Investigation of Poor Fertility

Keeping good records greatly helps when attempting to determine nature of a fertility problem.
The following list is non-exhaustive but shows some of the many factors affecting fertility that our vets deal with on a regular basis:

Nutrition

• Fatty liver syndrome
• Negative Energy Balance / Ketosis
• Sub-acute Ruminal Acidosis
• Dry cow / transition cow feeding
• Minerals / vitamins imbalances
• Water

Infectious diseases

• BVD
• Leptospirosis
• IBR
• Campylobacter
• Trichomonas
• Neospora
• Fluke

Management factors

• Handling at service
• AI technique/timing
• Semen storage
• Oestrus detection and animal identification
• Injury to uterus during last calving

Bull factors

• General health
• Ability to achieve intromission
• Semen quality
• Bull to cow ratio
• Remember your bull is half your herd!

Cow health

• Lameness
• Uterine infections
• Mastitis

Housing

• Slippery floors preventing bulling behaviour
• Overcrowding inhibiting bulling behaviour
• Bullying of heifers by older cows
• Access to bull to encourage bulling behaviour

Please contact us if you would like more information about organising routine fertility visits for your farm