Using data to improve fertility on farms

Question 1

What fertility data do we need to run an analysis?

Answer 1

At a basic level:
* Aggregated” data, e.g…
◦ Total numbers of ewes bred, lambs born live
◦ Total number of piglets produced per year

Fairly crude measures, hard to judge data quality/accuracy, may be all you have!

More detailed:
* Animal ID data
* Event records, e.g…
◦ Inseminations
◦ PDs
◦ Parturition events

Question 2

What data would you use to moitor fertility in sheep? How can you collect current data?

Answer 2

A lot of sheep repro performance relies on analysing last years data:

Last season’s performance:
* Lambing %age (lambs born alive / ewes put to ram) x 100
* Target 120-200% (lowland>upland>hill)
* Weaning %age
* (lambs weaned / ewes put to ram) x 100
* Length of lambing period
* 95% should be within 2 cycles (ie 35 day period)
* Barren ewes
* (1-(ewes lambing / ewes put to ram)) x 100
* Target <2-3%

This season’s performance:
* Use of raddle
* Identifies ewes returning to serve
* Identifies ewes not served
* Use of scanning
* Identifies empty ewes at end breeding season
* Estimates lambing %age

Question 3

What data would you use to monitor fertility in beef? Why is it difficult to get lots of data?

Answer 3

• calving distribution
• Vast majority of herds run bull(s) with cows
  ◦ No need for stockpeople to detect oestrus
  ◦ Usually no recording of serves/heats
• Often have PD session after end of breeding season (+/- at/during)

Question 4

What goes wrong with heat detection in dairy cows?

Answer 4

Expression
* lameness
* environment - slippery floor
* nutrition
* use of bull
* genetics

Detection
* time observing
* timing of observation
* training
* use of bull
* technology
* heat detection aids

Question 5

Why is the conception rate target not always reached in diary cows?

Answer 5

• Nutrition
  ◦ Energy balance
  ◦ Micronutrients
  ◦ SARA
  ◦ ?Excess protein
• AI related
  ◦ Technique
  ◦ Semen quality
  ◦ Semen storage
  ◦ Thawing & handling
  ◦ Timing of AI
• Disease
  ◦ Lameness
  ◦ Herd level infectious disease (IBR/BVD/lepto)
  ◦ Uterine bacterial disease
  ◦ Venereal (e.g. campylobacter)
• Bull
  ◦ True infertility
  ◦ Lameness
  ◦ Lack of libido

Question 6

What are the limitations in managing and monitoring fertility?

Answer 6

• Lack of any data!
• Poor data quality
• Lack of skill/time
• No access to software