Tips to prepare cows for breeding & criteria to generate the best genetics for your herd

Dairy Specialist George Ramsbottom joins Emma-Louise Coffey to give his tips on how to prepare cows for the upcoming breeding season along with advice to generate the best genetics for your herd.

Firstly, George explains that genetically gestation length is reducing. Each €10 in EBI calving SI reduces gestation by 1.5 days. If you target a calving start date of 1st Feb 2021, target a mating start date 1st May.

In order to generate the best replacements to milk in the herd in the future, George explains you need to focus on both bull selection and your current herd of dairy cows. Pick the top bulls on the active bull list and breed your dairy replacements from your highest EBI cows.

George suggests that farmers can now take steps to prepare cows for the upcoming breeding season by condition scoring all cows and putting any cows with a score of less than 2.75 on once-a-day milking to help build condition. 

Additionally, tail paint all cows and in the week prior to mating start date take action in the form of veterinary intervention with any cow that still has paint on her tail.

George reassures us that AI companies are prepared for the upcoming breeding season with sufficient straws and AI technician despite the current COVID-19 challenge.

 For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at:
 https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/