 stars on the Replacement Index across breed at the time of purchase (for heifers brought into the herd) or at the time of genotyping (for those replacements bred within the herd).

■ T he number of eligible heifers/suckler cows meeting these criteria must be: ■ 20% of the number of the applicant’s reference animals on 31st October 2018 ■ And 50% of the number of the applicant’s reference animals on 31st October 2020 E.g. a farmer with 20 calved suckler cows in 2014 must have 4 females meeting these criteria by 31st October 2018 and 10 females meeting these criteria by 31st October 2020.

For a heifer to be 16 months by 31st Oct 2018, she must be born prior to 30th June 2017; her dam must be bred prior to 18th September 2016.

For a heifer to be 16 months by 31st Oct 2020, she must to be born prior to 30th June 2019; her dam must be bred prior to 18/9/2018.

1

How to meet the criteria: Female Replacement Strategy in commercial herds.

You will have received your ‘BDGP Euro-star Report’ in the post from ICBF where the number of Females you require to fulfil the criteria are outlined. These numbers will be made up from: 1. Current females on the farm 2. Pregnancies already on the farm 3. Purchased genotyped females In addition to the above 1-3 1. A.I. prior to 18/9/2016 for the 2018 requirement for Females born prior to 30/6/17.

2. A.I. prior to 18/9/18 for the 2020 requirement for females born prior to 30/6/2019.

How to maximise the number of 4/5 star genotyped replacements from A.I. 1. Establish how many 4/5 star replacement heifers you need from your ‘BDGP Euro star Report’.

2. Breed for more than you need. If you need 7, breed for 10; cows have low reliability, are not yet genotyped. 50% of calves will be males. To get 7 heifers qualifying you will need 20 pregnancies. If you have surplus there will be a good market for them.

3. Mate your highest Replacement Index cows to a team of selected A.I. bulls.

4. Aim for a higher Replacement Index than the target of €74. The maths would suggest that you should aim for €102.5 to ensure that you have an increased chance of meeting the €74 target post genotyping.

Target Replacement Index after Genotyping Sample Cow stars Sample Cow Index Minimum Bull Index* Simple Parent average-Replacement Index ‘Target Replacement Index

€74

* 10 195 102.5

** 40 165 102.5

*** 60 145 102.5

**** 80 125 102.5

***** 100 105 102.5

74

74

74

74

74

*The minimum bull index with a reliability of 85% when mated to the cow will, on average, produce a calf who,after genotyping, has a 70% chance of having an index value of greater than €74

5. Select a team of bulls and try to reach 85% reliability on the sire side as the dam reliability is low.

No of bulls 1 2 3 4 5

Individual bull reliability 85% 70% 55% 40% 30%

Team reliability 85% 85% 85% 85% 86% Established Experts in

If 2 bulls at 70% reliability are used equally that is the equivalent of using one bull at 85% reliability, if 3 bulls at 55% reliability are used equally that is the equivalent of using one bull at 85% reliability.

■ Vary the number of bulls on your team according to the reliability of the individual bulls; the greater the number of bulls on the team, the greater the team reliability.

■ Use low reliability bulls with caution.

■ High reliability A.I. bulls are the safest choice 2

Bovine Genetics

3

Tomschoice Imperial

Ivoire

Tomschoice Ironstone

Available in the tank

Available in the tank

Available in the tank

LM2116

OEO

LM2117

OZS

XGL

LM2191

VDT

LM2190

OKH

NLO

ZAG

ZCH

ONI

Code (€) 142

74

82

82

92

92

102

109

113

119

128

132

9

7

12

83

15

22

76

14

29

74

37

30

85

(%)

Replacement Index 151

Stars Within 4

4

4

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Stars Across 4

4

4

4

4

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Cow Traits -23

-19

-28

20

29

-32

22

1

34

31

46

48

52

(€)

Progeny Traits 97

100

110

73

63

134

86

111

85

97

86

93

99

(€)

Calving Difficulty 2.05

3.2

2.05

6

8

4.9

5.3

7.4

4.6

5.7

4.8

4.7

5.5

(%)

