—Lancaster Farming, Saturday. June 4, 1977
132
Half of cows’ heat periods missed
By DIETER KRIEG
LANCASTER - If you think
you know all there is to know
about artificial breeding and
heat cydes, you may want to
reassess your position after
listening to Penn State dairy
specialist Harvey Schaefer.
The Extension dairyman
says one study revealed that
between 20 and 30 per cent of
artifically inseminated cows
weren’t even in heat at the
time of service. Another
report shows that 60 per cent
of heats were missed by good
herdsmen. One national
study tells of dairymen
missing 50 per cent of the
cows coming into heat in
their herds.
There aren’t many
dairymen around (if any)
who will deny that breeding
efficiencies are one'of their
main concerns in maintaing
profitable production.
Realizing this, Penn State
research has studied the
problem for years. New
concepts ere being trie< and
devloped. An example of Che
latter which is becoming
known to a number of
Pennsylvania dairymen is
the pregnancy check through
milk samples. It’s still only
performed on a limited
experimental basis, but the
day may arrive when
fanners can have
pregnancies reported by way
of monthly DHIA Schaefer also urges
summaries. In trials dairymen not to assume too
conducted at Penn State thus much from any one thing,
far, DHIA pregnancy checks such as the time of breeding
are 99 per cent correct on in relation to time of
negative responses, and ®to standing heat. There are too
78 per cent correct with many variables, the
positive results. specialist explains. Also,
Schaefer predicts that the there’s absolutely no
cost of a pregnancy checking guarantee Hut the semen is
program by way of DHIA fertile except the reputation
milk samples would be of tbc person you might buy
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“minimal.” Great Britain is
already offering such a
service to dairymen while
continuing to study its
applications. Similar work is
being conducted at Cornell
as well.
While some circles of
dairymen are discussing the
shortening of calving
intervals, the Penn State
dairy scientist has
reservatidhs and second
thoughts about it. He would
rather see dairymen work on
the shortening of long
calving intervals within a
herd, rather than the herd as
a whole. “We shouldn’t be as
concerned if a cow goes over
a 12 to month calving
interval,” Schaefer tells
Pennsylvania dairymen.
Acknowledging tint heat
detection can be a real
problem, the dairy specialist
recommends turning cows
out at lesst once a dav and
possibly employing heat
detection devices.
“Heat detection is most
difficult in free-etall barns,”
'Schaefer reports, suggesting
that five to ten minutes of
heat observation four tunes
a day during times when
cows aren’t doing anything
else will be a step in the right
direction. “Lode at Hum
first thing in the morning
and last at night,” he
recommends.
Harvey Shaffer
semen from. He advises that
semen not be purchased
second-hand or from third
parties. “Buy direct, that’s
the only safeguard you
have,” he stresses.
“Anytime yon go beyond the
production source of the
semen, you’re on the ice,” he
affirms.
Schaefer, who has devised
a unique educational chart
for heat cycles which
incorporates a series of
sliding boards, used the
device to Illustrate his
message on heat detection.
He declares diet periods of
standing heat last 18 hours
(plus or minus six hours) on
85 per cent of cows studied.
The time to ovulation is
another 12 hours, giving an
average total of 30 boors
from tiie time standing beat
first occurred. Carrying the
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illustration further, the
Eztension'rdairy specialist
points out that the average
life of the egg is 10 hours.
Bringing the sperm cells into
the picture, the dairyman
has quite a time range
during which he could
successfully breed his cow if
all systems are functioning
' normally.
. Dairymen and Penn State
researchers know, however,
that it isn’t all that easy. A
common error, says
Schaefer, is for dairymen to
want to breed their cows too
early. He recommends that
the time of breeding be
recorded on breeding charts,
not just the dayr Also,
anytime you see a cow in
heat 18 hours after she was
bred, it’s time to give her a
second host.
“The more accurately you
can determine the beginning
of heat, die better your
chances of settling the cow,”
says Schaefer. “Know your
cows individually,” he
recommends.
The appearance of blood
after breeding is
meaningless as far as
breeding results are
concerned. “It just means
the cow was in heat,” says
the dairy scientist.
Recording tlie blood
sightings on breeding charts
could be helpful in.
determining a cowfs
schedule. Blodd should
appear 24 hours after
breeding if the cow was bred
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bleeding occurs, but chances
ard pretty slim.
According to Penn State
specialists, the' act of
breeding may hasten
McGovern
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
Senator George McGovern
says that the administration
arguments being used as
justification for thinly veiled
threats of a veto if the
Congress passes the Senate
Version of 1977 Farm Bill are,
specious. ‘‘The
administration line, which
unfortunately has been
picked up in news accounts
describing the farm bill
controversy, is that the bill
as passsed by the Senate
would cost too much.’ But
that argument is simply a
straw man.”
“In its presentation to the
Senate Agriculture
Committee, administration
representatives time after
time said that they were
using figures based on the
best possible weather and
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ovulation. The yellow W
on the ovary governs th
lenghth of heat penod l
Cows do not necessam,
come into heat at night 2
just that the most sig® 0
heat occur at that time, sav
Schaefer. ’ ys
disagrees
the worst possible market
conditions. Doing
dramatically inflates the
cost figures dhich have®
relation to reality.”
“Over the five year hied
this bill it might h
reasonable to believe that
those conditions could
prevail for perhaps one year
out of the five. It is absurd to
make decisions based on the
historically inaccurati
USDA predictions of yield
and market conditions.
“I am perfectly willing fe
debate the merits of tlx
Senate passed version of tlx
Farm Bill. But that debit
should be focused on reality
It is safe to say th
historically no agricultn
support program has en
reached the point i
‘maximum exposure”.
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