Heifer Breeding Problems

Transcript of Select Sires' Reproductive Moment Program
on DairyLine Radio Which Aired Oct. 12, 2006
With Ray Nebel,
Senior Reproduction and Herd Management Specialist, Select Sires Inc.

Ray, this week you are talking about the challenges of heifer breeding problems.

Well, Bill, we normally think that our AI program in heifers is really where we need to use our best semen, and probably now with gender SELECTedTM semen is where we can really take use of that product. But frustrations can be with those last few heifers that we can’t get bred or when we really get into the situation where conception rates are much lower than what we would really like. What I have seen the number one cause of heifer breeding problems is delayed sexual maturity. They are trying to breed heifers too young; there has been a push in the dairy industry to lower the age coming into the herd. It used to be that the national average was 28 months for first calving; now it is probably 26 months and most publications would advocate 24 months right now. But many of the farms and ranches I go to, it’s very common to see 22-, 21-month age heifers coming in. To do that, many of them have to be bred very early, and sexual maturity as a group is important. So the energy and protein balance is important in the heifers, and the other thing that you’ll see every now and then parasites and infection of parasites or the infestation of parasites. So basically what it does, it takes away the feed efficiency—they are getting the feed but not being able to utilize the feed. Lack of vitamin A and deficiency and intake in vitamin A and again phosphorous. Again it’s not a very common problem when we see heifer breeding problems. But it is one that is getting higher on the radar because we are using those heifers and we are using gender SELECTed semen, which is a product that is really starting to take off, and the heifer breeding program is where we are really going to utilize that.

You’re looking at not only age but size as well?

That’s right. I talked about age but it’s really the sexual maturity we should be going on, the height and body weight, not exactly the age. Just because she is a certain age—but if she doesn’t have the sexual maturity, which means the body weight and the height, she should be about 60-66 percent of her mature body weight. That’s when we say that those heifers are ready to be put into a breeding program. So about 60 percent of mature body weight is when they should be going into the breeding program.

A Select Sires Reproductive Solutions specialist will be able to help you calculate those days and developing a nutritional management program and then you’ll be all set.

Correct again, Bill. Again, it’s a team effort, and Select Sires Reproductive Solutions would love to be involved in helping you be successful in your breeding program.

Thanks to Ray Nebel, senior reproduction and herd management specialist at Select Sires.