20% - 25% Pregnancy Rates: How Do They Do It!

By Johnnie Azevedo
Published in the 2005 July issue CA Dairy Herd Management

Prior to the advances in computer technology and dairy management software, evaluating herd fertility and reproduction many times was based on historic DHI measurements such as annual calving interval, services per conception and average days open, among others. The problem with these measurements is their inability to accurately detect reproductive performance in a timely and economically efficient manner. Today with programs such as Dairy Comp 305 and DHI-Plus, tools such as the Breeding Summary can be utilized to pinpoint both highs and lows in the breeding program, allowing dairymen to make sound management decisions specific to their operation. Arguably today’s most referenced reproductive KPI (Key Performance Indicator) is the Pregnancy Rate. As the name suggests, the Pregnancy Rate indicates the rate in which successful pregnancies are achieved among eligible cows within a given time frame, which ultimately is the one true indicator of the success and profitability of any breeding program.

The national average for Pregnancy Rate has been documented to be just above 15%, and many producers may look at their information that is between 13% & 18% and be satisfied with the average, middle of the road results. The problem with being stuck in the middle of the road is that sooner or later you get run over.

I have the opportunity to visit many dairies throughout California monitoring reproduction. It does not take much time to realize that for each one of the nearly 1,900 herds in California there are probably 1,900 distinctively different management practices used. I am fortunate enough to work with many Holstein herds who successfully reach 20% - 25% pregnancy rates annually, and even a couple that have achieved greater heights. The question then becomes why some herd managers are able to achieve their desired number of pregnancies each month, while others struggle to maintain the status quo. The answer to the question can be found on the operations achieving this type of success, each one managed a little differently but a few common threads found amongst them all.

Commitment to Excellence

First and foremost all the managers on the dairies achieving these superior results have become fully committed to making reproduction a priority, and have invested the time, labor, and management to ensure that every step is taken to maximize the success of their breeding program. I am a firm believer in leading by example, and reproduction is a key area in where this philosophy will prove successful. More often than not in many large herds, owners and managers are entirely dependant on hired labor to perform every reproductive task from insemination, heat detection, hormone and drug injections, proper feeding, lock-up, pregnancy diagnosis, etc. Where this is the case we must ourselves understand and instill the belief that pregnant cows are the greatest economic driver on a dairy, and that each pregnancy gained, further ensures the success of the entire dairy operation. If this takes the manager having to ensure that no one goes home until EVERY cow is found and injected on Ovsynch day, so be it! Little motivating examples such as this, send the message to everyone on the reproductive team that these tasks are extremely important. When you can not find the last 3 cows on the list it is NOT OK to say, “Oh well, I guess we’ll get them next time.”

Another trait that most dairies achieving high Pregnancy Rates possess is that they do not cut corners. Excellent attention to detail must be the standard when expecting to excel in any area of dairy production and reproduction. Understandably there are challenging times in any business; however there are seemingly few areas in a dairy operation where management can excuse the need to perform at the highest level every day. It may be something as simple as making sure pregnancy checks are done regularly (every two weeks, if not every week), and are not skipped. Early open diagnosis via palpation or ultrasound is fundamentally necessary, especially when implementing an aggressive synchronization program. Also, records are always current and maintained regularly, so that inseminators and veterinarians alike have access to all information at all times. Additionally, cows need to be in the most optimal environmental condition allowed by the facilities at all times. Beds are filled and leveled regularly throughout the entire year, to promote the needed resting time for milk production and estrus activity.

