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