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Understanding
the Key to Successful Reproduction
Presented at ND Dairy Cow College, February
2000
Dr. Paul M. Fricke
Department of Dairy Science
University of Wisconsin-Madison
1675 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Introduction
It is important that dairy producers understand the factors that
affect the rate at which cows become pregnant in their herd as well
as the management factors they can control to improve this rate.
Timely rebreeding of postpartum lactating cows is essential for
reducing average days open and the corresponding calving interval.
A successful breeding program enhances profitability by maximizing
the time cows spend in the most productive portion of lactation.
The rate at which cows become pregnant in a dairy herd, commonly
called the pregnancy rate, is defined as the number of eligible
cows (i.e., nonpregnant cows past the producer's voluntary waiting
period) in a herd that conceive every 21 days. Two major factors
determining pregnancy rate are: 1) conception rate or pregnancy
rate per artificial insemination, and 2) estrus detection rate or
service rate. Understanding how conception rate and service rate
interact to determine the pregnancy rate in a dairy herd will reveal
the key to achieving reproductive efficiency.
Return to Physiology and Reproduction
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