Rel 29

23

46

99

62

50

91

45

39

88

91

34

97

(%)

Docility n/a

n/a

n/a

-0.04

n/a

n/a

-0.14

n/a

0.08

-0.06

0.08

0.01

0

(1-5)

Rel 0%

0%

0%

98

0%

0%

86

0

57

82

57

44

94

(%)

Daughter Milk -4.9

-2.9

-4.8

2.2

5.5

-1.9

-0.4

0.5

1.2

0.5

-1

1.5

4.9

(kgs)

Rel 9

10

10

85

15

35

77

22

30

83

30

33

89

(%)

(€)

Terminal Index 132

144

152

113

104

199

129

175

126

145

128

140

150

15

13

21

95

27

35

86

27

32

81

49

34

91

(%)

Rel

On-Dit ONI Castleview Gazelle ZAG

Keltic Handsome OKH

Ozeus OZS

(6 of the top 10 Commercially priced bulls; < €14) (Active bull list Sept 15)

MUN/PG HAVE 7 OF THE TOP 10 LIMOUSIN BULLS AVAILABLE ON THE ACTIVE BULL LIST ON REPLACEMENT INDEX

Carrowreagh Honduras ZCH

The minimum cow Replacement Index is the minimum required to achieve the recommended calf index of 74 assuming a bull team reliability of 85%

Glorieux

Ozeus

Available in the tank

Available in the tank

Brookmill Vindicator (Et)

Cameos

Pre-order

Pre-order

Keltic Handsome

Day

Available in the tank

Nelson

Pre-order

Pre-order

Carrowreagh Honduras

Castleview Gazelle

Available in the tank

Available in the tank

On-Dit

Name

Pre-order

Standard Price Premium Price Elite Price

Rel

REPLACEMENT LIMOUSIN BULLS

Stars Within 5

5

5

3

2

5

5

5

4

5

5

5

5

Stars Across 5

5

5

4

3

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Mate to a cow with a minimum Replacement Index of

131

123

123

113

113

103

96

92

86

77

73

63

54

Data: ICBF AUG '15. Within breed stars are only relevant for pedigree registered cattle

KEZ

AHC

SCO

(%)

Replacement Index (€) 130

88

88

102

107

113

113

27

15

56

92

80

90

32

88

Rel

131

3

3

4

4

4

4

5

5

Stars Across 4

4

5

5

5

5

5

5

(€)

Cow Traits 55

67

56

99

89

98

55

102

Progeny Traits 33

21

46

8

24

15

75

29

(€)

Calving Difficulty 5.5

9

5.5

4

3.1

6.1

4.8

5

(%)

Rel 94

42

88

94

82

93

38

91

(%)

-0.03

0.07

-0.06

0.05

0.06

-0.07

27

28

83

94

80

92

46

89

0.17 0.09

(%)

Docility (1-5)

8.5

12

12.5

14.5

18.4

13.1

9.3

9.4

(kgs)

Rel 10

10

36

97

89

96

33

92

(%)

Terminal Index 52

45

72

10

30

30

110

44

(€)

43

19

81

91

87

91

35

90

(%)

Rel

Available in the tank

HE

VUL SCO DPS

Suir Con

Dorepoll Transatlantic

S1363

PT2201

Code

Vulain

Bourvil

Aioli

Name

(%)

Replacement Index (€) 95

123

113

116

59

80

61

28

25

Rel

139

Stars Within 5

4

5

4

5

5

5

5

4

5

117

89

29

-12

24

(€)

(€)

Progeny Traits 6

24

88

108

114

Calving Difficulty 10

3.1

7.3

2.6

5.8

(%)

Rel 99

82

93

55

37

(%)

0.15

0.06

0.08

75

80

74

27

40 -0.04

(%)

(1-5)

0.01

Docility

(kgs)

11.57

18.4

2.02

0.3

3.6

1

1

2

1

1

1

4

1

117

117

103

98

92

92

75

74

(6 of the top 10 commercially priced bulls; <€14) (Active bull list Sept 15)

