Reproductive Management and Services

Good herd reproduction can be thought of as a cake with essential ingredients. If one of these ingredients is missing or not of the correct quality then you will not get a good cake!

The same can be said for a herd’s reproduction program but instead of flour and eggs, we think about the following eight essential aspects of a successful program:
 

1. Calf and Heifer Management
2. Body Condition Scoring
3.  Heat Detection
4. Non-cyclers
5. Sire Selection and AB
6. Bulls
7. Cow Health
8. Calving Pattern.

By targeting these essential components we are able to help improve your 6 weeks in-calf rate and empty rate.

Reproductive Services Offered:

Obstetrics/ Emergency Services:

We are available 24/7 for all of your calving and emergency needs.   

Spring Skills Training:

We train your staff either on farm or during our annual Spring Skills Training days. We review how to correct common 

calving difficulties, metabolic issues, and other spring issues

Metrichecking:

We offer whole herd metrichecking during the springtime to identify and treat cows with uterine infections.

Synchrony Programs:

We can design synchrony programs for your cows and heifers to help treat non-cyclers and get them in calf early.

Aged Pregnancy Testing:

We recommend early aged pregnancy testing in our dairy herds. We use a combination of ultrasound examination and manual palpation to get the most accurate results. All results are recorded by a technician and entered into MINDA after the visit.

We also recommend end of the year scans which are a quick yes/no to identify and slips before winter.

There are many advantages to early aged pregnancy testing. These include:

• Accurate calving dates to aid in drying off
• Feed management and feed budgeting for winter and spring
• Accurate information that will give you an accurate way to compare year to year and identify areas for improvement.
• Drying off management including dry cow product selection
   

Reproduction Consults: Our Reproduction Consults address all aspects of the hopefully give you the most successful outcome possible. During this time we outline plans for noncycler treatments, metrichecking, mating, heat detection, and other animal health issues.