Submission rates are key to achieving the six-week in-calf and calving target of 90% set by many dairy farmers.
To make this possible you need to have a three-week submission rate of 90%. Currently, only 65% of cows and heifers calve during the first six-weeks of the calving season.
Pre-breeding
As dairy farmers prepare for the breeding season, one way of increasing submission and conception rates is by ensuring that every cow is cycling prior to the start of the season. Many farms have been completing pre-breeding checks on their cows already.
Cows that have been identified as problem or non-cycling cows, need to be checked.
There are a number of reasons why you may not have seen a cow in heat, such as:
- Cysts;
- Dirty cows;
- Silent heats.
Cows that previously had a difficult calving or twins should also be checked before breeding starts on farms.
Any cow that calved 30-days ago or longer, and hasn’t been in-heat since, should be checked by a vet.
The vet should handle or scan these cows and determine what the issue is – if there is one.
Once you have determined the issue, a treatment plan can be created for these cows, which should result in them cycling at the start of breeding.
Delaying the detection of these cows could result in them not going back in-calf until later in the breeding season, thus having a lower milk sale next year.
Submission rates
Having every cow cycling before the breeding season starts will give you the best chance of achieving higher submission rates and hopefully, higher conception rates.
Although submission rates will not determine the number of cows that are in-calf, the more cows that are submitted for breeding, the higher your conception rates should be.
Once the cows that are submitted for breeding are actually in-heat and ready to be served, it is important that you continue to monitor the cows.