Conception Rate: how to analyze?
All milk producers certainly have a similar desire “to have pregnant cows”. This is obvious considering the product that brings the money, milk, comes after calving. However, it is important to emphasize that herd fertility is a matter that requires a lot of attention as several variables interfere the efficiency of this action.
In today’s text we will understand a reproductive parameter, the conception rate. But it is important to remember that a reproductive parameter should never be analyzed in isolation.
We call conception rate the measure of accuracy in inseminating cows, that is the result of the number of cows that became pregnant compared to the number of cows that were inseminated in a given period.
Among the variables that affect the success of this index, some management factors are important, including:
• Farm labor should be well trained, as protocols and AI need to be done by professionals that follow the technique properly.
• The health of the herd must always be monitored with vaccination programs up to date. In addition, you should pay attention to abortion cases and be aware of dystocia or any postpartum problems such as metritis, hypocalcemia, or other metabolic disorders.
• Animal diet must be properly balanced to meet the animal’s nutrient requirements. An analysis that can be considered, for example, is milk urea nitrogen (MUN). When elevated MUN may indicate excess of crude protein in the diet which may leave the uterine environment unsuitable for the embryo.
• Genetic selection is another point of attention for the success of this index; after all, the choice of breeder must be made with great care as handling and storage are fundamental for semen quality.
But how do I measure all these important topics that can influence my conception rate? How can I avoid reproductive failures and become even more efficient?
A well-done management system is the best tool to generate useful information for use in decision making. UNIFORM-Agri gathers all the available information and presents it in a friendly, objective and simple way using practical tables and charts. Helping you understand how your business is really doing now so you can analyze and evaluate what decisions will lead to greater improvement in the future.
Information that often goes unnoticed can now be fully analyzed. UNIFORM-agri can compare the inseminator’s success rate. For example, checking this parameter may indicate if some inseminators need a second training to improve the results. Similarly, we can look at conception rate by days of the week to see if a specific day’s routine may be affecting reproductive results.
It is also possible to generate reports of animals for postpartum health treatment, preventative care, or to schedule health screening tasks. Such reports assure that we do not neglect care for cows with an underlying issue avoiding future reproductive problems.
About diet analysis, UNIFORM-agri has graphs that bring together the milk urea nitrogen and milk protein. Depending on how the info is arranged on the chart, we can evaluate the best way to correct the diet.
UNIFORM-Agri also shows the direct effect of bulls used for insemination, and the maternal effect of the bull’s influence on daughter pregnancy rate. Due to the significant economic importance of reproductive efficiency and the availability of this analysis bull effect can be considered, although the impact on fertility variation is slight.
There are also several other filters, graphs and information designed for analysis as well as other fertility parameters that help detect the management factors that should be prioritized.
The producer must use his tools to his advantage. UNIFORM-Agri is a complete herd management software that provides a complete data solution. The software is user friendly, simple to understand, and offers producers or consultants autonomy and security decision making, optimizing economic gains or minimizing losses. We help our customers to better understand their key performance indicators and more confidently make profitable decisions.
Nayara Magalhães Gonçalves
Veterinary Graduated at Federal University of Vicosa – MG
Market Support and Development Manager at UNIFORM-Agri