2

1

4

1

1

1

5

1

MUN/PG HAVE 6 OF THE TOP 10 SIMMENTAL BULLS AVAILABLE ON THE ACTIVE BULL LIST

29

89

59

40

27

(%)

(€)

47

30

135

149

170

89

87

86

46

31

(%)

The minimum cow Replacement Index is the minimum required to achieve the recommended calf index of 74 assuming a bull team reliability of 85%

Pre-order

Pre-order

PT

PT

Pre-order

PT

Standard Price Premium Price Elite Price

Stars Across

REPLACEMENT BULLS - OTHER BREEDS Cow Traits

Anatrim Bodybuilder AYX

Rel

Auroch Deuter PP AHC

Terminal Index

Keeldrum Capone 11 KEZ

Rel

Curaheen Earp SI2152

The minimum cow Replacement Index is the minimum required to achieve the recommended calf index of 74 assuming a bull team reliability of 85%

Keeldrum Capone 11

Available in the tank

AYX

Anatrim Bodybuilder

Auroch Deuter PP

Pre-order

Available in the tank

OLT

Suir Con

Oakland Robert

Pre-order

Pre-order

SI2152 SKB

Curaheen Earp

Seabank Blanco

Available in the tank

DBO

Code

Pre-order

Drumneil Bolero

Name

Pre-order

Standard Price Premium Price Elite Price

Stars Within

REPLACEMENT SIMMENTAL BULLS

Rel Rel

Stars Within 4

1

2

4

5

Stars Within

Daughter Milk Daughter Milk

Stars Across 1

1

5

5

5

Stars Across

92

Data: ICBF AUG '15. Within breed stars are only relevant for pedigree registered cattle Data: ICBF AUG '15. Within breed stars are only relevant for pedigree registered cattle

Mate to a cow with a minimum Replacement Index of Mate to a cow with a minimum Replacement Index of

4

SA2200

Druide

Corlurgan Ourson

Pre-order

Available in the tank

OUR

ZLA

(€)

99

121

143

148

170

88

21

81

47

95

24

(%)

Replacement Index 201

Stars Within 1

2

3

3

5

5

Stars Across 5

5

5

5

5

5

(€)

Cow Traits 32

16

59

85

88

115

67

105

84

64

82

85

(€)

2.9

2.9

5

2.7

2.4

2

(%)

96

47

96

86

99

31

(%)

-0.23

-0.2

n/a

-0.19 94

0%

95

63

99

39

-0.11

(%)

Docility

0

Rel

(1-5)

Daughter Milk 4.79

-0.6

4.8

10.4

6.4

7.83

(kgs)

Rel 91

29

88

37

98

24

(%)

(€)

Terminal Index 92

147

124

86

109

117

91

34

93

64

95

30

(%)

Rel

Garry Leader 4th

Coolvin Dominator

Pre-order

Pre-order

SH2181

GYL

MCK

PZT

SH2202

ALO

Code

92

93

103

128

135

26

56

92

24

19

95

(%)

(€) 157

2

2

2

4

5

5

4

4

5

5

5

5

(€)

75

83

100

105

100

138

17

10

2

23

35

20

(€)

4.1

3.4

4.3

3.4

2.8

2

(%)

34

61

95

66

70

98

(%)

5

3

5

5

2

5

4

3

5

5

2

4

4

106

84

62

57

35

(4 of the top 6 commercially priced bulls; < €14) (Active bull list Sept 15)

0.04

0.11

0.01

-0.03

28

54

94

36

38

98 0.04

(%)

(1-5)

Docility

0.09

Rel

10.09

7.9

16.5

9.1

8.72

7.9

(kgs)

25

70

97

4

1

99

(%)

22

10

3

28

43

14

(€)

4

2

1

4

5

3

(%) 1

1

1

1

1

1

93

28

64

90

42

31

(6 of the top 10 commercially priced bulls; <€14) (Active bull list Sept 15)

48 77

70

113

112

102

MUN/PG HAVE 6 OF THE TOP 10 SHORTHORN BULLS AVAILABLE ON THE ACTIVE BULL LIST

The minimum cow Replacement Index is the minimum required to achieve the recommended calf index of 74 assuming a bull team reliability of 85%

