The document discusses improving herd fertility through measuring key reproductive metrics like pregnancy rate and heat detection rate. The most common cause of poor fertility is missed heats. Goals for heat detection accuracy should be over 85%. Cows should wait 45-50 days after calving before being rebred to allow the uterus to recover. Working with a veterinarian through practices like early pregnancy checks can increase pregnancy rates.

1. CHAPTER 7 FERTILITY & HERD REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

2. Detecting Infertility ABS Eliminates All Sub-Fertile and Venereally Infected Bulls Cause of Reproductive Failure Bulls of Questionable Fertility or Failing Tests for Infectious Diseases are NOT Included in the ABS Lineup All Semen Must Pass Stringent Quality Control Standards Not Enough Live Sperm Prior to Shipment = Entire Collection Discarded ABS Semen Contains the Proper Number of Live Sperm for Optimum Fertility if it Has Been Handled and Thawed Correctly!

3. Detecting Infertility Reproductive Program Goal Producing Pregnancies With Improved Genetics Accomplishing This Depends on: Animals Being Serviced (Heat Detection or Submission) Those Animals Conceiving When Reproductive Results are Below Desired Goals There are Many Areas to Investigate

4. Conception Rate Flow Chart

5. Heat Detection Rate Flow Chart

6. Records Analysis Current Effective Measures of Reproduction Include: Pregnancy Rate (PR) Heat Detection Rate (HDR) Heat Detection Accuracy (HDA) Conception Rate (CR) Action Lists Calving Interval or Days Open Indices Have Been Used to Identify Poor Programs Problem is That They Contain a Large Amount of Data and May Not Accurately Indicate Current, Recent, or Future Performance

7. Pregnancy Rate (PR) QUESTION: Are Eligible Animals Becoming Pregnant at a Rate Fast Enough to Sustain Herd Size and Fuel the Young Stock Program? PR Should be Measured per 21-Day Period Is the Ratio of Pregnant Divided by Total Eligible # Pregnant / # of Eligible 21-Day Cycles = PR

8. Heat Detection Rate (HDR) QUESTION: Are Eligible Animals Being Detected in Heat During a Specified Window of Time? Commonly Referred to as “Submission Rate” Is the Ratio of Heats Found Divided by the Total Eligible: # Heats / # Eligible 21-Day Cycles = HDR

9. Heat Detection Accuracy (HDA) QUESTION: Are Animals Detected in Heat Actually in Heat? Determined by Examining Insemination Intervals Erratic Insemination Intervals Can Indicate: Animal Was Not in Heat During Insemination Early Embryonic Death is Occurring. Milk Progesterone Assays are More Accurate in Determining HDA

10. Conception Rate (CR) QUESTION: Are the Animals That are Being Inseminated Conceiving? CR Represents the Risk of an Animal Becoming Pregnant Once Inseminated Is the Number Pregnant Divided by the Total Number Serviced # Pregnant / Total # Serviced = CR

11. Action Lists QUESTION: Which Animals Should I Manage Once I Have Found a Problem? Action Lists Allow the Manager to Concentrate on the Actual Animals That Need Attention to Correct Problems Example: A List of All Animals Past a Cutoff DIM and Not Bred

12. Reproductive Indices Goals PR HDR HDA CR ≥ 20% ≥ 65% ≥ 85% > 30%

13. Troubleshooting Heat Detection REMEBER: Semen Must be Delivered to a Normal Female in the Right Place at the Right Time Absence of Any of These Three Factors Means the Egg Cannot be Fertilized. In Many Herds the Most Common Cause of Infertility is Missed Heats ! Research at Cornell Shows That: 30-50% of All Possible Heats are Missed Up to 20% of Recorded Heats are Inaccurate

14. Excessive Time On Concrete (TOC) Reduces the Expression of Heats Long Holding Times During Milking Poor Freestall Design and Over-Crowding See the Activity Chart on the Next Slide or on the ABS Global Website in the VIP Lounge. Nutritionists and Veterinarians Should be Used to Detect and Fix Poor Heat Expression Due to: Nutritional Deficiencies Formulations Delivery of Rations Troubleshooting Heat Detection

15. Activity Chart

16. Troubleshooting Conception Rate Too Much Emphasis Has Been on CR Goal Should Be to Optimize HDR & CR, While Maximizing Pregnancy Production Rarely is it Profitable to Breed Fewer Cows to Increase CR. Low Herd CR Investigations Should Include: Semen Quality Technician Technique Accuracy of Heat Detection Nutritional Status Reproductive Diseases

17. Semen Quality May Need to be Validated During a Reproductive Investigation. ABS Semen Undergoes Numerous Quality Control Checks Damage Can Happen: During Shipment • During Transfer Due to Inappropriate Handling or Storage on Farm ABS Semen Can be Returned to ABS to Detect Possible Damage Post Shipment. Dark Field Microscopy is Necessary to Properly Access and Quantify Actively Motile Sperm Numbers.

