Investigating Underperformance DAIRY

Question 1

6 specific eg of investigating underperformance

Answer 1

• replacement heifer rearing
• calving
• care of the young calf
• fertility
• culling
• low milk yields

Question 2

What are KPIs?

Answer 2

Key Performance Indicators

- don’t rely purely on these at expense of all other factors

Question 3

Where must frozen semen be kept to improve fertility rates?

Answer 3

• keep below the frost line in the liquid nitrogen bucket

Question 4

What age, weight and height should a heifer be served and calve at?

Answer 4

• 15mo serve
• 24mo calving (AIM)
  @ service
• weight 375kg
• height 132cm (withers)
  > very few farms actually measure this!

Question 5

Growth rate to achieve optimal weight at service?

Answer 5

• 0.7kg/day

- live weight gain differs throughout lifecycle

Question 6

How can calving be scored? Targets?

Answer 6

0 no hand touches calf
1 hand touches but no rope
2 rope used gentle pull 
3 rope used and hard  pull 
4 c-sec 
AIM: score 3 and 4

Question 7

How can birth rate be measured? Targets?

Answer 7

> Live Birth Rate
- % calves born alive and survive for 24hrs
97% cow
92% heifer

Question 8

How should records be analysed?

Answer 8

• heifers
• bull /sire (breed)
• sex of calf (bulls bigger)
• by operator

Question 9

Advice for farmers

Answer 9

• routine calvings
• hygiene (calving ropes, wash and leave to dry don’t leave soaking)
• use of calving jack
• don’t be afraid to wait (for normal calvings, not for vet!)
• cow wait 1hr, 1.5hrs heifer

Question 10

What needs to be done at birth of calf.

Answer 10

• immediately dip naval (7% iodine and totally immerse, not purple spray)
• repeat @ 24hrs

Question 11

How much colostrum needed?

Answer 11

• 6l first 12hrs
  > 2l within 1hr, 2l 6hrs, 2l next 6hrs
• absorption better in presence of dam! (or consumed from dam)
• colostrum full of bacteria, not pasteurised milk! (keep it cool fridge 24hrs or freeze with high surface area to volume ratio, thaw warm water quickly)

Question 12

How can colostrum programme efficacy be measured?

Answer 12

> Serum total protein (lab) >55g/l
- blood sample 2-7d old 
- clotted red top tube for serum 
> Sinc sulphate turbidity test (VLA) 
- send to lab or use refractometer

Question 13

How do you prepare CMR properly?

Answer 13

• read instructions
• hygiene
• 12.5% or 15% concentration

Question 14

How should concentrate and weaning be related?

Answer 14

Should be eating 1kg concentrates before weaning

- do not wean to starve into eating solids

Question 15

Calf diarrhoea - best tx?

Answer 15

• don’t go for bug and drug

- environment and management important

Question 16

How can fertility be assessed?

Answer 16

• frequently calculated by software: make sure you know how they are calculated

Question 17

Look at lecture for KPI and values (targets)

Answer 17

• 120d in calf rate >64% target

* 210d not in calf rate

Question 18

How is culling measured?

Answer 18

• longevity
• no lactations before leaving the herd
• ~3 lactations commonly

Question 19

What is the biggest loss to the dairy farm?

Answer 19

Heifer leaving the herd before its first lactation

Question 20

How should culling reasons be recorded?

Answer 20

Multiple reasons allowed - give percentage of each importance.

• reason
• age/lactations
• days in milk

Question 21

What should be compared with milk yield?

Answer 21

• compare against expectation

- always consider with Fat% and Protein%

Question 22

What causes v milk fat?

Answer 22

SARA

- won’t always be seen in bulk tank if subset affected

Question 23

What causes v protein?

Answer 23

long term energy deficiency (v food intake as well as v energy diet itself)

Question 24

How can feed be measured? Potential pitfalls?

Answer 24

• not divided equally
• what is actually being fed? eaten?
• storage of feedstuffs
• trough space
• palatable
• silage face management (electric fences)
• is food heating when fed (unpalatable, anaerobic respiration of silage)