* semen limited

Paintearth Rama 53u (P)

Moydrumcastle King

Pre-order

Sprys Patent Ace

Pre-order

Pre-order

Annaly Leo

Name

Pre-order

Standard Price Premium Price Elite Price

Replacement Index

REPLACEMENT SHORTHORN BULLS

Rel

SHORTHORN

Stars Across

SALERS

Stars Within

MUN/PG HAVE 4 OF THE TOP 6 SALERS BULLS AVAILABLE ON THE ACTIVE BULL LIST

Daughter Milk

Paintearth Rama 53u (P) PZT

Rel

Coolvin Dominator SH2181

Cow Traits

Lataster Ivan ZLA

Terminal Index

Rio RIO

Rel

Highfield Odran SA2153

The minimum cow Replacement Index is the minimum required to achieve the recommended calf index of 74 assuming a bull team reliability of 85%

* semen limited

LZR

Lataster Ivan

Lataster Eric

Available in the tank

Available in the tank

RIO

Rio*

Pre-order

SA2153

Code

Highfield Odran

Name

Available in the tank

Standard Price Premium Price Elite Price Rel

REPLACEMENT SALERS BULLS Progeny Traits Progeny Traits

Stars Within Stars Within

Calving Difficulty Calving Difficulty

Stars Across Stars Across

Rel Rel

Mate to a cow with a minimum Replacement Index of Mate to a cow with a minimum Replacement Index of

5

Data: ICBF AUG '15. Within breed stars are only relevant for pedigree registered cattle

6

Hf Rebel 53y

Pre-Order

ZHF

GJB

ZTP

KYA

RGZ

AA2123

(€) 138

93

102

108

123

124

124

129

4

68

50

66

55

10

15

58

37

(%)

Replacement Index 169

Stars Within 3

4

4

5

5

5

5

5

5

Stars Across 4

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

(€)

Cow Traits 61

75

110

77

85

74

87

83

118

Progeny Traits 32

28

-2

47

39

50

42

55

50

(€)

Calving Difficulty 2

3.5

1

0.9

2.5

1.5

1.5

1.9

3.9

(%)

Rel 38

99

93

99

99

17

26

80

97

(%)

Docility n/a

-0.03

0.05

-0.16

-0.05

n/a

0.01

-0.04

0

(1-5)

Rel 0%

79

35

81

77

0%

27

56

60

(%)

Daughter Milk 7.3

8.3

7.2

6

10.7

7.8

7.8

14.1

21.5

(kgs)

Rel 0

40

30

33

17

9

18

54

17

(%)

Terminal Index 61

64

7

79

78

90

81

97

98

(€)

11

93

75

92

89

14

19

74

55

(%)

Rel

Balmachie Rannai D005 RZI

Tubridmore Gizmo E.T. (Et) RGZ

Goulding Jumbo King K436 Et GJB

Stars Within

2

2

1

2

2

3

2

3

3

Stars Across

Christon Elton P623 AA2123

3

3

1

5

5

5

5

5

5

112

103

97

82

81

81

76

67

36

Mate to a cow with a minimum Replacement Index of

5 of the top 10 commercially priced bulls; <€14 (Active bull list Sept 15)

MUN/PG HAVE 5 OF THE TOP 10 ANGUS BULLS AVAILABLE ON THE ACTIVE BULL LIST

Friarstown Ideal Pete K202 Et FPI

The minimum cow Replacement Index is the minimum required to achieve the recommended calf index of 74 assuming a bull team reliability of 85%

Tubridmore Pride K415

Goulding Jumbo King K436 Et

Available in the tank

Available in the tank

Tubridmore Gizmo E.T. (Et)

Cornamuckla Lord Hardy K222

Available in the tank

Available in the tank

Christon Elton P623

Available in the tank

AA2025

RZI

Balmachie Rannai D005

Steil Knockranny 248

Pre-Order

Available in the tank

FPI

Friarstown Ideal Pete K202 Et

Available in the tank

Code

Name

Standard Price Premium Price Elite Price

Rel

REPLACEMENT ANGUS BULLS Data: ICBF AUG '15. Within breed stars are only relevant for pedigree registered cattle

