Rhyd Y Gofaint Project update - July 2024
At Rhyd Y Gofaint, the farm is closely monitoring key fertility metrics to improve productivity and health. The primary metrics being tracked are the 100-day in-calf rate and the 200-day not-in-calf rate, along with submission and conception rates. The farm uses Uniform Agri to record all cow data, providing real-time, up-to-date information for better decision-making.
New protocols for pre-breeding checks and pregnancy testing have been introduced.
Now, the farm conducts a Metricheck at 21-28 days post-calving and we have added a 150-day pregnancy check, in addition to the early PD at 35-42 days. The 150-day check catches those few cows who lose a pregnancy, but the other benefit is that it focuses on carrying out a crucial body condition score (BCS) in late lactation, allowing adjustment in feeding and/or dry-off date for cows not on track to meet the dry-off target BCS of 3. There have been some cost savings on concentrate feed.
Rhyd Y Gofaint is a very well managed herd, generally very healthy with very low levels of endometritis and metabolic diseases. However, metri-checking has identified some cows with low-level endometritis that might have been missed otherwise, allowing for earlier treatment.
Progress to date
Significant progress has been made, especially with the 100-day in-calf rate. In the first three months of 2024, this rate averaged 70%, up from 63% in the previous three months and 53% before that. This improvement shows that the new protocols and monitoring efforts are effective.
A metabolic profile of the herd showed excellent trace mineral status but also highlighted some negative energy balance (NEB) issues in early lactation. To address this, a ketone monitoring program was started, using pin prick blood samples taken 10-20 days post-calving. This has helped identify and treat several cases of subclinical ketosis, likely boosting the affected cows' production, health, and fertility.
Next steps?
In the coming months, the farm will continue to focus on managing cow condition, feed quality, and timely management interventions. Analysing the ketone test results will continue and the metabolic profiles might be repeated.
Regular body condition scoring snapshots and monitoring of health events like mastitis and metabolic diseases will also be ongoing.
Additionally, by improving infrastructure and protocols, the farm hopes to reduce workload by making the housing period shorter/easier and preventing problems before they start. The 100-day in-calf rate is expected to keep improving and the 200-day not-in-calf rate to keep decreasing.
Find out more on this topic:
Nantglas Project Update: Are you challenging your six-week in-calf rate? | Farming Connect
WEBINAR: Improving fertility of a split block calving system - 04/06/2020 | Farming Connect