Introducing and using InterHerd on the farm

Transcription

1 Introducing and using InterHerd on the farm

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3 Table of contents Section One: The Basic Procedures for using InterHerd on farm 1.1 Introduction What events to record on the farm? Entry of event data in to InterHerd Entering event data via the Event Pad Entering event data via the Animal Record Changing an event Deleting an event Creating a new animal Entering a calving in to InterHerd Drying off a batch of cows Vaccinate all youngstock Selling animals Batch PDs Entering drugs and treatments What to do on recording day Updating Interherd with new milk recording results Backing up your data First steps in using the data stored in InterHerd The Fertility Graphic The Herdsman s List The Vet List

4 Section 2 Administrative Reports 2.1 Continuous Herd Record Purchases, Births and disposals Medicines Register Events Register 34 Section 3 Routine analyses of your InterHerd data file 3.1 Fertility The Fertility Graphic (again) The Fertility Analysis (Cows) command: Summary of Service and Conception Heat Detection Analysis Milk yield and quality analysis The latest milk analysis results Milk production trends Somatic cell counts Identifying cows with consistently high SCCs Analysis of events recorded in InterHerd Long term trends in key production parameters...62 Appendix 1: InterHerd Event Structure

5 Section One: The Basic Procedures for using InterHerd on farm 1.1 Introduction Your initial InterHerd training session has three main objectives: Objective One: To create a data file containing details of all your animals. Objective Two: To customise the events and reports of InterHerd to fit the working practices on your farm. Objective Three: To train you in the basic data entry and report facilities of InterHerd. The first two objectives are done by the trainer and will not normally need repeating. (If you want to manipulate events further, then contact software support via the NMR Customer Services on ). Your full involvement in the third objective, however, is crucial. This guide reminds you of the basic procedures involved in data entry and report generation. These basic procedures are considered essential for establishing InterHerd on-farm. Once you are comfortable with these basics you are encouraged to move on to the procedures described in Section Two. 4

6 1.2 What events to record on the farm? InterHerd records key production and health events in individual animal records. Normally these are taken from written records made down on the farm either in a notebook or diary. The basic events (covering both farmer and vet) in the standard data file are given in Table 1. 5

7 You can change the event definitions to suit your working practice if required. Until you are experienced in using InterHerd it is recommended that you telephone the Software Support Team via NMR Customer Services ( ) to talk you through the process. The NMR Diary or Data Recording Books are common places for farmers to record events as they occur. The latter is a duplicate book that fits in to a pocket so is always at hand. The top copy is removed and given to the person entering the data in to the computer, leaving the carbon copy as a permanent record on the farm. An example of how a recording book might look for recording InterHerd events is given in Figure 2. 6

8 1.3 Entry of event data in to InterHerd The events written down by the herdsman need to be entered in to InterHerd. There are two principal ways to enter event data. The choice of which to use is normally determined by whether the person entering the data knows the cows that the data refer to. The two methods are: 1. The Event Pad: This is ideally suited to rapid entry of data by a secretary or other person who does not directly work with the animals concerned. It is also ideal for the farmer/herdsman who is keen to enter the data quickly See Entering event data via the Event Pad below 2. The Animal Record: All the data relating to an animal is stored in its Animal Record. You can enter data directly in to the Animal Record if required, which allows you to review the other data at the same time. While data entry is a bit slower, all details, including the parity summary form, are displayed on the screen allowing you to spot, for example, animals that have recurring mastitis, or fertility problems in different parities. See Entering event data via the Animal Record on page Entering event data via the Event Pad At the InterHerd Main Menu select the Event Pad command: The Event Pad command is designed to display on the screen only those data items that are relevant to the event you are recording: 7

9 For the first event on your written list enter the date in the date box and select the event from the list of event codes in the Event dropdown box. The dropdown box allows you to specify whether you are recording an event that has happened (an actual event ) or an event that you want to schedule (a scheduled culling date or vet check for example). Once the event is entered a further dropdown box appears in which you enter (or select) the animal that the event applies to. To help you identify the correct animal a one line synopsis of the animal s current fertility status and age appears next to the box as the ID is entered. As soon as you enter the required animal s number the currently recorded events appear in a grid at the bottom of the form. The next dropdown box displays the possible results or outcomes that are available for that event: On selecting a result other boxes that are relevant to full recording of that event will be displayed. These will vary with the event that you are recording. In the example below note that following a positive PD result there are boxes to record the age of the foetus and the sire. Both of these will be filled automatically if the service data for this animal is already entered. 8

10 The grid at the bottom of the form shows the events that are already recorded and scheduled in this animal s register (the at the left of the grid signifies an actual event) While supplies are not relevant in the above example if you were treating mastitis, for once you have entered all the available data in to the form click the example, you would want to enter details of the drugs that were administered in the Supplies grid. This allows you to record the drug, quantity, batch number of the drug, who supplied it and the treatment period. The person who administered the drug will be recorded in the Operator box. Once you have entered all the available data into the form click the button (or press the Ctrl and S keys simultaneously). This saves the data in to that animal s record and clears the screen ready for entry of the next event from your list. Note that different events and results will display different boxes to complete. If the farmer and vet are recording events in an appropriate way for the event structure in InterHerd then the data entry process will be very fast. 9

