Fertility talks at Cogent farmer meetings
Farmers attending the four Dairy Works meetings in October and November, which
are sponsored by Cogent, will hear a very practical talk from vet Ruth Vernon from
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health on fertility management. Fertility remains the
most significant loss, per litre, on UK dairy units. However, it is one area that does
come under the control of the team, unlike milk prices for example, which are an
external factor, over which you have little influence.
It is therefore an essential aspect of herd management to strive to do well, Ms
Vernon will stress. An interactive session led by Ms Vernon will look at the many
causes of poor conception including :
Cow mobility
AI technique
Cow condition
Vitamin and mineral status
Social groupings
She will also discuss the impact of key health issues that can have a negative effect
on fertility:
IBR
Leptospirosis
BVD
Endometritis
Endometritis alone is believed to affect approximately 10% of cows. Implementing
an At-Risk approach to identifying cows to monitor closely post-calving can deliver
significant benefits in terms of reducing disease and improving fertility.
Cows falling into any of these categories are classified as ‘at risk’.
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Twins
Dead calf (or one dying within 24h)
Dystocia or aid at calving, including induction
RFM – those retained beyond 24h after calving
Vulval discharge, particularly if >2 weeks after calving
Metabolic disorder (e.g. milk fever)
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Any other peri-parturient disease
Once the disease is diagnosed, treatment with Intervet/Schering-Plough’s intrauterine antibiotic Metricure ®has been proven to result in improved reproductive
performance compared to cows left untreated.
The Dairy Works meetings take place on the following dates:
22nd October – Willsbro Holsteins, Pawton Dairy, Devon
25th October- Harper Adams Agricultural College, Newport, Shropshire
29th October- Myerscough College, Lancashire
30th October – Barony College, Dumfries, Dumfriesshire
5th November, Greenmount Agricultural College, Antrim, Northern Ireland