Reproductive Management of Cattle

Introduction

As veterinarians we study for between five and six years before qualifying. For four years I laboured under the misapprehension that the theory I was learning in time for the final, clinical year was sound preparation for that year (which I am in now). The truth is that nothing prepared me for it - the shifts, the three months of being on call, the fact that I could never switch off my mobile because I may have missed an importante text message. The final year is also an importante time for conceptualising what you really want to study. the choices are

• pets
• farm animals
• wildlife
• the commercial side
• surgery
• clinic

I admit to preferring to work alone and to take full responsibility for my work. I don't mid working in a team.  This will be inevitable.  But I want to be the boss and make no apologies for that. I also think I want to work with farm animals, or surgery, or wildlife. Being a pet vet holds little appeal as barking gives me a headache.  Sure, a part of me may read this in future and cringe, but a part of me will recognise that I am being true to myself at this moment in time.

Reproductive Efficiency in Cattle Farming.

I also enjoy woking with farm animals.  This comes from an appreciation of wide open spaces, memories of my adolescence spent working on farms and the current module which does not envolve shifts! 
Seriously, the responsbility of the large animal veterinarian is two-fold. Firstly to ensure the well-being of farm animals. Secondly to help the farmer maximize his profits whilst working according to ethical and moral good practice. One way the veterianrian does this is by advising the producer on management practices, especially to maximize herd reproductive efficiency. This is a big area and the veterianrian needs to know how to calculate reproductive efficiency and recognise that it is associated with cattle herd reproductive, nutritional and health management. 
Whilst cattle are derived from two subspecies, Bos taurus taurus (from Europe) and Bos taurus indicus (from Asia), it is worth noting that European breeds can adapt to the Tropics.  That is why you will find Friesian/Holstein cattle in tropical Brazil. They can do well, given time to acclimatise.  But the 'humped' zebu breeds dominate here.

 Talk of reproductive efficiency brings us on to service period, which is affected by nutrition, herd health, the sire's fertility, on big Brazilian farms the peon's ability to correctly observe oestrous ('bulling'), and weaning. Other vital statistics include the producer recording the interval between calvings, the number of servicings per conception, the number of weaned calves and cald weight both at birth and at weaning. An optimum reproductive rate would be one calf annually or every thirteen months.


Conclusion

So there is a great deal to a veterinarian's role in advising producers.  We have to know the industry as thoroughly as the producer does.  This means we have to know the beef and dairy categories, pasture management, soil and forage analysis, fertilisation, breeds of cattle and their conformation and genetics, their welfare and production systems and how to maximize yields. Those yields may be for eggs, milk, yoghurt, honey, beef, forage or concentrates. In another article I will discuss gestation management.