11 Where a dropdown box does not contain the value that you want (sire, operator, drug, destination etc) it is necessary to add a value to the relevant reference list. Move to the top of the items in the dropdown box and selecting Define New : This takes you to the relevant Reference List. Enter a code and description before saving. The added item is then available in the dropdown box. (These same reference lists can be reached from the InterHerd Main Menu via Data entry and editing.reference lists). On saving details of a calving (CALV) the program displays a new form for registering the offspring. This is explained in more detail on page 13. After an event is entered it will appear down the right hand side of the screen in the Event Log. When you have completed data entry you can click the as a permanent record that the data are entered. button and print the list If you want to review or edit how an event was entered you need to go to the animal record and make the changes in the Event Details page. To display the animal record click with the right mouse button on the appropriate line in the Event Log and select Animal record from the pop-up menu. Alternatively go back to the main menu and select Animal Register. Data entry tips for the Event Pad: 1. Ctrl S: Pressing the Ctrl and S keys simultaneously will save the newly entered details and return the focus to the Animal Selection dropdown box 2. Dates: When entering a date if you only enter the day number then the current month and year are entered automatically when you press the Enter key 3. Tab key: Pressing the Tab key moves the focus to the next data item. Shift and Tab simultaneously moves focus to the previous item. 4. Space bar: Opens a drop down box. It will also select/unselect category items 5. To abandon an entry click on the key which appears as soon as any data are entered 10

12 1.3.2 Entering event data via the Animal Record Select Animal Records from the Main Menu. In the Animal Record Form enter the required animal s identification (number or name) in to the yellow dropdown box (or select from the IDs offered). Note there is a synopsis of the animal displayed to the right of the yellow box. Type in the required animal and press the Enter Key. This displays the Parity data and events page and moves the focus (position of the cursor) to the first scheduled event. Note that all the previous events in the current parity of this animal s record are also displayed: 11

13 If the scheduled event is the one you want to enter then just overwrite the scheduled with the actual date. If, however, the event you are wanting to enter is not the scheduled event then leave that untouched and move down to the first empty row in the grid and enter the details there. Where a dropdown box does not contain the value that you want (sire, operator, drug, destination etc) it is necessary to add a value to the relevant reference list. Move to the top of the items in the dropdown box and selecting Define New : This takes you to the relevant Reference List. Enter a code and description before saving. The added item is then available in the dropdown box To edit or change an event. Find the animal you want. Click on event details. Double click on the date of the event. The date goes grey, then you can delete it and type in a new date. Press enter on your keyboard, and then save in InterHerd To delete an event. Single left click on the date of the event. The date goes yellow and the whole line is highlighted. Press the delete key on your keyboard, then press Yes to the message on Interherd and save. Note that a correctly designed event structure in InterHerd (which you should have following the training session) will result in every breeding female having a scheduled fertility event (HT-DL, SERV, PD or CALV) in their animal record to indicate their current fertility status (and the next anticipated fertility event). These scheduled events are generated as follow-up events to actual events (for example a service event schedules a PD event). This happens when the record is saved. If after saving the record a fertility event is missing either the event structure is incorrect or someone has accidentally overwritten the scheduled event. A new scheduled event should be entered and the cause investigated if it is a regular occurrence. Data entry tips for the Animal Record: 1. Ctrl S: Pressing the Ctrl and S keys simultaneously will save any changes to the current record and return the focus to the yellow Animal Selection dropdown box 2. Dates: When entering a date if you only enter the day number then the current month and year are entered automatically when you press the Enter key. 3. Tab key: Pressing the Tab key moves the focus to the next data item. Shift and Tab simultaneously moves focus to the previous item. 4. F2 key: The F2 key will display the options offered in a dropdown box (eg display available event codes or available results) 5. F12 key: Returns focus to the yellow Animal Selection dropdown box. 6. To abandon an entry click on the key which appears as soon as any detail is changed in an animal s record. 12

14 1.3.5 To create a new animal. In Animal records click create new. The screen will go to the identity details page for you to fill in the details about that animal. If it is a breeding animal, make sure the sex and type is Fe:br (Female breeding). When you click save a new screen will appear allowing you to confirm their present parity number and most recent calving date Entering a calving in to InterHerd: When you save a calving event (CALV) in either the Animal Record or Event Pad, InterHerd displays the Register Offspring Form. This gives you the option to register the calf as an animal in the herd. Note that if you do not want to create an animal record for the calf then leave the grid empty. You can still register whether the calf was born live or dead in the Offspring section. In the event of twins, enter each calf on a separate line in the grid on the Register Offspring Form. As soon as you close or save the Register Offspring Form a record is created for the calf. This can be displayed as for other animals by entering the number in the yellow Animal ID dropdown box in the Animal Register. 13

