THE PLAGUE OF INFERTILITY

 

           THE PLAGUE OF INFERTILITY

What if the world we live in was constant; no births no deaths, OR, may be variance; no births but deaths that means an ecosystem imbalance therefore birth is a crucial component in the life’s cycle of humans and animals.

Scrapping out humans and narrowing down to animals specifically Dairy and imagine the lifecycle cut off from its roots by Infertility and the end result is poor quality of products i.e., milk and of course the dream of breeding for better exotic breeds vanishes. THIS THEREFORE LEAVES US WITH A? (Question)

 WHAT IS INFERTILITY

Infertility is a term which includes all reasons for cows not conceiving after breeding. Infertility results in either culling of the cow or increased calving interval which reduces overall production efficiency. There are a number of reasons that can cause infertility in cows. These factors could either be managemental causes, Hormonal causes, Nutritional infertility or Fertilization failure. Discussing just a few major ones;

·             Sick bull i.e., trichomoniasis

·             Improper semen handling

·             Poor heat detection

·             Nutritional imbalance

·             Decreased fertility of a cow

1.           SICK BULL-When using a bull to inseminate the risks involved are of reproductive diseases from  the bull to the cow or vice versa like trichomoniasis. There is also a risk of inbreeding if only one bull is used for the whole herd or injury when a big bull is used on a small heifer.

2.           IMPROPER SEMEN HANDLING - Improper semen handling also affects the chances of conception and it starts all the way from collection of semen from the bull to the time of service, in terms of storage and exposure to dirt or other contaminants. Improperly handled semen has a low quality and the chances of the semen fertilizing are usually very low. 

3.           HEAT DETECTION- Heat detection is another factor that affects conception, since untimely detection lowers the chances of a cow conceiving upon service, this can be improved by having a   castrated bull in the herd which will always mount on a cow on heat or keenly observe the cows and     identify cows with silent heat.    

4.           DECREASED FERTILITY OF A COW-This is brought about by poor choice of a bull to use to serve the cow, infection of a cow uterus especially in cases where a cow was assisted in giving  birth.If a cow gives birth to twins, a bull and a heifer, the heifer can never conceive as it is         considered more of a bull than a heifer.                                                                                                                  

5.          NUTRITION-Nutrition also affect conception rate. Cows that develop hypocalcemia, ketosis and acidosis take longer to become pregnant.Cows that are over conditioned at calving or those that lose excess body weight are more likely to have prolonged interval to first oestrus thereby resulting to prolonged open days. 

Phosphorus is the mineral mostly associated with infertility thus dairy animals should be properly supplemented with at least 100g per day per cow with good quality mineral licks. We should also ensure that the animals are given a balanced ration to ensure that all nutrients required by the animals are available all times thus curbing infertility. A balanced ration should contain carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals in required proportions and water adlibitum. Cabbages and kales should NEVER be fed to a dairy cow as it lowers fertility.

In conclusion poor nutritional management of the cow, particularly before and after calving is a key driver of infertility.

(This information is in from our able Extension Team in conjunction with both the Media and IT department from Limuru Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society )