7

Artois

Pre-order

CH2199

GEZ

TZL

LIR

HHJ

SNZ

CF43

VMO

TZW

CH2204

Code

80

85

87

88

89

91

95

111

111

112

30

21

19

52

91

10

47

96

39

40

29

(%)

Replacement Index 145

Rel

(€) 5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Stars Across 4

4

4

4

4

4

4

5

5

5

Cow Traits -41

-2

5

0

10

22

-23

35

14

37

60

(€)

Progeny Traits 121

86

82

89

78

69

118

77

98

75

85

(€)

Calving Difficulty 1.4

5.8

7

4.4

7.8

8.9

6.1

3.9

3.7

6.6

7.3

(%)

Rel 51

59

78

76

96

22

66

99

67

64

53

(%)

Docility n/a

0.26

n/a

0.09

0.14

0.03

-0.07

0.02

0.05

(1-5)

Rel 0%

43

o

56

94

42

98

17

46

(%)

Daughter Milk -0.82

-0.3

5.6

5.1

1.2

7

-0.9

1.8

3.2

10.1

12.3

(kgs)

Rel 64

5

17

74

93

20

72

98

59

63

61

(%)

Terminal Index 166

129

127

127

124

116

176

109

140

118

134

(€)

44

36

35

65

91

16

60

94

56

55

40

(%)

Rel

Doonally Donald CF43

Vittoz CH2204

Tanzanien TZW

Voimo VMO

5

Stars Within 5

5

5

5

4

3

5

3

5

4

5

5

5

5

5

4

5

4

5

4

5

Stars Across

(8 of the top 10 commercially priced bulls; < €14)) (Active bull list Sept 15)

MUN/PG HAVE 10 OF THE TOP 10 CHAROLAIS BULLS AVAILABLE ON THE ACTIVE BULL LIST

Heracles HHJ

The minimum cow Replacement Index is the minimum required to achieve the recommended calf index of 74 assuming a bull team reliability of 85%

* semen limited

Gedeon

Alwent Goldbar (Et)

Available in the tank

Pre-order

Loisir*

Trezegoal

Pre-order

Heracles

Available in the tank

Pre-order

Doonally Donald*

Sylvaner

Pre-order

Voimo

Pre-order

Pre-order

Vittoz

Tanzanien

Pre-order

Pre-order

Name

Standard Price Premium Price Elite Price

Stars Within

REPLACEMENT CHAROLAIS BULLS

60

Mate to a cow with a minimum Replacement Index of

125

120

118

117

116

114

110

94

94

93

Data: ICBF AUG '15. Within breed stars are only relevant for pedigree registered cattle

Heat detection in suckler cows In suckler cows we need aids for heat detection, reliance on observation alone will not yield a good result; a high proportion of heats will be missed.

The factors affecting the expression of heat in sucklers is determined by the size of the sexually active group and the under -foot conditions. If the number of the group is small there will be less activity making it harder to pick up heats; a vasectomised bull is invaluable in this situation. If under -foot conditions are slippery, as is often the case on slats, activity will be reduced.

Heat detection aids for suckler cows Vasectomised Bull

A vasectomised bull fitted with a chin ball is the best method of heat detection for suckler cows. He will not miss any cows and will work 24/7. When fitted with a chinball, he will mark every cow he mates, this will allow you to pick up heats when you are feeding the cows.

The bull needs to be well grown and ideally similar in size or taller than the females to be detected, this is especially important indoors (FIG 4).

Vasectomise the bull a minimum of eight weeks prior to he being required.

Always fit him with a nose ring to allow easy application of the chinball (fig 2).

FIG2

Take good care of your vasectomised bull; he is a valuable asset on the farm. Ensure young bulls are well fed. Avoid situations where the vasectomised bull may get hurt e.g. if you have a number of synchronised cows inside, remove the bull overnight when they are on heat.