18. Technique and Placement Critical to Optimize CR Results Can be Checked by Using a Dye or Plug Kit Used on Reproductive Tracts and by Ultrasound or Palpation on Live Animals.

19. Heat Detection Accuracy Common Cause for Low CR Can Easily be Checked Using Milk Progesterone Assays A Goal of 100% is NOT Realistic or Profitable A Goal of >85% is Acceptable Ensures Pregnancy Production is Not Reduced at the Expense of High Conception Rates

20. Nutrition Difficult to Diagnose Key Areas Should be Closely Monitored Get Fresh Animals Off to a Good Start Blood Profiling May be Useful to Validate Investigation Should be Done With a Veterinarian and Nutritionist

21. Reproductive Diseases

22. Voluntary Waiting Period (VWP) Cows Bred Back Less Than 45 Days Post Calving Will Have a Decreased Fertility 45 to 50 Days Needed to Repair the Uterus Must Shrink From Sack that Held: 80 to 100 Pound Calf 5 to 8 Gallons of Fluid 10 Pounds of Afterbirth To a Small 1 to 2 Pound Organ the Size of a Pair of Man’s Fists Cows That Had Uterine Infections or Complications After Calving Should Not be Rebred Early!

23. Working With Your Veterinarian Use Your Vet to: Drive Pregnancy Rates Reduce Calving Intervals by: Early diagnosis of pregnancy Weekly Visits Reduce Valuable Days Open for Non-Pregnant Animals Take Action on All Cows Found Open During Herd Check

24. Other Considerations Dairy Producers and Vets Should Validate Several Important Factors for Reproductive Results: Are Animals Cycling and Ready to Breed at the End of the VWP? Are Animals Being Detected in Heat? Are Environmental, Design or Other Cow Factors Preventing Animals From Expressing Heats? Are Inseminations Being Done Accurately? Keen Observation and Simple Diagnostics Can Keep Your Herd Program Free of Reproductive Failure!

25. Summary Improve Herd Fertility by: Identifying and Establishing Goals, Measurements and Historical Performances Identify Problem Areas and Reasons Most Common Cause of Poor Reproductive Results is Missed Heats Venereal Diseases Can Decrease Fertility Cows Should be Given 45 to 50 Days to Rest Before Rebreeding

26. Herd Fertility Goals

27. Question 1 Name 4 measurements of reproductive efficiency that can be evaluated from records analysis. Pregnancy Rate (PR), Heat Detection Rate (HDR), Heat Detection Accuracy (HDA), and Conception Rate (CR)

28. Question 2 What is a good goal for Heat Detection Accuracy (HDA)? How can one measure HDA? 85% Use a milk progesterone test. At pregnancy testing how many cows were open that were presented for checking. Divide that number by the total number presented to get a percent.

29. Question 3 How many heats (percent) are normally missed? What are some common reasons? 30 - 50% Missed heats, excessive time on concrete, overcrowding

30. Question 4 Describe the various reproductive diseases, along with their control and prevention. Vibrosis affects heats causing temporary infertility and midterm abortions. Trichomoniasis venereal disease causing temporary infertility. Leptospirosis causes abortions if female exposed during pregnancy. Repeat breedings and poor CR. Brucellosis (Bangs) causes abortions, retained placentas, infertility, and Undulant Fever in humans.

31. Question 5 What are 3 practices that involve your veterinarian and will increase pregnancy rates? Dairy: Early pregnancy checking, 30-35 days, weekly vet checks, act on all cows found open during herd checks. Beef: Early pregnancy checking, vaccination program, parasite control.

32. Question 6 Why should you wait more than 45 days after calving before first insemination? To give the uterus time to prepare for a new pregnancy.