Livestock Matters - Autumn 2019

Livestock Matters Autumn 2019 18 Suckler breeding Heifer management For several years now, vet David McCrea has routinely been synchronising autumn calving heifers to aid their management for John Wigham who farms with his father Richard, and brother Steven, at Hargill House near Haltwhistle. The 200-cow suckler herd is made up of Limousin and Belgian Blue crosses, and pedigree Limousins. The herd calves through most of the year – starting early February and continuing into December, with a peak of calvings in the spring, and again in the autumn. John explains: “We’ll have around 40 heifers each year. Those to calve in the spring are summered away from the farm so they are run with a bull and served naturally. We use a home bred Limousin, sired by a bull which is noted for its easy calving, as we want to minimise assisted calvings. “However, we want the autumn-calving heifers to calve over a short period of time so we can batch them up and run them as a separate mob from the rest of the herd. So David will synchronise them, and I’ll AI them, and then they all calve down within about 12 days of each other.” He adds: “Our heifers need to be bred to an easy-calving bull. Some will be kept as replacements, so using AI means we can introduce different bloodlines into the herd and we also hope to breed some pedigree bulls.” DIY AI courses A number of XLVets practices regularly run FarmSkills DIY AI courses, which last between 3 and 4 days. These include theory and hands-on practical workshops in small groups. A list of some of the courses running can be found on the facing page, but for the most up-to-date list of options, visit www.farmskills.co.uk . For beef farmers and students in England, there is AHDB funding available giving 50% off the cost of a course. Courses must be booked by March 2020. Further details on the terms and conditions of the funding can be found on the FarmSkills website, or by calling 01228 711788. John Wigham John Wigham likes the convenience of carrying out his own AI DIY AI John has been carrying out his own AI on the herd for several years now, after attending a FarmSkills DIY AI course run by Capontree Vets. John explains: “I like the convenience of doing the inseminations myself, I don’t have to organise anyone else, or wait around for a technician to arrive.” John will also AI 20-30 cows towards the end of each year. “I’ll AI them with Limousin semen – mainly purchased from a semen company, but some sourced privately. Bulls with a short gestation and high growth rates are the priority.” As they are all inside, it is easy for John to watch for their heats and then pull them out for AI. Any not seen bulling by December will be put onto a synchronisation programme by David. “We already keep 5 bulls, and if I didn’t use AI, then I’d need another one,” explains John. “Bulls are expensive to buy, can take time to acclimatise on a farm, and then you can’t guarantee they’ll stay fit. They do, however, do all the heat detection for you, whereas with AI, you must put the time in yourself.” David adds: “The results we are getting from the synchronisation programme followed by John’s AI, are an average 65% cows pregnant and 84% heifers pregnant to 1st service. This is comparable to natural service although variations are seen year on year.”