Chinball paint is the only paint that should be used in the chinball. Prior to filling the chinball, shake the paint vigorously as it has a heavy oil base. It is important to secure the plug properly after each paint fill to prevent leaking. A fill of the chinball should last 15-20 heats depending on the bull.

The best chinball device is the one shown (FIGS 1,2 & 3). It is important, especially in young bulls, to pad the area around the back of the neck (fig 3) and around the nose band.

Put the chinball on at least one week prior to the breeding season, without paint; this allows the bull to get used to the device and avoids wastage of paint. Fill the chinball with paint at the start of the breeding season.

FIG3

Ensure the chinball is snugly fitted to the bull as shown. The leather straps are likely to stretch, adjust them regularly especially in the first month of use.

Watch carefully to make sure that the bull marks the backs of the cows he mates (figs 5 & 6). Other marks will appear on the sides of the cow, these are â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;courting marksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and they will alert you to the fact that the cow is coming on heat. One mistake that is often made is inseminating cows on the courting marks. If only a few cows are coming on heat, the bull will court a cow upto 48 hours before she will stand to be mounted, this results in cows being inseminated 24-48 hours earlier than the optimum time.

FIG4

Depending on the colour of the cows, experiment with different colours of paint to establish which colour is easiest to see on your cows (FIG 7).

Good lighting in the shed is important to pick up the marks easily.

FIG5

FIG6

8

FIG7

Tail Paint

Scratch cards

Tail paint works reasonably well in suckler cows. However, it needs to be topped up as often as is necessary; twice a week is sufficient in most cases.

If cows are very dirty indoors tail paint needs to be renewed more regularly.

Clipping the tails will reduce the amount of dung on the rump area.

Scratch cards are an excellent method of heat detection in both cows and heifers. The newer scratch cards ‘estrus detect’ are superior to previous scratch cards. They come in a roll of 100 with a can of ‘scotch weld glue’(fig. 1). Hair is needed for the glue to stick the scratch card, do not clip the hair, as is the practice when using tail paint and crayons.

On a dry day when the cows and heifers are dry, brush off any loose hair, dirt or dust from the rump area with a brush or comb. Spray the area of the rump where the card is to be applied (fig 2), tear off the number of cards from the roll that you need and spray the back of the cards with the glue (fig 3).

Patience is required now; wait until the glue on the card is gone tacky before you put it on the rump.

When it is gone tacky it will stick to your glove (fig 4); in warmer days it will go tacky quicker.

Apply the card to the sprayed area and rub it in well especially around the edges (fig 6).

When the cow or heifer is on heat the silver will get scratched off and reveal the colour of the card underneath e.g. In fig. 7 the card was red.

You can also get yellow and green cards. If there is a lot of activity, all the colour will get scratched off and you will have a white card left.

Renew the scratch cards as often as necessary usually if properly applied they will last 2-3 weeks.

Renew them each time the day after the animal was in heat. You can apply the new one on top of the old one if the old one is still in place.

Overall scratch cards work exceptionally well in both cows and heifers especially when they are outdoors. If the animals are dirty indoors you may get a layer of dung on the cards preventing them being scratched. In this scenario, crayons or a vasectomised bull work better.

Tail paint is applied on a 9 inch by 2 inch strip on the rump. Clipping of the rump prior to paint application allows the paint to be rubbed off easier and avoids a build-up of paint. The paint can be purchased in half gallon containers and applied with a paint brush, paint roller or a glove.

Tail paint can also be purchased in 1 litre squeezable containers with a brush at the top, herd owners find these very convenient. Spray on paint is also available, some herd owners find this product very convenient and effective.

Different colours are available in all paint systems, use a very bright even a fluorescent colour. You can use these colours to great effect, e.g. if all cows are initially painted yellow, and any cow served is then painted blue, instantly you know the cows painted yellow have not yet been served.

Tail paint is not as effective in maiden heifers as it is in cows, mainly because they are not heavy enough to rub it off, spray or crayons work better on heifers. Painting a little further down the tail of maiden heifers helps detection.

Crayons

Crayons work on the same principle as tail paint and are very convenient to use.

