Are you ready for mating?

The days are getting longer, the frosts are getting thicker, which means a lot of us have mating on the brain. Here at FVM, we’ve spent the last few weeks catching up with a lot of you in our Plan to Mate consults. For those who haven’t made it to the clinic yet, it is not too late to ring and book your complimentary consult today. Click below to read more about what we have on offer to help you make the most of the mating period, and how to enter the draw for a brand new Navimow H2 robotic lawn mower, valued at $4999:

Metrichecking

Identification and treatment of dirty cows prior to mating is an important part of spring planning, as untreated cows can affect your in-calf rate. Ideal timing is four weeks post calving and 2-4 weeks pre-mating.

Trace elements

Monitoring, identifying and correcting trace element deficiencies in your herd minimises the chance of a poor pregnancy rate. We offer trace element testing and can provide you with advice about supplementation. A great time to test is during a metricheck visit, so give us a call if you would like to add it on.

Non-cyclers

If bang for buck is your thing, getting in early to treat your non-cyclers is the best way to go. Treating them before the start of mating will provide the best return on your investment, with the costs beginning to outweigh the benefits as the mating period draws on.

WhyWait

Designed to tighten up your 6WICR by making animals cycle a week earlier than they naturally would, the WhyWait program targets your cows that are already cycling at the start of mating. One injection, and plenty of benefits: 10 extra days in milk, more opportunities to be bred during the AI period, and more time to recover between calving and mating next season to resume cycling and get in calf early once again.

Heifer synchrony

Mate them all to AI in one visit, increase the rate of genetic gain on your farm, and lock in for a tight heifer calving spread with more time to recover and cycle between calving and mating next season.  

Body condition scoring

You are what you eat, and with it being difficult to eat a near-perfect in-calf rate, the next best thing is to have your animals at the optimum body condition for mating. As a quick refresher:

• First and second calvers should be 5.5 at calving, and 4.5 at mating.

• Cows should be 5 at calving and 4 at mating.

• However, the less fluctuation in body condition, the better. 

Get in touch with the clinic if you want to talk about nutrition and body condition prior to mating. We can perform an individual or mob score to help you identify potential issues in the herd and provide recommendations to rectify them prior to mating. Get in touch to arrange.

If you’re the type to be tempted by bells and whistles, let us introduce you to our spring promo give away:

Every $100 spent on retail products (non RVM) between June 1st to July 31st earns you one entry into the draw for our grand prize: a Navimow H2 robotic lawn mower, able to mow up to 3000m² and valued at $4999!

Some examples of the products you can use for entry:

Multimin:

At just under $6 a jab, Multimin is the pinnacle of bang for buck. With industrial-strength evidence to back it up, Multimin is the ultimate tool to add to your pre-mating roster.

·         One injection of multimin 3-4 weeks premating has been shown to:

o   Reduce empty rate by 3.3%

o   Halve pregnancy losses.

o   Brings the average conception date forward by 3.4 days.

Rumenox:

Rumenox, on the other hand, targets rumen function and acts to decrease the incidence of ketosis, which is a major contributing factor to endometritis, a well-documented cause of low in calf rates. Requiring just one gram per cow per day, Rumenox may be a great choice for you to utilise prior to and during the mating period.

Eprinex:

It’s not often that you have a drench boasting evidence-based claims like Eprinex does:

o   Increased milk production: +0.6kg more daily milk, and +30g more milk solids.

With a $9.50 payout, Eprinex claims a return on investment of up to $70 per cow.

o   Increased pregnancy rate.

o   Better yet, see in store for a deal on our Eprinex 25L, $2948 incl GST - that’s 29 chances to take sweet Nevel the lawnmower home!