In most operations, management in the pre-join period is crucial for high reproductive performance. Elders' animal health specialists Tess Geaghan and Emma Lewis outline some of the key considerations for cattle producers.
Careful selection and examination of your bull team along with strategic upbringing and monitoring of your heifers will create a long-term pattern of success amongst your cows. Our advice is to control the controllable and correct what you can’t.
Bulls
Bulls are a considerable investment and must be carefully managed for performance and longevity. It is crucial all bulls be checked annually with ample time to purchase replacements (three months prior to joining). Simple problems can drastically impact a bull’s ability to serve - and your reproductive success.
A systematic method of checking is by using the ‘four Ts’, which are teeth, testicles, toes and torso. This is a good chance to discover any abnormalities such as lameness, broken pizzles, testicular growths or malnourishment, all of which can alter the bull’s performance.
These evaluations can be used to help make decisions about your ongoing program. Calculate bull to female ratio in your herd and do this with enough time to purchase or replace prior to joining. Traditionally 1 bull per 40 cows and 1 bull per 30 heifers, however maiden bulls may benefit from fewer cows to service in their first year.
Veterinary bull breeding soundness examinations
This objective assessment is important when purchasing new bulls. A vet check should certify scrotal circumference, general physical condition, semen assessment (motility, colour and morphology) and serving assessment. Some producers choose to have a vet assess their bulls every year. Best not to find out at pregnancy testing that your bull isn’t performing.
Bull condition must be managed in the pre-join period, so they are adequately prepared for their service (ideally condition score 3). Condition score each bull when they are in for their assessment to ensure they are not over or underweight. Either may affect their service ability, and if overweight, their ability to thermoregulate.
Whilst in the yards getting their annual check it may be practical to administer animal health such as:
- Clostridial vaccine (5in1)
- Reproductive vaccines (Leptospirosis, Pestivirus, Vibriosis)
- Vitamin and/or mineral injection
- a drench if necessary .
Joining periods
The joining period can affect future conception rates, so we consider six-week joining to be the gold standard. This is not without its risks and requires pregnancy testing and management of empty cows. A short joining is designed to:
- Ensure a tight calving and compact weaning
- Ensure even line of weights and ages that in turn benefits point of sale
- Increase time for first calvers to start cycling again before joining
- Increase selection pressure on fertility of your herd.
A two-cycle join also gives females best chance to re-conceive the following year and sets the standard for their reproductive life. The challenge is to get first calvers to recover and back to a condition score 3 for next joining.
The gestation period of a cow is 283 days, it then takes on average 47 days to return to oestrus leaving them with approximately 35 days to conceive again. Therefore, heifers are typically joined a month or so earlier than cows to give them an extended period to recuperate. This can be manipulated by nutrition, so it is vital to conduct feed tests and observe the weight and condition of your stock.
Heifers
Retained heifers should be your number one priority; nursing them through weaning and puberty can set them up for a lifetime of reproductive success. Regular monitoring and recording of weights is important to ensure a rising plane of nutrition to reach at least 60 per cent (pc) of their mature cow weight and condition score 3.5 at point of joining. This will provide the best opportunity for high conception rates and put them on track to hit the desired calving weight of 85 per cent of their mature cow weight. An average growth rate of at least 650 grams per day is required to achieve these goals.
Young heifers may take up to 100 days to return to oestrus if not managed accordingly. The higher their body condition score at calving, the shorter their post-partum anoestrus interval (PPAI) will be, so it is imperative to nurture them. The Elders ‘Heifers for Profit’ program can help improve your heifer management skills and the subsequent success of your herd.
To support your management practices there are some animal health practices that should be administered prior to joining. Please ensure you review individual product information for the ideal time for each product to be administered.
- Clostridial vaccine - most heifers will have received two shots of a 5 in 1 or 7 in 1 vaccine. To confer full protection against clostridial diseases and leptospirosis during joining and gestation, it is imperative that a 7 in 1 booster be administered pre joining.
- Reproductive vaccine - Pestivirus (BVDV) – Pestivirus causes poor conception, abortion, ill-thrift in young animals, diarrhoea and respiratory disease. The heifer group is the most likely to be naive to Pestivirus, and therefore the most in need of protection. The critical period for protection is joining and early gestation. By vaccinating heifers, you will reduce impact of disease in your herd, minimising the birth of PI calves and the continued systemic, immunosuppressive effects of BVDV.
- Drench – heifers will not yet have acquired strong immunity against internal parasites. A worm egg count (WEC) should be conducted to assess whether a drench is necessary at this time. A dual active drench is considered the best practice approach for maximum efficacy and preventing the development of drench resistance.
- Trace minerals and vitamins - important for the general health and fertility of cattle. Even mild trace mineral deficiencies can be limiting. Injectable trace minerals have the highest efficacy, while loose licks, liquids or blocks maintain nutrient balance.
Picking paddocks
Paddock selection and preparation is an essential management component. This includes:
- Nutrition: pastures containing minimum nine megajoules of metabolisable energy (ME) and 12 pc protein are ideal for heifers going forward, however be mindful not to graze high nitrate pastures throughout joining as there is a risk of failed conception.
- Paddock size: choose a paddock that secures enough quality feed to last that mob the duration of joining, this saves moving them and causing unnecessary stress in a critical time.
- Accessibility: select paddocks that allow bulls to access cows with ease, avoid big hills, bushy areas and fence lines.
Cows
Now that you have put the hard work into setting up your heifers correctly, it is time to reap the rewards with your older cows. At this point you should be getting high percentages in calf in the two-cycle join, and from here annual animal health, nutrition and condition scoring will be the base of management for your cows.
The ability of a cow to fall back in calf is dependent on body condition at calving, nutrition post calving and the number of days between calving and joining (PPAI). Cows are assumed to be lactating at point of joining and therefore will need to be managed accordingly, often requiring your best quality feed.
Pre-joining considerations for cows:
- Condition score: aim for condition score 3 to 3.3 at joining
- Pre- and post-calving paddock selection
- Annual animal health, for example fluke and worm drench, mineral and vitamin injections, clostridial and reproductive vaccinations
- Consider your cull process for aged, dry or ill performing cows
- Bull selection against previous years .
Do not underestimate the pre-joining period, as it has the potential to determine the success of your joining and give the best opportunity to perform leaving you will happy healthy bulls, cows and a high percentage of thriving calves on the ground.
Disclaimer – Important, please read:
The information contained in this article is given for general information purposes only, current at the time of first publication, and does not constitute professional advice. The article has been independently created by a human author using some degree of creativity through consultation with various third-party sources. Third party information has been sourced from means which Elders consider to be reliable. However, Elders has not independently verified the information and cannot guarantee its accuracy. Links or references to third party sources are provided for convenience only and do not constitute endorsement of material by third parties or any associated product or service offering. While Elders has exercised reasonable care, skill and diligence in preparation of this article, many factors including environmental/seasonal factors and market conditions can impact its accuracy and currency. The information should not be relied upon under any circumstances and, to the extent permitted by law, Elders disclaim liability for any loss or damage arising out of any reliance upon the information contained in this article. If you would like to speak to someone for tailored advice specific to your circumstances relating to any of the matters referred to in this article, please contact Elders.
Meet the authors
