Procedures

When we look at weaner throughput for your business we have to first look at the four main procedures that will help you achieve this. These four main procedures are:

1. Maximise live calves: Your farming enterprise should aim to maximise the number of live calves per breeding female. Achieving this, you must focus on:

  • Fertility
  • Nutrition
  • Guidelines for heifer management and nutrition (as explained in more detail under subsection 1) which include puberty, critical mating weight and the minimum and maximum mating values.
  • Genetics.
  • Manage fertility to maintain a calving interval every 365 days.
  • Select cows capable of conceiving within two mating cycles.

2. Control the mating period to maintain selected annual calving dates: To reduce the spread of calving you should aim:

  • For 95% of cows to calve in a 9 week period.
  • For 80% pf cows to conceive by the end of the second oestrus cycle.
  • Take corrective action when less than 20% of cows conceive in the third oestrus cycle. 

You should try to measure:

  • Mature Cows.
  • Dystocia.
  • Supervise heifers (and twin) calving.
  • Ensure heifers are in good physical condition at calving.
  • Manage bulls for high conception.
  • Use two fertile bulls per 100 cows for normal conception rates.
  • Take particular care of bulls when single sire mating.
  • Manage bulls carefully pre-mating to achieve high conception rates.
  • Poor bull management can significantly decrease fertility.
  • The ideal condition for a bull prior to mating is condition score 3.0.
  • Assess bulls for physical soundness pre-mating.
  • A serving ability of 2–3 servings in 10 minutes is essential for high conception.
  • Join high serving ability bulls with heifers.
  • If artificial insemination (AI) is used, the correct procedures are required to ensure high conception and calving rates. 
  • Schedule pregnancy diagnosis at the appropriate time for accurac. (a minimum of 28-35 days after the last day of mating).
  • Use pregnancy diagnosis to cull all empty cows.

 

3. Wean as early as possible without compromising the overall calf growth rate: The sooner the calves are weaned the greater the potential turn-off of young cattle. To ensure this you should:

  • Wean calves when pasture use is better for calf alone than cow-calf combination.
  • Use calf age, weight and cow condition score as indicators to earlier weaning.
  • Pasture saved by early weaning needs to be utilised by additional growing stock.
  • Use dedicated yards to wean calves.
  • Positive contact between humans and weaners minimises management problems down the track.
  • High quality feed produces rapid liveweight gains in weaner cattle.
  • Careful management of weaning pays individual and industry dividends.

 4. Implement a female culling and replacement policy to maintain best herd structure: Cull as early as possible but at a convenient time, commonly at weaning of calves. Initial culling is for females empty at pregnancy diagnosis or that experienced calving difficulties at the previous calving. For a successful retention rate of heifers consider:

  • Calculating the number of replcacement heifers required.
  • Assess the number of heifers retained for breeding in terms of age structure of the herd and long term sustainability.
  • Determine the culling rate.