15 1.3.7 Drying off a batch of cows: Animal List generator Scheduled Animals to dry off. To highlight the animals you want, hold the control key (ctrl) down and click the cows you want. Then at top of screen, click Action on selected animals, Add new batch event. Select dry from the event list and fill in, operator, result, category if needed and batch number Click OK, the cows you have selected then disappear from list Vaccinate all youngstock: Animal list generator Youngstock heifers. Click on Select at top of screen, then Select All. If you need to exclude any then hold Control and click that animal. Select Action on selected animals, Add new batch event. Then fill in details as before Selling animals: Use the Event Pad for individual animals. For a batch of animals: Batch data group movement/sale. List of all animals comes up but you can filter what you need. Then select animals as before (ctrl+click). Action on selected animals, move/sell. Click Sale, check date, Sold or Cull event. Select Sale destination e.g market. Then click MOVE Batch PDs. Batch data - group events. Choose Pregnancy diagnosis as the event. Click on the first cow you want, then hold the control key down (ctrl) and select the others. Right click on one of the red cows, and choose set same date for all selected events. 14

16 Right click again on the red cows and choose Make all selected events done. This will change all the cows selected to PD done, with a Pos result. To change any to negative, click once on the word Pos for that animal, click again and choose Negative from the drop down selection: Entering drugs and medicines. During an event entry you can Define New for a drug not listed by scrolling to the top of the current drugs list. This takes you automatically to: Supply records.supplies, stock levels and history. This contains a list of drugs, semen stocks and general supplies. For all of these listed that you use, you need to enter the W/D Milk (milk withdrawal time) and W/D Meat if applicable. To add a new drug to the list click create new. Default quantity = how many you think you will use in one treatment. Default days over how many days treatment. To buy in new stock of drugs: Supply records.re-order supplies. Check date at top (default is today). Select supplier from drop down list eg Vet or Define New. Click in Code - select from list. Type in the quantity eg number of ml or tubes. Type in the Batch number and Expiry date, either as 01/2009 or 01/03/09. Click save. Check purchases by going Administrative Reports purchases of medicine. Or Supplies, Stock levels and history. Click on the drug, then click Stock history at top of page. 15

17 1.4 What to do on recording day. On recording day, go to Batch data milk recordings. In the box Enter new or existing recording date put in today s data and press Enter. A list of cows expected at the recording will appear. At the top click on Export and then SABRE (NMR). In the calendar select the date that you had the last milk recording, usually 1 month ago, so that it is greyed out. This will then mean all events to go through to SABRE will be since your last recording. Then click Prepare List. A list of events will appear at the bottom. Now put in a floppy disk into the A drive. Once you are happy with this list, click the floppy disk icon at the top. A new screen will open up asking you to specify the output file. Select in the Save in box 3 1 / 2 floppy A. Click Save. The intersab.txt file (your events from Interherd) is now on the floppy disk. 16

18 1.4.1 Updating Interherd with new milk recording results While maintaining the data entry of events in to InterHerd it is also necessary to import the results of future milk recordings. Provided you milk record with NMR make sure that you never start entering milk data in to InterHerd cow by cow! You get InterHerd to import the recently analysed milk samples directly. You need to register with NMR Customer Services ( ) that you want to receive the data file which arrives either on a diskette through the post OR the cheaper, faster method is to download the file from the NMR website. To obtain the latest results of a milk recording go on to the internet and log on to the NMR website at Select the Download tab: Enter the username and password allocated to you by NMR: This displays your data. Click your herd number to begin the download process: 17

19 This displays the File download form. Click the Save button: Save the file (called dsmember.exe) in a folder, remembering the folder s name for when you import it in to InterHerd. Click on the Save button to begin the downloading process. When complete you will see the Download Complete form: 18

20 You have now saved the data file on to your computer. Next step is to import the data in to InterHerd. At the InterHerd Main Menu select the Batch data.milk recordings command: Select Import NMR Datastream from the menu commands: In the Select NMR DataStream file Form, locate the dsmember.exe file that you just downloaded and click the Open button: 19

21 This displays milk recording summaries with the new milk recording date at the top. To import the individual cow details double click the row in the grid to display the individual animal results: Once the individual cow data are displayed, click the Save button to store the data in the individual cow Animal Registers. The import process is complete for that month! 20

22 1.5 To back up your data. Insert your memory stick. Make a note of what drive it is, usually a window pops up when you plug it in, eg E or F. In Interherd Click on File Back up. Select the drive that is your memory stick. Make sure the boxes are ticked as below: Click Proceed. Click OK to insert disk 1 message. There is no completion message. When successful the small window disappears and returns you to the main menu in Interherd. 21

23 1.6 First steps in using the data stored in InterHerd The Fertility Graphic The fertility graphic displays the fertility status of each cow in the herd, highlighting those that may require attention. Select the Cows by fertility status command: InterHerd displays the summary of cows by fertility status. To display the graphic click on the button: On the graphic it is possible to investigate those animals that are requiring attention. Clicking a coloured square will identify the animal it represents. Clicking the number will jump you to that animal s record where you can see full details of the events and other details. 22

24 If you want to discuss certain animals with the herdsman, print the graphic on a colour printer. Then refer to the screen and use a pen to write the numbers of animal s that you need to discuss next to their associated coloured square on the printout. To generate a list of animals that, for example have not been seen in heat close the graphic and select Not seen in heat from the options on the Cows by Fertility Status Form: As happens in many grids in InterHerd the contents appear in order of the Animal ID. To make this useful you need to sort the grid contents by the values in the Date of calving column. Click on any value in the Date of calving column (NOT on the column heading) with the right mouse button and select Sort in ascending order so that the grid is redisplayed with cows appearing in order of days since calving: 23

