Ian Rumbles CanWest DHI Deck of Cards What would you build with a deck of cards Deck of Cards Would you build a simple house Or a Tower Or something HUGE Deck of Cards What is the BEST structure ID: 305232
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Slide1
Heifer Benchmarks
Ian Rumbles – CanWest DHISlide2
Deck of Cards
What would you build with a deck of cards?Slide3
Deck of Cards
- Would you build a simple house?
- Or a Tower
- Or something HUGE !Slide4
Deck of Cards
What is the BEST structure?
What is the GOAL !
Largest number of cards
Or the fewest
Highest
Most elaborate
StableSlide5
Benchmarks
Determining the Best card structure, is a lot like Heifer Benchmarks.
You need to determine what
are you going to measure
The additional thing, that was
not in the Card example is
comparing measurements
over time Slide6
What to Measure ?
What can we measure to tell us we are doing the Best job possible in raising our heifers?
There are a number of things:
Health
- Stillborns
- F / M ratio and Twins
- 60 Day Survival rate
- Diseases
- Diarrhea
- Pneumonia
- Navel Infection
- Left Herd reasons and age
Reproduction
- Age at 1st Breeding
- Age at first Calving
- Times Bred
- % heifers Pregnant at 15 mths
Growth
- Birth Weight
- Weight / Height at 1st Breeding
- Weight / Height at first Calving
Population and Potential
- Number Heifers per cow
- Genetic potential of heifers,
compared to cows
Economics
- Average cost of Heifer Rearing
What are the KEY onesSlide7
Measurements
Lots of things we COULD measure
Measurements
Easy to do
Has an impact
Repeatable at regular intervals
Record and Chart
Easy to do
If it is not easy, you will not do it
Especially over time
Has an Impact
Will it make you more money
Will it cost less
Repeatable
Really important to keep doing it
Must be on a schedule so you
can see progress
Record and Chart
Make sure you record
Charts will show impact
Depending on where you need to improve, will impact on how many measurements you take and for whatSlide8
Death
A number of calves do not even get a chance to make it to the milking herd
Calves born Dead
6 %
12 % in 1st Lact Heifers
Calves die before Weaning
8 %
PLUS
Calves die post Weaning
2 %
PLUS
MEASURE
- % of calves dead before weaning
16 %
Are you doing Better or Worse than this?
Do you really know, or are you guessing?Slide9
Death
- Stillborns
- what is the relationship to difficult calving and /or Twins
- 60 Day Survival rate
- Diseases
- Diarrhea
- Pneumonia
- Navel Infection
- Left Herd reasons and age
If you are having trouble with calves dying, you can measure:Slide10
Growth
Measuring the height and weight of a calf can help determine breeding age
Valacta and industry partners have good growth charts and graphs
Weights (kgs)
HO JE
Breeding 400 260
Calving 610 385Slide11
Growth
Ideally, you should get height and weight measurements at Weaning, First Breeding and Calving
Remember the first key in measurements is “Easy to Do”
Chart the heights and weights against age
Establish a process to measure heights and weights
- Getting all heifers would be great
- Get 10 measurements, height, weight and age, 2 to 4 times
per year, would be good
Measuring sticks and tapes available from farm supply and feed companiesSlide12
Reproduction
2011 Reproduction Benchmarks
Over 50% of ON herds have enough heifer reproduction data to make benchmarksSlide13
Reproduction
Establishing and distributing Benchmarks makes a difference
(slow progress, but moving in the right direction)
Age at 1st Calving % Heifers Pregnant at 15 mths
09 10 11 09 10 11
25 28.0 27.9 27.4 25 3 4 4
50 26.4 26.4 25.9 50 14 17 18
75 25.3 25.2 24.9 75 37 42 43
90 24.4 24.4 24.1 90 61 65 67
Every month less to Age at 1st calving is 5% less cost to raise heiferSlide14
Population and Potential
The average Genetic Potential of heifers should be higher than cows
This herd has 1.2 heifers for every cow, is that economic?Slide15
Benchmarks
Measurements
Easy to do
Has an impact
Repeatable at regular intervals
Record and Chart
If you are getting benchmarks already prepared (e.g. Reproduction
benchmarks), you should compare your herd against the other rankings
If you are tracking your own benchmarks (e.g. Height /weights or Genetic
indexes) it is important to:
- select no more than 5 key areas to track
- chart them so you have a visual reference
- set a goal for the upcoming year Slide16
Thank You !