Ray Nebel of Select Sires, Inc. presented this information for DAIReXNET on March 17, 2014. A recording of the full presentation can be found at http://www.extension.org/pages/15830/archived-dairy-cattle-webinars#.Uyigy86nbZU,

1. Dairy Reproduction:
Identifying Problems and Solutions for Your Herd
Nutrition Transition
Management
Abortive
Diseases
Environment
Cow
Semen
Ray Nebel, PhD
Select Sires, Inc.
Cow
Comfort
People &
Processes

2. Goals, Key Performance
Indicators, and Benchmarking
• Goals are target levels of performance toward
which managers are striving.
• Benchmarks are standards by which performance
can be measured or compared, and are not
synonymous with goals.
• Herds that represent specific categories (herd
size, production level or geographic location for
example).
• A key performance indicator (KPI) is a metric that
a dairy may use to gauge performance and
whether future performance will be a success or
failure.

3. Key Performance Indicators - Cows
• Weekly hard count of new pregnant cows ‒ this
should be between 8 and 10 percent of the number of
milking cows and is dependent on replacement rate
• Palpation pregnancy rate – best method to
measure heat detection rate and is dependent of
interval from breeding to examination.
• Cows ≥60%
• Heifers ≥80%
• Number of cows leaving the herd within the first
60 days in milk – this measures involuntary
culling, death and is an excellent indicator of the
success or failure of the transition program
• 4 to 5% at 30 DIM and 6 to 8% by 60 DIM

4. Key Performance Indicators
• Butterfat percent for the first 30 DIM – greater
than 5.0 in Holsteins correlates with cows
metabolizing body fat and is an additional indication
of the transition program
• Week four milk weights – by reviewing the trend of
weekly milk weight averages, a four-week comparison
can be made between different divisions of time. This
is another measure to evaluate the transition
program.

5. Benchmarks:
Size, region, level of production
drms.org
DairyMetrics

6. Reproductive Performance
Pregnancy Rate
Conception
Rate
Submission
Rate
Voluntary
Waiting
Period

7. Verify the Voluntary Waiting Period

8. Verify the Voluntary Waiting Period

9. Verify the Voluntary Waiting Period

10. Verify the Voluntary Waiting Period

11. 21 day Pregnancy Rate by Date

12. 21day Pregnancy Rate by DIM

13. Preg Rate Report Options – PCDART and DairyComp

14. Conception
Rates
Cow Labor Nutrition Environment Semen
Major Areas Affecting Reproductive Performance

15. Areas Pertaining to the Cow
Conception
Rates
Cow
Transition
Incidence of
Metabolic
Diseases
Incidence of
Metritis
Body
Condition
~3.25 @
Calving
<1 BCS lost
calving-1st
service
Locomotion
Surface
Trim
frequency
Cyclicity Disease
Vaccination
Program
Mastitis
Early
Embryonic
Loss
Labor Nutrition Environment Semen

16. Transition Program
• Body Condition Score
• Dry Cow (Far-off and close-up)
• Fresh Cows 3.25 – 3.75
• Comfort Level
• Stocking Rate – 80%
• Heat Abatement
• Post-Partum Disease
• Metritis - <10%
• RP - <5%
• Ketosis - <5%
• DA - <5%

17. Transition Cow Index™
• Bunk space – both pre-fresh and fresh cow
pens (30 inches per animal)
• Minimize pen moves (10 days prior to calving)
• Stall size
• Sand bedding
• Identify cows needing
medical attention

18. Labor
A.I.
Techniques
Semen
Handling
Semen
Placement
Synchronization
compliance
Heat
Detection
Visual Observation
Standing & 2ndary Signs
Reading
Chalk/Paint
Motivation
Time
Budget
Adequate time
or labor
Areas Pertaining to Labor

19. Systems for Breeding
Visual Observation
Walk and Chalk
Timed A.I.
Activity System
Natural Service

20. A.I. Technique
• Area of Semen Handling
• Thaw Temperature and Time
• 95°F for minimum of 45 seconds
• Equipment Cleanliness
• Semen Handling (Thaw to Cows)
• Maintain 95°F semen temperature
• Semen Placement
• ¼ inch past the cervix in uterine body