25 To print only a selection of the list click the top row then hold down the Shift key while you click the down arrow key to extend the selected records. In the example below all cows that are more than 110 days post-calving are selected: Clicking the print button will result in only printing the selected records. 24

26 1.6.2 The Herdsman s List The Herdsman s list is designed to provide the herdsman with a concise printout (one or two sheets only) detailing animals requiring attention for a selection of key health and fertility events. The format of the herdsman s list is shown below: You control the contents of the herdsman s list on the Herdsman s List Form. Select Herdsman s list from the InterHerd Menu: 25

27 Then on the Herdsman s list Form specify the period you want the list to cover as well as the events that you want to appear on the list. This should have been covered during the training session with the list of events you require appearing as the default events for inclusion in the Herdsman s List: The calendar on the left side of the form will cover the following seven days but can be altered by dragging the mouse over any interval. The List animals check boxes allow the inclusion in the list of animals in milk/meat withdrawal during the period specified. The Watch for return to heat check box will identify when cows that are not yet confirmed pregnant reach 21 / 42 etc days since a recorded service (or heat) event, thus warranting close observation for signs of oestrus. The right hand grid should contain the events that you want included in the list. So any animal in the herd that has a scheduled event from the list during the specified period will appear in the herdsman s list. To generate the list click the button. To print the list, click the icon to display the Print Report Form: 26

28 In the Print Report Form be sure that the font size is adequate (font size 8 or greater). InterHerd will offer in the dropdown box any font size that will allow the report to print within the margins and paper size as defined. If you try to print the Herdsman s list for a long period the maximum available font size may be prohibitively small. In that case either change the margins, paper orientation to Landscape, or adjust the width of the columns on the screen (by dragging together) before printing. You can check how the report will look on paper by clicking the icon. (preview) The Vet List To prepare the Vet List select it from the InterHerd Main Menu: In the Vet List Form ensure that the date in the Visit date box approximates to the next proposed vet visit date to the herd. Click the button to generate the list. InterHerd checks all the records for animals that have scheduled events that are relevant to the veterinarian (this is specified in the event definition). During this process it also 27

29 checks the fertility status of each animal. Every breeding animal should have a scheduled fertility event in its record (a newly calved cow will have a scheduled heat deadline event (HT-DL), a served cow will have a scheduled PD event and a pregnant cow will have a scheduled calving (CALV) event). If for some reason no scheduled fertility event is found in an animal s record InterHerd will display details in the Missing schedule event check Form: This gives the animal s ID. It is recommended that you write down the animal number and select the option. Then exit the vet list and go to that animal s record and sort out which event is missing. If, for example, a scheduled PD is missing the best way to regenerate that event is to click on the next to the latest SERV event so it returns to scheduled. Click it again to reconfirm it and the associated event will be rescheduled correctly. Once the check is complete the vet list is generated: 28

30 The grid contains all the animals requiring attention along with details of the current production status. The Event due column of the grid describes the reason why the animal appears on the list (if there is more than one vet event due for an animal only one is visible on the screen although all will be printed). The Heats and services column details all heats and services for that animal in the current lactation. So Cow 247 in the list above, who is appearing for a pregnancy scan, was served 62 days ago, and was recorded as showing heat 106 days ago. The Remarks + Latest associated event(s) column details previous events that are relevant to the event due (as defined in event definitions), Hence in the example above Cow 230 who has reached a heat deadline had a post natal check (PNC) 47 days ago at which she was classified as clean. She has had no services or heats. The list is displayed in order of the Animal ID. In a large list you may want to redisplay the list in order of the events due. To do this click with the right mouse button on any value in the Event due column and select Sort Ascending from the pop-up menu. Remember to resort by Animal ID before printing the list. The list contains all the vet events that are due. Sometimes it may be desirable not to print all events due. For example you may wish to delay post natal checks (PNC) until the following visit. To temporarily remove animals from the vet list select the relevant grid rows (Click a row so it turns red (selected) then hold down the Ctrl button while you click the other rows you want to select). When all those you wish to exclude are selected, click the grid with the right mouse button and select Remove selected animal from list from the pop-up menu: The list is then redisplayed without those records. Note that at the next session those excluded events will reappear. Once the list contains only the animals that you wish to include, click on the print button to display the Print Report Form. To ensure there will be enough space on the report for the vet to record the findings it is recommended to ensure that the orientation is Landscape and the font size is set to at least 9pt. 29

31 Also it is recommended to tick the Extra line space in grid rows check box. This stops the printed forms being too compact and dense. Before you print the list you can check how it will look by clicking the button. 30

32 Section 2: Administrative reports The Administrative reports section contains reports that meet with legislative guidelines for Farm Assurance. It also contains movement records that are recognised as an official document. 2.1 Continuous Herd Record The Continuous Herd Record contains a list of numbers of animals in each category eg Heifer, Total Males. Each row represents a change in the overall herd structure, which may result from sales, purchases, births, deaths or animals passing from one age group to the next. 2.2 Purchases, births and disposals. In this section you can print off 4 reports showing purchases, births, disposals (culls or solds) and deaths (animals that have died). 31