However, the crayons rub off easier than tail paint, this makes them extremely useful for maiden heifers. Herd owners also find them very convenient to apply; this can be done when cows/ heifers are feeding.

They come in boxes of 12 and in different colours.

FIG 1

FIG 2

FIG 3

FIG 4

FIG 5

FIG 6

FIG 7

The tip of the crayon can form a film over it, this must be removed prior to rubbing the crayon on the cows. The easiest way to do this is by rubbing the crayon on a wall, to get rid of the film.

Rub on the crayon to the rump in an area 9 inches by 1 inch.

For maiden heifers come a little further down the tail Top up the crayon weekly.

9

Maiden Heifers

Oestrous Synchronisation and Fixed timed AI in suckler cows

Nationally only 15% of maiden heifers calve at 2 years of age.

Recommended weights for beef heifers if calving at 2 years of age 60-65% of mature weight at 13.5-14

months 65-70% of mature weight at 15 months-time of 1st breeding 85-90% of mature weight at 24 months- time of calving

Use of synchronisation and fixed timed AI is gaining much interest abroad; practical, low labour and cost effective protocols are required.

Teagasc are doing an on-going synchronisation trial with the primary goals being to: 1. Develop a reliable protocol that relies solely on fixed timed insemination.

2. Develop a system that requires a maximum of 3 handlings.

3. Develop a system that is successful in both cycling and non -cycling cows at any stage of their cycle.

These weights ensure • A high proportion of the heifers are cycling regularly at the start of the breeding season.

• Heifers are physically well developed at calving.

• Early resumption of heat activity after calving.

Recommended target weight at 14 months of age Breed

Target (KG)

ADG birth to 14 months (Kg/day)

Angus X

370

0.77

Hereford X

370

0.77

Simmental X

400

0.85

Limousin X

420

0.88

Charolais X

430

0.90

The following protocol has achieved major success in a large scale trial with conception rates to fixed timed AI of 50% - 70%.

Low labour, Cost effective Synchronisation Protocol for cows Days

Date

Synchronisation

Ensure cows are Calved 35 days are Scanned and are in correct BCS

Synchronisation is an excellent way of increasing the number of heifers served to A.I. with minimum heat detection. There are many advantages; all the heifers are served within a short period of time, the repeats are together which facilitates heat detection and a compact group can be presented for scanning.

A.I. heifers when on heat. Will get 1/3 this week.

7th or 8th Dec.

Day 7 or 8

Inject all heifers not bred with PG, usually 2/3 of them

9th-11th or 10th - 12th 18th or 19th 20th -22st or 21st to 23rd

A.I. heifers when on heat. Majority will be on heat 48-72 hours post injection. Be extra vigilant at this time.

Day 18 or 19

Inject all heifers not bred with PG. Should be very few heifers.

A.I. heifers when on heat or 72 and 96 hours post 2nd PG injection.

Watch for all repeats

PG: Prostaglandin-*Estrumate, *Lutalyse, *Enzaprost (*POM prescription only medicines)

Insert PRID or CIDR Inject with GnRH

7

Mon 7th Oct. AM

Remove PRID/CIDR and inject PG and 400 i.u. eCG

10

Thur 10th Oct. AM A.I. and inject GnRH

1. All the cows calved 35 days are A.I.’d on one day at a predetermined time without heat detection.

2. Resumes cyclicity in all non- cycling cows.

3. Repeats are together, facilitating heat detection.

4. 3 and 6 week calving rate is much improved.

5. A compact group of cows can be presented for scanning.

6. Compact calf crop for management and sale.

Introduce a vasectomised bull or Apply scratch cards or crayons Day 1-7

Tues 1st Oct. AM

Advantages of Oestrous Synchronisation and Fixed timed AI

Cost effective Synchronisation Protocol for heifers

1st to 7th Dec.

0

PG Prostaglandin-*Estrumate, *Lutalyse, *Enzaprost. GnRH-*Receptal, *Ovarelin. eCG- *Folligon PMSG, *Synchrostim. (*POM prescription only medicines)

Ensure all the heifers: o Meet the minimum target weights outlined above. o Have a good Body condition Score (BCS), not fat. o Are on a rising plane of nutrition. o Have received all their vaccines prior to the breeding season. o Have been dosed for parasites prior to the breeding season. o Are in a socially stable group; avoid mixing heifers during the breeding season.

