Feeding for fertilty

Feeding for Fertility


The relationship b/w nutrition and reproduction is a topic of concern among producers,

nutritionists and veterinarians alike.

Early research confirmed that nutrition played an important role in reproduction but in most

cases severe nutritional deficiencies were required to cause reproductive problems.

Today, however, it is accepted that nutrition programs and management are highly

implicated in breeding problems in herds.



Achieving reproductive efficiency through nutrition and feeding management involves:

1. Dry and transition cow nutrition and management

2. Monitoring body condition (BCS)

3. Bunk management to maximize dry matter intake

4. Proper protein nutrition

5. Balancing minerals and vitamins

Dry Cow Nutrition and Management

A good dry cow program, whether it is the traditional 2 group, 60 day system or the “new” one group, 40

day system, should accomplish the following goals:

1. Provide nutrition for the developing fetus2. Maintain proper BCS3. Prepare the digestive tract (rumen) for the next

lactation4. Heal and prepare the udder for the next lactation5. Reduce metabolic, infectious, and reproductive

disorders6. Improve future reproductive efficiency

Dry Cow Nutrition and Management

Maintaining a positive energy balance is critical to the dry cow.

Close up dry cows (CUD) have a high energy demand related to fetal needs, colostrum

production and mammary gland draw.

However, DMI drops up to 30% as cows approach calving, depressed feed intake

puts the animal at risk for a number of metabolic disorders.

Transition Management

Cows which develop metabolic disorders at or around calving are significantly more likely to:

Develop secondary disorders during the next lactation

Have lower production and impaired fertility than cows calving problem free


RELATIONSHIP B/W PRIMARY DISORDERS AT/AROUND CALVING AND SECONDARY DISORDERS DURING THE SUBSEQUENT LACTATION

PRIMARY DISORDER

SECONDARY FAT COW MILK DYSTOCIA RETAINED METRITIS DISPLACED KETOSISDISORDER SYNDROME FEVER PLACENTA ABOMASUM

DIFFICULT + +CALVING

RETAINED + + + PLACENTA

METRITIS + + + + ? ?

DISPLACED

ABOMASUM + + + + ? ?

MASTITIS + + + + + ?

LOW

CONCEPTION + + + + + + +RATE


Milk fever is a significant risk factor for several other disorders including retained placenta and displaced

abomasum.

Subclinical milk fever and/or ketosis or a combination of the two can impact enormously on an animal’s

reproductive efficiency. Factors which cause loss of muscle tone, increase the

risk of Displaced Abomasum (DA).

Other factors identified as risk for potential DA’s include toxemia due to metritis and mastitis.


At the barn level:

Strive for BCS of 3.5-4 @ drying off & calving

Limit Ca to 80-100 g/h/d, and P to 40-50 g/h/d, during the close up dry phase

Avoid or limit legume forages due to high Ca, K

Balance anion-cations in the ration and use anionic salts if necessary (always measure urine pH, ~6)

Supplement vitamin A @ 200 KIU/H/D; vitamin D @ 50 KIU/H/D and vitamin E @ 1,000- 4,000 IU/H/D


At the barn level:

If oral supplementation is not guaranteed, inject vitamins A,D & E plus Se on the day of drying off and 3 weeks prepartum.

Supply 7-8 mg/hd/day of Se orally to all milking and dry groups

Introduce fats, niacin, yeast, CRC Boluses, choline in the CUD

Close up dry (CUD) rations should mimic the high group TMR: the same ingredients but balanced for CUD (BUT NOT THE milking premix, salt and bicarb).


At the barn level:

Most of my clients provide 30-40 litres of warm electrolytes after calving.

For “at risk” animals, calcium and/or sugar products are administered either as a drench, I.M. or I.V.

Monitor the fresh cow to make sure she has a vigorous appetite.

Many Nutritionists like to feed a couple of kg’s of high quality long forage to maintain rumen function.


At the barn level:

Watch for depressed animals that may be suffering from subclinical milk fever, ketosis and other disorders.

Record body temperature to get an early start on animals that may be suffering from metritis or other infections.

Listen for rumen movement (one to two ruminations/minute).

Observe uterine discharge for odors and physical condition.


At the barn level:

Other tools that I use on herd health calls besides those already mentioned include:

Monitoring milk components and SCC Manure scoring and screeningBlood NEFAUrine ketone bodiesMilk urea nitrogen (MUN)Rumen pH (rumenocentesis)

BCS and Reproduction

In North America we use the 1 to 5 scale, with 1 being emaciated and 5 being obese.

We BCS ALL groups of animals (milking, dry heifers, calves) at each herd health and adjust the rations accordingly. Herd energy status impacts:

Milk production

Dry matter intake

Reproduction

Health of cows

16

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1 2 3 4 5

Periods

Month

Freshening

Body StoresUsed for

Milk Production

Body StoresRegained for

Next Lactation

Dry PeriodRumenRehab

Nutrient and Milk Yield Relationships in the Lactation and Gestation Cycle

Dry Matter Intake

Milk Production

Body Weight


BCS changes can cause problems when they are too rapid, too much or too little:

Cows < BCS 2.0, or cows that lose +2 BCS points in the first 100 days of lactation are at

risk of cystic ovaries, anestrus, fatty liver disease and spontaneous abortion.