33 The default time window is for a couple of months back and this can be adjusted. In the example below a calf has been born and entered into the program. It automatically appears on this list and you will see it has a red clock against it under notification date. This means that it is scheduled to be notified to BCMS if the user applies for passports through the program. For further information on applying for passports through InterHerd contact Software support on Medicines register. The Medicines register contains a list of ever treatment in the herd in the last year (or whatever timeframe you choose. Upon clicking Begin the list will appear in line number order: 32

34 You can change the sort order, for example by date. Right Click in the yellow date column (not on the header) and select Sort ascending: Each drug or treatment can be categorised in the Supplies, stock levels and history screen. Therefore you can choose what categories are displayed in the medicines register depending on what you want to see. The Medicines register should be used in conjunction with the Purchases of Medicines as this contains further information about the drugs purchased such as Expiry date: 33

35 2.4 Events register. The Events register contains a list of every event entered into InterHerd in the last year: It can therefore be used to see where you are up to on data entry, or if you sort by animal id, you have a complete list of all events for one cow showing the remarks column alongside. 34

36 Section 3: Routine analyses of your InterHerd data file While the basic process of entering data and generating lists described in Section One will support identifying day to day problems and decision making, it is essential that you move on to more detailed use of the data that you are collecting. Otherwise you are doing all the work but only getting a small amount of the potential benefit. This section will review how users are applying a series of the most commonly used commands to help highlight problem animals and assess the performance in key areas. This is not the only way to use the program but should help you to understand the potential and hopefully encourage you to get much more out of the data that you have collected. Please remember the Software Support Team ( ) who are there to help you get the most out of your program. Questions to answer about my herd: The major areas that we will examine and some of the associated questions that we will answer are: Fertility status of all cows o Question 1.: Do I have cows that have been served repeatedly without conceiving? o Question 2.: Are there cows not yet pregnant that have been served but not for a long time? o Question3.: Which first parity cows are having trouble conceiving? o Question 4. How do I review the Submission Rate, and other important measures of fertility, for cows born in a certain month? o Question 5. How do I review the performance of bulls, inseminators etc? o Question 6. How tight is our heat detection? Milk yield and quality analysis o Question 7. Which cows are yielding BELOW the level they should? o Question 8. How can I use milk records to monitor performance of groups of cows and warn of emerging problems? o Question 9. How can I review SCCs of cows to help decide on the appropriate dry cow treatment? o Question 10. How can I see if high SCC cows are new infections or consistent problem cows? o Question 11. How many of the cows with high SCCs were low by the following milk recording? o Question 12. How many cows are starting the lactation with high SCCs? o Question 13. How do I analyse a disease event? o Question 14. How do I see differences in disease incidence by month and plot a bar chart? Key fertility and production indices o Question 15. How can I get an overview of which aspects of my production system are improving or deteriorating? 35

37 3.1 Fertility The Fertility Graphic (again) The use of the Fertility Graphic was explained in Section One to provide a broad overview of individual problem cows, particularly to identify cows that have not been served after an acceptable period of time. We will start by looking at what else we can glean from this command. Display again the Cows by fertility status Form from the Main Menu: This displays the Cows by fertility status Form. Question 1: Do I have cows that have been served repeatedly without conceiving? Click on the Served option button: This displays a list of all the served cows that are not yet confirmed pregnant or not pregnant. To bring the cows served repeatedly to the top of the list you click with the RIGHT mouse button on the nse (Number of services) column (click in the grid, NOT on the grid heading) and select Sort Descending: 36

38 The problem cows appear at the top of the list. To go and view an animal s register in detail click the row in the grid with the RIGHT mouse button and select Edit animal record from the pop-up menu: Question 2. Are there cows not yet pregnant that have been served but not for a long time? Following on from Question 1, display the served cows in ASCENDING order of the last service date (Right mouse button in the Last Served column to display the pop-up menu): Note that the cow not served for the longest time appears at the top of the list. Next to the date is the number of days after calving of that service. So in the above example Cow 58 was last served on 5/4/04 which was 80 days in to her parity. Cow 254 in contrast has not been served since 17/5/04 but that was 294 days in to the parity. With cows like 254, if you have made a decision to stop trying to breed her she should be given a SCHEDULED CULL event (with the schedule date set to when you want to review her performance). 37

39 She will then cease to appear in the Served group of cows (she will be in the To be culled group. Question 3. Which first parity cows are having trouble conceiving? The Summary Grid in the Fertility Summary form shows the distribution of cows in different fertility statuses by parity (lactation) number (provided that is the option selected in the Display summary by: dropdown box. In the example below 13 of the 25 cows in the herd that have been served but not yet confirmed pregnant are in Parity 1 (14 of 51 cows not yet seen in heat are also parity 1): Click the Served option button to display all the served cows, Then RIGHT mouse button IN the column with heading P (Parity number) and sort in ascending order: 38

