Improving fertility of your dairy herd

Extensive mobilisation of body fat after calving can cause inflammation in dairy cows. Morbidity after calving is high. Post-partum diseases of dairy cows often result in systemic inflammation in dairy cattle, altering partition of nutrients to favor control of infection and tissue repair. This results in a decrease in milk production but also in impaired follicle growth, reduced oocyt and conceptus quality and poor development of the morula, causing long-term negative effects on fertility and reproduction of dairy cows.

Extensive mobilisation of body fat after calving can cause inflammation in dairy cows. Morbidity after calving is high. Post-partum diseases of dairy cows often result in systemic inflammation in dairy cattle, altering partition of nutrients to favor control of infection and tissue repair. This results in a decrease in milk production but also in impaired follicle growth, reduced oocyt and conceptus quality and poor development of the morula, causing long-term negative effects on fertility and reproduction of dairy cows.

Deficiencies of trace minerals in dairy cows can result in signs of reproductive failure such as: decreased conception rate, reduced birth weight, infertility, increased duration of anestrus, fetal deformities, altered reproductive hormone production and fetal resorption. Professor Arthington discusses the factors affecting the response of a dairy cow to trace mineral supplementation, which can be feeding duration, source and concentration of trace mineral supplementation, physiological status, absence or presence of dietary antagonists, environmental factors, and the degree of stress.

Fertility is an important driver of dairy farm profitability. Poor fertility can significantly reduce the lifespan of dairy cows. IntelliBond hydroxy trace minerals have a positive effect on reproductive perfomance. Trials have shown that embryo quality is significantly improved and pregnancy rates of heifers and cows after artificial insemination are higher if they are fed IntelliBond hydroxy trace minerals.

Bulls supplemented with IntelliBond hydroxy trace minerals produced sperm with greater progressive motility, and greater sperm concentration. Cu and Zn hydroxychloride contained within IntelliBond are more bioavailable and more readily stored within the animal compared with Cu and Zn sulfate, resulting in an improvement of sperm quality of breeding bulls.

Rising feed costs and the cost of producing forage are presenting a major challenge to dairy farmers. Improving feed efficiency is therefore crucial to ensure dairy farm profitability. Heat stress is becoming more common. It results in a reduction of dry matter intake in combination with systemic inflammation as a result of “leaky gut”.

Resistance to heats stress in dairy cattle can be increased by a breeding programme with focus on genetic traits for health, longevity and persistence of lactation

In moderate climates, heat stress in dairy cows can already occur at a THI of 62. For grazed cattle the DHLI is more accurate.

During a webinar on October 27, 2022, Dr. Swamy Haladi, Selko Global Programme Manager Mycotoxin Risk Management dispelled the prevalent myth that ruminants are better equipped to manage mycotoxin exposure than other livestock species are. Learn why mitigation strategies must go beyond conventional binding approaches and how a multi-pronged strategy can leverage multiple mechanisms to manage and mitigate mycotoxin issues in dairy cattle.

Newly emergingmycotoxins of dairy cattle are neither routinely determined, nor legislatively regulated. However, the incidence of fusarium mycotoxins problems in ruminants is rapidly increasing. Watch the webinar of Professor Antonio Gallo about the impact of fusarium produced mycotoxins on the performance of dairy cows and a recent research update on mitigation strategies for mycotoxicosis. It includes the impact of mycotoxins on milk quality of dairy cattle.

Close to 52,000 feed samples were analysed for the Global Mycotoxin Review. The risk of problems with mycotoxins in dairy cows and an outlook for 2023 were presented. In 2023, the risk for problems with aflatoxins in dairy cows are considered to be high.

Diagnosing problems with mycotoxins in dairy cattle is not always easy and requires testing for mycotoxins in combination with silage analysis for molds. Mycotoxin binders included in a mycotoxin mitigation programme should bind mycotoxins and improve gut health, immunity and anti-oxidant status of dairy cows.

Professor Fink-Gremmels discusses the impact of the "big 6" AFOZET mycotoxins, silage and storage mycotoxins and endophytes that grow inside plants, on dairy health and performance. The risk of aflatoxins causing food safety issues is also being discussed.