Sound Nutrition and Transition Programs

Equally as important as demanding perfection in general management is the emphasis placed on excellent feedstuffs and forages made readily available in a properly formulated ration. Proper nutrition plays such a vital role in reproduction and often is overlooked when attempting to analyze pitfalls in a reproductive program. Ensuring high quality feeds are formulated properly by the nutritionist, mixed and fed properly by the individual in the feed truck and eaten properly by the cattle will do as much for overall herd health and reproduction as it does for your milk tank. This holds true not only for top producing milk cows which we are breeding, but also for dry cows, close-ups, fresh or transitioning cows and breeding age or springing heifers. Neglecting the nutritional program for non-producing animals (Dry cows and Heifers) is a definite bottleneck in herds struggling to achieve top reproductive performance. Most herds which achieve excellent results understand the benefits of formulating rations for heifers in order to promote growth and prevent obesity prior to calving. Paying attention to these important nutrition factors allows dairies to minimize calving, milking and breeding hurdles in the future. If metabolic disorders are held at bay by developing a sound nutritional program for pre-fresh cows you will most definitely see results in breeding 50 or 60 days postpartum.

Along with a sound nutritional program, most managers in these herds will point to a well thought out and executed pre-fresh, fresh and transition program as to one of the cornerstones to successful breeding. Giving birth is the most high stress event a cow goes through in her lactation, and doing everything possible to limit stress at this time will only enhance your success rate as she enters milk production and the breeding pen. This should really be a “no brainer”; however it often amazes me how neglected cows can become prior to freshening. We now know that typically the bovine ovum takes approximately 60 days for maturation. Commonly most breeding programs have a set VWP (Voluntary Waiting Period) anywhere from 50-60 DIM. Now sit back and think of the condition your close-ups were in 60 days ago (or anytime for that matter). Were they in a high stress situation? If so, did you have a high incidence of R.P.’s and/or D.A.’s, and how is that affecting reproduction? Lastly, following a sound transition program, it is essential to determine the correct VWP for your herd, which doesn’t necessarily mean the 45 day standard (See Table 1).

Finding Your Optimal VWP with Dairy Comp 305

Type the following into the command line:
BREDSUM\B FOR DIMFB=XX-XX
Replace the XX-XX with the desired DIMFB (Days In Milk at First Breeding): i.e. 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-60, etc. Look only at the %Conc for the first insemination.

This 4,000 cow herd, which has a 40 day VWP, found that by moving the target DIMFB to 55 DIM, they would stand to gain up to 10% on 1st service conception.

The Role of Synchronization

This leads me to the next management tool which can boost your pregnancy creating ability, proven Synchronization Programs. Most top level reproductive managers look to a simple Prostaglandin program or more intricate synchronization programs to enhance even the most successful breeding plans. When incorporating either of these systems keep a couple things in mind. First we need to understand that if the previously mentioned topics are not being accomplished than even the best laid out synch plan will never achieve it’s full potential, and many times will fail, leaving you with nothing but a bigger drug bill and a lot of frustration. Additionally, as previously mentioned, if absolute commitment to ensuring that every step of these programs is not followed out to full (and accurate) completion, than the injections you will be giving become an exercise in futility. However, I do believe we are past the point of proving that programs such as Ovsynch definitely work, and they aren’t only for herds which are at 13% Pregnancy Rates. With a pregnancy valued at $500-$700 or more, it doesn’t take many additional pregnancies from an Ovsynch program to pay for the added cost of the drugs and labor. Just remember consistency and compliance are essential, and choose a program that will work within your capabilities. Consulting your veterinarian or reproductive advisor generally will prove beneficial.

I understand that you may already be achieving the reproductive success mentioned in this column, and many of the reproductive management areas discussed in this column are items you have probably heard many times before. The fact is that the individuals achieving 20% - 25% Pregnancy Rates not only heard these messages, but at some point decided to listen to the words and fully commit themselves to improving their breeding programs. Much of the information included above was adapted from a presentation made by Dr. Mark Brandt, Dr. Norm LaFaunce and Dr. John Lee in May at Alta California’s “Don’t Gamble with Your Reproductive Program” seminars in Northern California. Alta California will be hosting another set of seminars in September in Visalia and Bakersfield. Feel free to join and participate in the open discussion surrounding methods of enhancing reproduction.

Posted Aug 1st

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