40 3.1.2 The Fertility Analysis (Cows) command: Question 4. How do I review the Submission Rate, and other important measures of fertility, for cows born in a certain month? The submission rate is a powerful measure of fertility performance that indicates the proportion of cows served by a set number of days after calving. In InterHerd the default days after calving is 66 days (although this can be changed). Select Lists and reports Performance analyses and reports Fertility analyses Fertility analysis (cows) Click the Begin button to display the fertility analysis results. In the example below the Analysis Period interval (months) is set to 1 so each column relates to the cows that calved in a specific month. In November cows calved. If you want the identities of those 19 cows click on the 19 with the right mouse button to display their IDs. 39

41 The % 1 st S within 24d from breed is the submission rate. It refers to the percentage of the cows calving in the month that were served within 24 days of the start of the breeding period. Unless you have changed the default value, or defined a breeding period, the start of the breeding period is day 42 after calving. So this is the day from which a cow will be served if seen in oestrus. 24 days covers at least one oestrus cycle so gives an indication of how effective the heat detection is. So in the above example 53% of the 19 cows that calved in November were served by Day 66 (42+24). To see the IDs of the served/not served cows click on the 53% with the right mouse button and select List animals included / List animals excluded. Note also at the bottom of the grid the % in days and % not in days which are other important measures of fertility that are available early in a lactation. You can change the default start of the breeding period from 42 days, or specify months of breeding, in the Herd Records command, Options tab. You can either specify periods during which no services are allowed or adjust the normal minimum period from calving before a first service is normally allowed: 40

42 3.1.3 Question 5. How do I review the performance of bulls, inseminators etc? Select the Summary of service and conception command: Check that the period of services covers the time you are interested and that Bull appears in the drop down box. Click the Begin button: This displays all the bulls that have been used in the period along with the number of times. The PD positive column shows how many of those services had resulted in a pregnancy. Note that this figure will be very misleading if the PD data is not accurate. The Calved column will reflect how many of the services have resulted in a calving. The low calved figures in the above example reflect the fact that the analysis period is recent so most services could not yet have resulted in a calving. 41

43 You can sort the grid in order of the number of times that the bull has been used by clicking in the column with the Right Mouse Button and selecting the Sort (descending) option. To see if conception rates vary by day of the week select Day of the week in the dropdown box: In the above example note the lower number of services at weekends and the markedly lower PD positive rate for the services on Mondays suggesting poorer heat detection on weekends Question 6. How tight is our heat detection? Click the begin button to display the intervals between successive services. Where heat detection is very accurate the majority of returns to service will occur one oestrus cycle after the original service (18-24 days). If that is missed the next opportunity will be around the following oestrus cycle (37-48 days). If there are many service intervals outside of these two periods it will cast doubt on the accuracy of oestrus detection on the farm. 42

44 In the below example only 36% of returns are in the desired period (18-25 days). To display these data graphically click the button: 43

45 3.2 Milk yield and quality analysis The latest milk analysis results Question 7. Which cows are yielding BELOW the level they should? You review the milk analysis results for the latest milk recording via the Batch data... milk recordings command: This displays the form titled Milk recording. To display summaries of the most recent milk recordings for the herd click on the List recordings since button. 44

46 The grid displays a SUMMARY of the milk recording dates showing the number of cows recorded on that date, the average yield, constituents and cell counts. To display individual details cow by cow, double click on the row containing the date you want to investigate. Normally this is the top row which contains the most recent milk recording date: The grid displays details for the individual cows in milk on the recording date. The individual yields (Day kg) and results of the milk quality analysis (Fat%, Prot%, Lac%) are also displayed along with the somatic cell count (SCC 000). The grid also contains values for Predicted yield, fat and protein values for each cow. Analysis of historical milk records in this herd, taking account of the month of calving, parity and previous performance of the individual, provide the best prediction of the future performance of the cow. (The analysis was done at the initial training using the Performance analysis and reports Milk production Milk production analysis command and should be repeated every 6 months or so). Note in the grid that where an actual yield, fat or protein value is significantly (15%) different to the predicted value, it is displayed green (above) or red (below). If the value is 25% from the predicted value then the figure is coloured and bold. Hence cows performing away from prediction are quickly identifiable. In cows in late lactation where yields are already low, a small yield change may reflect a large percentage difference so more rows will appear red or green. To avoid these records confusing the picture, click on a value in the Days (days since calving) column of the grid with the right mouse 45

47 button. Select Sort records Ascending and the grid will redisplay, ordered now by days since calving: Review the grid searching for cows in early or mid lactation where either the yield (Day kg), fat or protein values are red. A number of cows grouped together with problems could indicate a herd management problem. To view the full detail of an animal (including any fertility events and previous milk records) click on the row with the right mouse button and select animal record from the pop-up menu. Check for the cows with high somatic cell counts by sorting by the SCC'000 value. Click with the right mouse button on any value in the SCC'000 column of the grid to display the pop-up menu : 46

