22
of heifers served together, says Ian. “This can mean we’re serving some heifers nearer to 13 months old, but so long as they’re big enough I don’t tend to worry too much. We serve all heifers to sexed semen to maximise the genetic gain potential and most calve at 23- 25 months old.”
Once calved all fresh calved cows and heifer stay as a group for the first few weeks, to allow them to settle to the milking routine, with all fresh calved cows offered a rehydration drink immediately post calving and then given a calcium bolus at their first milking, he explains. “They stay on a straw bedded court for the first fortnight, with their milking ration top dressed with molasses to help keep their energy levels up in that important period.” Cows in this group are carefully monitored for ketosis risk as well as any potential uterine infections or other post-
calving issues. “Having them as a separate group really helps with this and even when they move to the main group I keep a close eye on them and like to walk through them while they’re lying down to check for any sign of uterine discharges.” Problem cows are managed carefully, with vet visits every Tuesday for PDs and dealing with problems. “Every cow that has a hung cleansing or a hard calving gets checked seven days post-calving, with all fresh cows checked for whites at two weeks post-calving,” says Ian. “Cows with hung cleansings are generally washed out with an anti-bacterial scrub using a pipe system. I do a lot of this post- calving checking myself and any cows not seen bulling or without a reference heat by 42 days post-calving are put on a programme for fixed time AI.” Ian says the combination of this close attention coupled with the use of pedometers
is helping keep the calving interval tight at 385 days, with an average of 2.54 services to get cows in calf. “There’s no doubt the pedometers are a useful way of keeping on top of heat detection. I don’t rely on them entirely, but they are a great way of picking up on short cycles, particularly when cows are bulling through the night. We’re running at about 115 days to conception on a voluntary waiting period of 42 days, so feel we’re pretty well on top of fertility management most of the time,” he adds. When it comes to drying cows
off Ronald and the family adopt a two stage strategy, with cows dried off six weeks before calving. “For the first three weeks they run in the ‘far off’ group, with a ration of straw, silage and minerals. Then for the three weeks before they calve they move to the calving group and get a ration closer to the milking ration. It’s important
The Barrons believe fertility is the key to success using both manual and technological methods to detect heats.
The herd is closed for health reasons and the Barrons are pleased with the robust type of cow they are breeding.
GEA pedometers monitor cow activity which helps to identify cows in heat.
New cow housing built four years ago has a 22 degree pitch and automatic blinds to help with airfl ow.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108