Lectures 1-2 Flashcards
The profitable operation of a dairy farm is influenced by what?
Reproductive efficiency of lactating cows
What is reproductive efficiency a result of?
- Days that a cow spends in the most efficient time of the lactation curve
- Cull rate due to reproductive failure
What should a breeding program integrate in order to optimize reproductive performance?
Theriogenology and herd health/preventative medicine
What four reproductive indices determine the reproductive efficiency of a dairy herd?
Voluntary waiting period
Estrus detection rate
Conception rate
Pregnancy loss
What is pregnancy rate?
Number of cows pregnant
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Why do you need a voluntary waiting period?
- To allow for uterine involution and
2. Early onset of ovarian cyclicity
When does lactation peak?
1-2 months post calving
What is so challenging to the cow during lactation?
She drastically decreases her dry matter intake around calving and has to rely on her body energy stores to produce milk
What is the main difference between beef and dairy cattle
Dairy cattle have been selected to produce mass amounts of milk while beef cattle have not
What must happen for the cow to get pregnant again after calving
Needs to have involution of uterus and return to cyclicity
What must happen for the cow to resume cyclicity
She must get past the lowest point in NEB
Who else experiences negative energy balance after giving birth
Elephant seals and baleen (blue) whales
What have dairy cows been aggressively selected for
Efficient milk production (~6.5% body weight)
After the negative energy balances passes, what must cow do?
What does this cause?
Eat a lot in order to continue producing milk
Causes increased steroid metabolism
What does increased steroid metabolism result in?
Decreased estradiol and progesterone results in:
- decreased estrus behavior
- increased size of ovulatory follicle
- increased double ovulation
- decreased embryonic development
- decreased pregnancy rate
- increased pregnancy loss
What are the jobs of the vet in regards to breeding management
- Proactively work with groups of cows that are likely to get pregnant
- reduce potential for “lost opportunity”
- speed up establishment of pregnancy
- increase AI submission rate and pregnancy rate
Why work with AI instead of bulls?
There is little genetic variability among the bulls used for breeding nowadays
What is AI submission rate
Number of cows inseminated/ number of cows eligible to receive AI
In a 21 day period (length of cow estrus cycle)
What cows are eligible to receive AI
Cows that are not pregnant and have involuted their uterus already and have resumed cyclicity
What is pregnancy per AI
Number of cows pregnant/ number of cows inseminated
What is pregnancy rate?
Number of cows pregnant/ number of cows eligible to become pregnant
In a 21 day period
What is the most important parameter used for evaluation of reproductive performance
Pregnancy rate!!
What is pregnancy loss
Number of cows not pregnant/ number of cows diagnosed pregnant
What is the objective for producers regardless of strategy type
Maximum profit
How does reproductive strategies affect culling policies and profitability
- Good repro strategies means less culling due to repro problems which means more culling slots available for genetic/disease problems
- Less culling means you don’t have to buy lots of replacement heifers
- will have more “veteran” heifers going into second lactation which is more profitable
What is IOFC
Income over feed cost
Amount of money made from selling milk produced by that cow/ cost of feeding that cow
When is IOFC the most?
Early lactation- first 100 days
As lactation continues, profit margin decreases