48 Go to the bottom of the list to find the cows with the highest SCCs. In the example above the three cows with the highest cell count values each have values above 3 million cells/ml. Note the Cum SCC 000 column of the grid which shows the impact of their milk on the overall bulk tank figure. In the example above removing only the 14.8 litres of milk from cow 543 (with 5.86 million cells/ml) would reduce the bulk tank cell count from 463,000 to 442,000. Removing cow 483 and 546 as well would bring the bulk tank below 300, Milk production trends Question 8. How can I use milk records to monitor performance of groups of cows and warn of emerging problems? The Milk production trends command allows you to monitor milk production over time. This can provide both an early warning of problems arising and enable you to review the impact of changes to management. 47

49 This command displays details of milk production (yield / protein / fat%, peak yield, estimated lactation yield etc) for the three most recent milk recordings. Click on the in milk or dropdown box and select either Days Month of calving. Click the Begin button to display a grid that summarises the milk production for each of the last three milk recording dates for the cows grouped according to days in milk: When any option other than "All cows" is selected in the drop down box, there will be two grids displayed on the form (see above). The top grid summarises the grouping in the chosen parameter (Days in milk in the example above) while the lower grid displays the individual cows in the currently selected grouping. Note the three most recent recording dates appear in the grid headings. 48

50 The cf. self variable compares the parameters of the cows against their predicted levels. In the example above the average cf.self in the top grid (3%) shows that the cows in the <100 day group are on average producing 3% more than was predicted. Note that this relates to the parameter specified in the drop down box. Change the value to protein % to view the protein situation: In the example above it is clear that protein levels are dropping (3.21% on 13/01/03 to 2.98% on 31/03/03) and that these are considerably lower than predicted (-7% in the <100 day group on 31/03/03). More detailed analysis of the milk production of a grouping of cows (ie represented by a row in the top grid) can be made using the Lactation Graph facility. Click with the right mouse button on the row in the top grid that corresponds to the cows you want to graph then select Lactation graph from the pop-up menu: 49

51 The lactation graph is then displayed for the grouping selected: Each square on the grid represents a recorded value for a cow in the grouping. The colour corresponds to the recording date given in the legend at the top right of the graph. To see which animal a square relates to, click on the square with the left mouse button. Alternatively hold down the left mouse button and drag across an area to display the numbers of the cows in the area. To view an animal s record select the animal number from the list: There are also a number of coloured lines on the Lactation Graph. The black line represents the production levels that are predicted for this specific group of cows using previous milk records. The prediction uses the period specified in the milk production analysis. All milk yield data in that period are used to predict yields with allowances for the age, lactation, previous production and month of calving of the cows. The blue line represents the best fit through the actual values recorded for this group of cows. Thus in the example above, the <100 days cows have consistently given more milk per day (the vertical axis parameter) than was predicted. The straight red line represents a best fit through all the displayed values. In the example above the line is red which indicates the graph contains recordings from more than two milk recording dates. If only one or two milk recordings are displayed then straight lines will appear in the appropriate colour to show the best fit for each recording month. This assists in describing the trend in a parameter from one milk recording to the next. 50

52 To display only the recordings from one recording date, click the month required in the legend with the right mouse button (or uncheck the check boxes for other recording dates given in the legend). In this way you can investigate the trends for a specific recording date. To check the protein% of the milk, change the parameter in the vertical axis drop-down box to Mean protein%. Observe the blue line (actual recordings) relative to the black line (predicted line from historical records) to see if the current group is yielding as expected. In the example below the blue line is below the black line so this group of cows (<100 days since calving) is yielding lower than predicted protein levels: In the example above the protein levels being achieved by this group of cows (the blue line) is well below the predicted level (the black line). Also many of the values are below the currently defined normal range (represented by the green shading). The values displayed are limited to those for the most recent month (by right clicking that month in the legend). When less than three dates are displayed, there will be a straight line of the colour representing the displayed dates. This is the best fit through the values from that recording date and can be a good indicator of trends. In the example above the line through the latest values is almost flat so the level of protein is not deteriorating, or improving, with days after calving. To observe the trend over time, right mouse click on consecutive recording dates and observe the best fit lines for each date. In the example below see how the trend lines in earlier milk recordings indicated the worsening trend: 51

53 The above process may be repeated for fat% or other parameters. To see if a problem is worse in high yielding animals, select Milk/cow/day kg as the horizontal axis parameter. To follow the performance of an animal in consecutive milk recordings, click on a coloured square with the right mouse button. Any coloured square representing other milk from the same animal will be displayed as dark red: 52

54 3.2.3 Somatic cell counts In addition to the analysis of current cows with high SCCs, it is possible to review cell counts in a number of useful ways including Reviewing performance to support choice of dry cow therapy Identifying cows with an acute increase in SCC level, possibly indicating the onset of mastitis. Identifying those cows with consistently high SCC levels but not necessarily high enough to appear in the top ten list of high SCC cows. Question 9. How can I review SCCs of cows to help decide on the appropriate dry cow treatment? Select the SCC in last two lactations command: Sort the records in order of the days post partum (DaysPP) by clicking on a value in that column with the right mouse button and selecting sort descending from the pop-up menu: 53

