Better beef breeding — MAF Advisor tells how

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 19, 1 October 1985, Page 8

Better beef breeding — MAF Advisor tells how

For the past 12 months, local vet Dave Seifert and myself have been working with a number of

local farmers to acmeve higher performance levels from beef breeding herds, by increasing calving percentages to over 90 percent, reducing cow and calf losses and by producing even lines of sale stock. This is achieved in beef herds by several management techniques: •Using bulls that are sound with no abnormalities such as in the feet, legs or hips. Bulls are tested for serving capacity, to ensure that they are capable of serving cows and that they have a high level of libido (sex drive) to serve cows over a short period. •Concentrating the calving spread — by identifying the existing calving spread and determining the mean calving date so that the approp-

riate mating date can be planned for. We aim to have all the mixed-age cows calve over a 63-day period, with firstcalving heifers dropping over a 42-day period (two cycles). This doesn't mean that the bulls are out for only 63 and 42 days respectively, but are run with the herd fora longer period. The concentration is achieved through pregnancy testing cows and heifers 108 days after mating starts for cows, and 90 days after for heifers. The results of concentrated calving are beneficial, because cows are calving over a short period, and feed can be planned to meet these demands. It is also an efficient means of minimising and eliminating cow losses through grass staggers and milk fever. The line of calves produced are also even which is beneficial to farmers selling weaners. • Mating heifers three weeks before the mixed age herd because first-calving heifers take longer to return to cycle than second and subsequent calvers. To overcome this

slightly longer anoestrus period, heifers are calved down earlier. Early calving ensures that heifers will return to cycle and maintain concentrated calving, and also wean calves of similar weight to mixed-age cows. Farmers will be pleased that these methods can be implemented simply and cheaply. Benefits are potential increases of 30 to 40 percent profitability from the beef breeding herd, through the production of more weaners, reduced cow losses, and the rate of an even line of weaner calves. If farmers are interested in gettng involved in the breeding programme they should contact either Dave Seifert at Raetihi Vet Club or Will Wilson at MAF, Taihape. Will Wilson

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