Understanding the Key to Successful Reproduction

Conclusions

Estrus detection in lactating dairy cows is poor not only because of inadequate estrus detection protocols, but because high-producing lactating cows express estrus poorly. Dairy producers can most effectively improve pregnancy rate by improving AI service rate in their herds, and this can be accomplished by using one or more commercially available estrus detection aids. Finally, because lactating dairy cows exhibit a high rate of early embryonic loss, cows diagnosed pregnant early during gestation should be scheduled for a second pregnancy diagnosis at around 56 days post AI.

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