23rd Nov.

Procedure

10

Suckler Cow Key reproductive targets Calving Interval

365 Days

Culled annually for being empty

< %5

% Calving to weaning a calf

>95%

80% Calved in

6 weeks

Replacement Rates

16-18%

Age 1st Calving

24 months

How to achieve targets1. Cow must have an easy calving.

2. Cow must start Cycling within 55 days of calving.

3. Accurate heat detection.

4. Achieve high conception rates.

dinarily well, in addition to the cows cycling sooner, the calves are out most of the time resulting in reduced disease issues, less bedding used and heavier calves at weaning - A winner all around. i. Nutrition and BCS BCS is a measure of fat reserves on a 1-5 scale similar to the factory fat scoring system. You can assess it by feeling over the rib, over the loin and around the tail head. The higher the BCS at calving the quicker the cow will resume cycling post calving, a moderate to good BCS of 2.5+ is ideal.

Feeding after calving will not compensate for poor BCS at calving.

Partum Interval 13 Post (days)

BCS Score at calving Galway

1.75- Low

1. Easy Calving

Select proven A.I. sires Established Experts in Bovine Genetics 2. Start cycling by day 55 i. Maternal-Offspring bonding ii. Nutrition

71

2.5- Moderate 3.5- Good

FIG1 Maternal-Offspring bonding The effect of the maternal- offspring bond must be reduced to ensure that cows will resume cycling early post calving. The easiest way to do this is to separate the calves from the cows from day 30, allowing them restricted access only. For the autumn calving cows that are housed, a door in the creep area to an outside paddock can be opened to allow the calves out to grass (Fig 1). Allow them restricted access to the cows am and pm. The time to first heat will be reduced by 4 weeks. 80% of cows will exhibit a fertile heat by day 45, however about 10% will not respond.

Separation of the cow and calf is especially useful for 1st calvers and late calvers.

Herd-owners who have begun this regime find it works extraor-

59

1

15

55

ii. Achieving High Ennis Conception Rates a. Accurate heat detection. b. Experienced competent technician with high quality seThurles men.

Limerick c. Female factors-get your cow vetted.

i. Nutrition around breeding: avoid fluctuations in feed Cashel supply Tralee

ii.

Feeding after calving will not compensate for poor BCS at calving Mitchelstown

iii. Disease-talk to your vet about your herd health, Waterford get all Dungarvan Killarney Mallow vaccinations done pre breeding season

iv. Parasites-Liver Fluke and worms-talk 14 to your vet about Cork a dosing programme

v. KeepDunmanway them inBandon a socially12 stable group

vi. Mineral supplementation Clonakilty

2

4

5

10

3

11

6

7

8

9

Help your AI technician To achieve maximum conception rates the following points are worth noting 1. Proper placement of the semen is a very specific procedure and it is one of the main factors influencing success rate, it is crucial that the cow is properly restrained to maximise success. Proper restraint means that side to side and forward and backward movement are minimised.

2. The best time to inseminate a cow is when she is in standing heat and up to 12 hours later. If it is longer than 12 hours since a cow has finished standing heat, the results from AI will be reduced. Avoid delaying the insemination of cows.

3. Helping with cow restraint will greatly improve the AI results. Avoid speaking with the technician as he is inseminating the cow as this is only distracting him from a very precise procedure; speak with the technician as he is walking towards the cow and when he has the cow inseminated!

Call Centre 1850 20 20 50 Head Office 01 4502142 Kylemore Road, Bluebell, Dublin 12

www.progressivegenetics.ie AI Calls

Dairygold: 1850 500 321

Bandon: 023 - 8832828

Kerry/Clare/Galway: 1890 28 1000

Main Office: Ballyvorisheen, Mallow, Co Cork t: (022) 43228 f: (022) 31010 e: info@munsterai.ie w:www.munsterai.ie Established Experts in Bovine Genetics