ISSN: 2044-9038 (Print) 2044-9046 (Electronic)

Clinical Practice

Dairy Animals Reproduction

Management of Reproduction in dairy animals is the key element in the success of any dairy enterprise small or big. Producing one calf each year from a cow/ buffalo is the dream of every dairy farmer and achievement of this dream is really challenging. With the advent of AI with frozen semen, the scenario has become more challenging. Successful reproduction management is an outcome of many critical and coherent events. Early sexual maturity of heifers, expression of overt estrus symptoms by animals, heat detection by the farmer, timely insemination with disease free semen following SOPs, maintenance of pregnancy till full term, normal calving resulting in a normal and healthy calf, after calving, the animal again starts cycling etc. are some of the critical events. Disruption at any point of this cycle will affect the reproduction of the animal and thereby will affect milk production. Intensive systems focus towards maximum production per cow within the herd. This involve formulating their diet to provide ideal nutrition and housing the cows in a confinement system such as free stall or tie stall. These cows are housed indoors throughout their lactation and should be put to pasture during their 60-day dry period before ideally calving again. Free stall style barns involve cattle loosely housed where they will have free access to feed, water, and stalls but are moved to a different a part of the barn to be milked multiple times a day. In a tie stall system, the milking units are delivered to the cows during each milking. These cattle are tethered within their stalls with free access to water and feed are provided. In extensive systems, cattle are mainly outside on pasture for most of their lives.     

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