Cows > +4 BCS at dry off are 3X more likely to experience the following reproductive problems in their next lactation, than cows of a normal BCS (fat cow syndrome):

DystociaRetained placentaUterine infectionCystic ovariesAbortion


At the barn level:

Add BCS on during the last 200 DIM and not in the dry period (thin cows should go directly to the CUD)

If cows are fat at dry off do not allow BCS loss during dry period

BCS ALL cows to monitor changes

Maximize dry matter intake of close up and fresh cows to limit negative energy balance

Optimizing Dry Matter Intake (DMI)

Manipulating DMI can:

Increase milk production and components

Minimize negative energy balance that leads to metabolic disorders

Improve reproductive performance by reaching positive energy balance earlier in lactation.


At the barn level:

Ideally, feed should be available to cows 24 hours a day. The maximum amount of time w/o feed should be limited to 4 hours per day.

It is CRITICAL that feed bunks be kept clean! Don’t add fresh feed on top of old feed. Rations, specifically TMR’s, should contain 48-52%

dry matter. Most of my herds add water or wet brewers grains to the TMR.

The feeding surface of bunks can have a huge impact on DMI. Surfaces should be tiled or painted with an epoxy like substance.


At the barn level:

All animals should have a minimum of ~ 1 m of bunk space available at all times.

Feed refusal should be weighed (2-4%) and monitored using the “shaker” box test (+/- 10% in each box).

Frequent feedings decrease fluctuations in rumen pH, stabilize the rumen environment and improves DMI.

Frequent feeding maintains fresher, more palatable feed particularly in the summer months.

FOOT PROBLEMS…A NUTRITIONIST’S NIGHTMARE

Foot problems both infectious (“straw berry foot”) and non-infectious (laminitis) continue to plaque the global dairy herd. They have a HUGE impact on herd reproduction.

Why? Cows who cannot walk:Do not eat, go down in a stall and stay there. They are reluctant to show heats (even if they are

cycling) because it hurts to be on their feet.They are more prone to reproductive and metabolic

disorders Are likely to be prematurely culled from the herd.

Protein Nutrition and Reproduction

The effect of protein nutrition on reproduction is still not completely clear.

About 20 years ago, the Degradable Protein System was adopted for diet formulation for

dairy cows.

The objective of this system is to provide sufficient soluble/degradable protein to

maximize rumen microbial fermentation and growth with un-degraded intake protein

supplying amino acids to the small intestine above microbial supply.


This balance of protein types would prevent excess ammonia production in the rumen

which leads to elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels.

Increased BUN (blood urea nitrogen) or MUN (milk urea nitrogen) levels causes a “toxic” environment around the reproductive tract.


These nitrogen compounds result in decreased viability of the sperm cells, ovulated egg and

the embryo itself.

Decreased fertility would result with increased services: conception and days open.

What I see at the barn level is cows diagnosed as , and 3 months latter coming back into heat.

Minerals, Vitamins and Reproduction

Micronutrients, minerals and vitamins, are also important in achieving efficiency and profitable

levels of production.

There has been a trend to over supplement some traces minerals; this can lead to

toxicities (liver damage) and deficiencies of other trace mineral competing for receptor

sites in the gut.

It is essential that all vitamins and minerals be supplement at a good level but not a toxic

level.


In the milking herd supply Ca at 0.98-1.1% of the total ration DM. This translates to ~ 200-250 g/h/d.

P should be 0.36 – 0.4%.

Mg should be balanced at 0.35%.

It is important that the Ca:P ratio be 2:1, a minimum of 1.75:1.


Two micro-minerals associated with enhancing reproductive performance are zinc and

selenium.

Both are involved with membrane integrity and influence udder and the reproductive tract health. This role could enhance the uterine environment and support increased fertility.


Se and Vitamin E work together to decrease the incidence of retained placenta (RP), metritis and increase the rate of uterine involution.

• I supplement Vitamin E in the close-up dry ration b/w 1000 to 4000 IU/day (new); in the milking ration I supplement Vitamin E at a

minimum of 1000 IU/day.


At the barn level:

Retained Placentas?

1. Milk fever (sub or clinical)→Ca shortage2. Ketosis (sub or clinical)→Energy shortage3. Protein deficiency →Protein shortage4. Se &/or Vit. E deficiency →Vitamin and

mineral5. Twins, hard calving, late/early calf etc.

→Life!All will have a negative effect on future fertility.


The water soluble vitamins Niacin, Biotin and Choline are usually manufactured in the rumen.

However, in high production animals this synthesis may not be adequate. Rumen protected products are

available and are getting very favorable reviews.

Niacin, part of many metabolic pathways, helps cows with “fat cow syndrome”.

Biotin has been very successful in aiding membrane integrity at the hoof level, resulting in healthier hooves.

Choline is involved in the smooth transitioning from the dry phase to the milking phase.

Other Considerations on Herd Fertility

Molds and mycotoxins in feed. There is no place for moldy feed on the modern dairy farm!

STRESS (housing, handling, lameness, diseases and their effects on cows’ hormones)

High production and it’s affects on the production of luteinizing hormone, progesterone, estrogen, and follicular development. Related to the current increase in twins.

Photo-period and environmental light. Temperature and humidity.

Other Considerations on Herd Fertility

Feeding for fertilty

Documents

dry cow nutrition

dry phase

dry heifers

dry cows cud

transition cow nutrition

dry matter intake4

dry cud rations

barn level