21. Conception Rate by

22. Conception Rate by

23. Conception Rate by Tech

24. Conception Rate: A.I. tech by code

25. Conception Rate: Interval Analysis

26. Conception Rate: times bred

27. Conception Rate: times bred by code

28. Timed A.I. Program
• Review protocol and timing of hormone injections
• Review hormone storage and equipment (19
gauge - 1½” needle)
• When or IF needle is changed
• Review compliance

29. Estimated results for different first service TAI
programs in lactating dairy cows
Source: Victor Cabrera and Julio Giordano. 2013. UW-Dairy
Repro$ Plus: A Reproductive Economic Analysis Tool
Synchronization Program VWP (days) Mean (Range)
Presynch-Ovsynch-14 70-85 37 (32-42)
Presynch-Ovsynch-10, 11 or 12 70-85 43 (37-47)
Double-Ovsynch 70-85 47 (40-50)
G-6-G 70-85 45 (37-47)
Ovsynch 60-75 33 (30-37)
Cosynch-72 60-75 26 (25-33)
Presynch-Ovsynch-14 w/CIDR® 70-85 40 (35-45)
Presynch-Ovsynch- 10, 11 or 12 w/CIDR 70-85 47 (40-50)
Double-Ovsynch w/CIDR 70-85 50 (43-53)
Ovsynch w/CIDR 60-75 36 (33-40)
Conception Rate (%)

30. Environment
Facilities Time
Budget
Cow
Comfort
Areas Pertaining to Environment

31. Conception Rate by Month

32. Typical Time Budget
www.msu.edu/~mdr/vol15no3/cowtime.html Kathy Lee
Activity
Time devoted daily to
activity
Eating
3 to 5 hours
(9 to 14 meals per day)
Lying down (resting) 12 to 14 hours
Standing walking in alley 2 to 3 hours
Drinking 30 minutes

33. Stocking Density
What is ideal stocking density???

34. Cow Comfort
• Stocking Rate
– headlocks/bunk space/stalls
• Stall Size/Cow Size
• Lunge Space
• Bedding
• Footing
• Foot Care (trimming and foot baths)
• Heat Abatement – Stalls & Holding Pen
• Mastitis
• % Resting
• Cud Chewing

35. Cow Comfort Index

36. Stall Standing Index

37. Semen
Sex Semen
versus
Conventional
Sire
Conception
Rate
Areas Pertaining to Semen

38. Holstein Active Proven Sires:
Sire Conception Rate
Stud +0.0 or > +1.0 or > +2.0 or > +3.0 or >
Select Sires 58 42 23 6
Genex 26 20 15 3
Accelerated 28 21 14 6
Semex 26 17 7 1
Alta NA NA NA NA
ABS NA NA NA NA
Source: December 2013 NAAB Active Proven Sire List

39. Conception Rate Heifers: times bred by stud

40. Areas Pertaining to Nutrition
Nutrition
Transition Rumen Health
Acidosis Ketosis
Ration
Particle length
Mixing &
Delivery
Manure
Evaluation
Water Mycotoxins
DON alfatoxin

41. Common Symptoms of Acidosis
• Low milk fat test; < 3.0
• Sore hooves; laminitis
• Cycling feed intake
• Diarrhea
• Liver abscesses
• Low rumen pH (< 5.8) in 30 to 50% of animals
tested
• Limited cud chewing

42. Common Symptoms of Ketosis
• Ketosis usually occurs within a few days to a few
weeks after calving.
• Characterized by low blood glucose, excess
ketone bodies in blood and urine, lack of
appetite, either lethargy or excitability, weight
loss, depressed milk production.
• Any factor resulting in a reduction of dry matter
intake (DMI) increases the risk for ketosis.
• Elevated BCS at calving (BCS ≥ 4.0)

43. Guidelines for Particle Size

44. Manure Evaluation
• When used in context with the
other things we evaluate, it
can give you an idea of how
well the rumen is functioning
and where and how well feeds
are being digested.
• There is a sound, biological
basis for why manure looks
the way it does.
• Color – Consistency - Content

45. Mycotoxins
• It appears that at least six kinds of mycotoxins
can affect dairy herds fertility:
aflatoxin, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, ergotamin
e, ocratoxin and toxin T2.
• Controlling mycotoxins presence is therefore
extremely important and may be a relevant cause
of infertility in lactating dairy cows.

46. Major Areas Affecting
Reproductive Performance
Nutrition Transition
Management
Abortive
Diseases
Environment
Cow
Semen
People &
Processes
Cow
Comfort