Get your mob ready for mating with this handy checklist.
Use this handy checklist to make sure you don’t miss anything this season.
Yearling heifers
- Trace element testing and supplementation (esp copper and selenium)
- Drench
- BVD screening
- BVD vaccination
- Weigh (should be 60% of mature liveweight at 15 months)
- Organise bulls (consider numbers, breed, age, source)
- If AI’ing:
- Is synchrony plan required/organised?
- AI tech organised
- Semen ordered
- Heat detection aids (scratchies or tail paint etc)
Herd
- Start pre-mating heat detection 35 days prior to PSM - approx. 25th September for 1st November PSM
- Pre-mating trace element testing
- Bulk milk BVD screening
- BVD vaccination
- BCS herd 4-5 weeks pre-mate – once a day milk or preferential feeding for at risk groups
- Final metrichecking (metricheck every 2-3 weeks throughout calving for best results)
- Strategic drench for herd (Eprinex data shows improved repro performance => more days in milk next season)
- Repro catch-up with KeyVet to discuss mating plan
Bulls
- M.bovis risk assessment on source farm
- BVD test
- BVD vaccination
- Trace element supplementation (especially copper and selenium)
- Quarantine drench as they arrive on farm – especially young bulls
- Physical soundness check as bulls arrive off the truck (BCS, lameness, injuries, signs of illness)
- Semen test
- Ensure adequate numbers purchased
- Minimum of 1:30 with herd based on what is left to get in-calf after the end of AI, double this number to allow for half resting half working policy, plus spares! Don’t skimp!
- Minimum of 1:20 with yearling heifers, 1:10-15 after a synchro program
- Avoid transporting long distances within 6 weeks of mating
- Claire Hunter
