The 16th Meeting of Dairy Club (Joint Venture of Alltech and UVAS) was held on Monday October, 8, 2012 at Syndicate Room UVAS. Following was the agenda of meeting:
Title |
Speaker |
Factors affecting conception rate in dairy cows |
Prof. Dr. Aleem Bhatti |
Minutes of meetings are as follows:
Dr. Muhammad Ilyas opened the house and gave warm welcome to the participants. He introduced the worthy speaker and explained the agenda.
Lecture by Prof. Dr. Aleem Bhatti:
Prof Dr. Aleem started his presentation from cascade of milk production:
| Event |
Duration |
Adult cow |
14 mo |
Show heat |
12 hr |
Breeding |
3 min |
Conception |
6 – 24 hr |
Pregnancy |
9 mo |
Calving |
2 hr |
MILKING |
10 mo |
Any of the area being neglected will effect overall performance of the animals.
Factors Affecting CR:
- Calving conditions
- Hygienic
- Low feed intake
- Inaccurate Estrus detection
- 30% herds had an error in ED
- 10 to 50% cows were bred but were not in estrus
- Semen quality
- Insemination technique
- Bull fertility varies from up to 20%
- Environment
- High temp and humidity (10 to 20%)
- Age and genetics
Infertility: Percentage embryonic, foetal and calf losses and total losses
Day post-insemination |
Loss % |
Loss % |
Total loss % |
Embryo d 8- 18 |
27.0 (25-29) |
|
|
Embryo d18- 50 |
9.5 ( 8-13) |
|
|
Embryo d50- 90 |
3.5 ( 3- 5) |
|
|
Embryonic loss to d90 |
|
|
40.0 (36-44) |
Abortion (90-259 foetus) |
2.0 ( 1- 3) |
|
|
Stillbirth (259-calving) |
3.0 ( 2- 4) |
|
|
Abortion + stillbirth loss |
|
5.0 ( 010) |
|
Early postnatal loss |
|
2.0 ( 0- 4) |
|
Abortion + perinatal loss |
|
|
7.0 ( 0-10) |
Total calf loss (embryo+foetus+perinatal) |
|
|
47.0 (42-52) |
The Relationship Between Estrous Signs and Conception Rate:
|
Cow # |
Conception rate (%) |
Standing |
163 |
55 |
Non Standing |
193 |
37 |
Total |
356 |
45 |
Impact of heat stress on Reproduction:
- Reduce heat detection rates
- Cows do not exhibit estrus behavior
- Higher body temperature inhibit embryo development
- Embryonic death
- Poor quality embryo
Heat Stress Studies last 10 years:
- Conclusion:
- Cooling of high yielding (above 45 L daily) can not eliminate summer decline in conception rate
- As was achieved 20 years ago when average milk yield was 30 L daily
- Nevertheless, combination of Cooling + Nutritional + Reproductive management can work
Relationship between BCS Loss in First 5 Weeks after Calving and Reproduction:
|
Body Condition Loss |
Item |
< 0.5 |
0.5 to 1.0 |
> 1.0 |
# Cows |
17 |
64 |
12 |
Days to first ovulation |
27a |
31a |
42b |
Days to first heat |
48ab |
41a |
62b |
Days to first service |
68a |
67a |
79b |
First service conception rate, % |
65a |
53a |
17b |
Services per conception |
1.8 |
2.3 |
2.3 |
Pregnancy rate, % |
94 |
95 |
100 |
Means in a row with different superscripts differ P < 0.05 |
Cumulative Effect of Fertility Factors on Conception rates:
|
Cow Fertility |
Heat Detection Accuracy |
Semen Fertility |
AI Technique |
Conception Rate % |
90 |
95 |
95 |
90 |
73 |
90 |
90 |
90 |
90 |
66 |
85 |
85 |
90 |
90 |
58 |
80 |
90 |
90 |
80 |
52 |
75 |
80 |
90 |
85 |
46 |
Possible Solutions:
- Breeding plans and strategies
- Improved estrus synchronization protocols
- Possibilities;
- Use of antioxidants
- Regulate the hyperthermia caused by heat stress
- Extend lactation beyond 305 days and avoid summer insemination
- Indentify dams and sires that work relatively better in summer
At the end Dr. Shahzad Naveed Jadoon summarized the meeting and paid thanks to the worthy speaker and audiences and announced the schedule for next Dairy Club Meeting.
Schedule of 17th Dairy Club Meeting
Date: |
Nov 5, 2012 |
Day: |
Monday |
Time |
5:00PM |
Venue: |
Syndicate Room, UVAS, Lahore |
Speaker: |
Dr Junaid, From Department of Dairy Technology |
Topic: |
Value addition in dairy and dairy products. |
Million thanks to our speakers, attendees, and other members for sharing their lifelong experiences for the betterment of this sector! |
