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WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...
13
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
A
little under a year ago, I helped Intervet/Schering-Plough to develop the
UK's first ever National Fertility Survey run by Dairy Farmer magazine
and supported by Metricure
®
. With around 500 participating farmers
and a total of over 85,000 cows represented, the survey revealed some
interesting facts and also some widespread misconceptions.
Findings from the
UK's first National
Fertility Survey
F E R T I L I T Y S U R V E Y
Veterinary Surgeon
Mark Burnell
XLVets Practice
Synergy Farm Health,
Evershot, Dorset
The average herd size in the survey was
178, slightly above national average, and
average yield was 7,900 litres, again slightly
above the national average. From the sample,
66% were Holstein Friesian, with Friesians
being next most popular. A few crossbred
herds were represented and further studies will
investigate whether there is a link between
crossbred herds and fertility performance.
84% of the herds were year round calving,
and 96% bred their own replacements.
Measurements
Calving interval (CI), perhaps the most
common measurement of fertility performance,
was disappointing. Only 19% of participating
herds had a CI of between 365-390 days
(see Figure 1).
It is not entirely bad news however - 53% of
participating farmers said that they wanted to
improve their herd's fertility performance.
Vet intervention
Getting the vet involved regularly and setting
targets are essential steps for anyone wanting
to improve fertility. Two thirds of farms had
regular vet fertility visits - mostly monthly - but
24% of farms did not set specific fertility
targets which seemed at odds with the fact
that the majority of units wanted to improve
performance!
Year round calving herds would ideally have
the vet on the farm fortnightly, or at least every
month to assist in identifying problems that
may explain poor submission rates and give
advice on ensuring successful conceptions go
on to develop into pregnancies and the birth
of a healthy calf.
Mark Burnell
Synergy Farm Health
Figure 1: Calving intervals recorded
from National Fertility Survey
365 - 390
391 - 420
450+
Don’t know
421 - 450
Mark Burnell