It is now time for the breeding of cows and heifers on Irish dairy farms to come to an end for the 2023 season.
The majority of dairy farms operate a 12-week breeding period, but many are trying to compact their calving period and only breed for ten weeks.
Ideally, a high percentage of cows and heifers will have gone in calf in the first six-weeks of breeding; the target for most is that 90% of cows calve in the first six weeks of the calving period.
Breeding
The shorter the breeding season lasts, the shorter the calving period should be, and what is important when it comes to breeding is having a set start and end date.
If breeding started on April 20, and it was a ten-week breeding period, then it should have ended on June 29. If it was a 12-week period, it should have ended on July 13.
Breeding start date Finish of 10 weeks Finish of 12 weeks April 20 June 29 July 13 April 27 July 6 July 20 May 1 July 10 July 24 May 7 July 16 July 30
For the herds that started on May 1, breeding should also now have ended and for those that started a little later, it should be ending in the coming days.
Pull the bull
The end of breeding does not just mean you stop artificially inseminating (AI) cows, it also means that the bull needs to be removed.
A stockbull that is running with the cows should be removed. If he remains with the cows then a number of cows could calve much later than planned.
Although it may appear to be quite a simple thing of just leaving him with cows, there are also safety concerns that need to be considered.
A bull remaining with the cows past when he is required, could result in a possible attack.
A stockbull is a dangerous animal and although they have their uses, once their usefulness has ended for the year they should be removed from the cows.
If you are not going to be using the bull again, he should be sold as soon as possible or sent to the factory – leaving him around the farm when there is no use for him is also not advised.