55 Note that the Present Status column helps you to identify which cows are still in milk (Pr/Mi indicates the cow is pregnant and milking as opposed to Pr/Dry which is pregnant and dry). Go down the list of animal numbers and identify cows that are still in milk. Select that record by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking with the LEFT mouse button. Note that the row turns red. Identify another cow and HOLD DOWN THE CTRL button while clicking the new record. This should now also turn red (without the first one turning black) You have now selected two records. Select several more cows and then click the these cows This displays the Print report Form. Click the animals selected: icon to display the historical SCCs for button to preview the graph for the 54

56 3.2.4 Identifying cows with consistently high SCCs. Question 10. How can I see if high SCC cows are new infections or consistent problem cows? Start the Milk production trends command: Check that the all cows in milk. is set to all cows and click Begin to display The cow records are redisplayed with the highest SCC at the top. Note that a high SCC (<200,000) appears in blue. How many of the cows with a high SCC this month also had a high SCC last month? Those that were low the previous month are new infections while those that were high last month may be chronic infections. 55

57 Review the cell count values for each cow at the last three milk recordings. In the example above Cow 294 has the highest SCC of 1,831,000 at the latest milk recording. Note that the SCC at the month before was 48,000 although she was over 2 million the month before that. Was she treated in June and then reinfected? By contrast Cow 175 has certainly had a new infection (882,000) after 9,000 and 18,000 cells/ml in the previous two recordings. Question 11. How many of the cows with high SCCs were low by the following milk recording? Using the same grid as above, sort the records in to descending order of the SCC at the PREVIOUS milk recording date (right mouse button on a value in the previous date SCC column and select Descending order). 56

58 In the above example two of the nine cows with high SCCs last month are still high (blue) at the next recording. Question 12. How many cows are starting the lactation with high SCCs? Using the same grid as in the previous question, sort the records in to ascending order by the days post partum (right mouse button on a value in the DaysPP column and select Ascending order). In the example above 12 cows were milked for the first time on the latest milk recording date. You can then easily see how many of those had high SCCs. Beware though that SCC can also reflect stress and are commonly high around calving. If you look at the cows milked for the first time in the previous month you can see how many of the high scc cows recovered by the following milk recording. 57

59 3.3 Analysis of events recorded in InterHerd Question 13. How do I analyse a disease event? InterHerd allows you to create events to record any disease occurrence. Detailed analysis of these events over time can provide important indications as to the cause of the problem and indicate possible solutions. In the example below we will analyse the mastitis (MAST) event in a herd. Select the Analysis of event incidence command: In the Event analysis form you need to specify the event that you want to analyse and the precise population. In the example below the MAST event is specified in the period from 1/6/03 to 31/5/04. The population is limited to breeding females from Parity 1 onwards (so calves and heifers are excluded): Click the Begin button to begin the analysis. The program then calculates the events and animal years: 58

60 In the above example there were 91 events (occurrences) during the specified period in animals of the specified population. So there were 91 mastitis events recorded between 1/6/03 and 31/5/04 in cows. The population of cows in the period is calculated as animal years. Every day within the analysis period that an animal fitted the specified population this contributed an animal day (or 1/365 animal years). The total of all the animal days is divided by 365 to give the animal years. In the above example this totalled animal years. So overall there were mastitis events per animal year. This equates to mastitis per 100 cows per year. The animal days method may seem a rather cumbersome way of calculating the result but it has a very important advantage. Let us refine the population to only include cows in the first 30 days of lactation: Note how the number of animal years has gone down from to This is because a cow is only in the target population (and hence only contributes animal days) for the first 30 days of the parity. Note also that the number of events has gone down from 91 to 30 as an event only counts if it occurs in the first 30 days. BUT the events per animal year has gone up dramatically for to This means that if the rate of mastitis seen in the first 30 days of a parity continued throughout the year that there would be 231 cases per 100 cows per year. These rates are directly comparable allowing you to work out the relative risk for any population or time period. 59

61 The grid detailing the event occurrences can be sorted by animal ID to find animals with repeat occurrences of the event: Question 14. How do I see differences in disease incidence by month and plot a bar chart? Select the incidence by result option. This displays the monthly incidence rates as well as the overall incidence rate. Note that these monthly rates are directly comparable so a larger number indicates more events per cow in that month. So in the example below the highest incidence rate is in December. If that rate was maintained throughout the year it would be equivalent to 152 cases per 100 cows: To show a bar chart of the monthly incidence rates click with the RIGHT mouse button on the Overall incidence rate (0.6081) in the first column of the grid. 60

62 Select Time series bar chart from the pop-up menu: The line represents the monthly incidence rate while the blue bars represent the population of cows (at risk of catching mastitis) in the month. This shows clearly a peak in November/December. 61

63 3.4 Long term trends in key production parameters Question 15. How can I get an overview of which aspects of my production system are improving or deteriorating? If the herd has recorded for a number of years it will be possible to review certain key performance indicators for the herd to show any long term trends. These include: Calving interval Herd size Culling rate Lactation length Lactation and 305-day yields Somatic cell counts Fat% and protein% From the Main Menu select Key performance indicators: On the form titled Key performance indicators click the Begin button to run the analysis and display a grid as below: 62

64 Note that each line in the grid represents analysis of a full 12 month period. Adjacent rows represent 12 month periods differing by a single month so will have similar values. Following a variable down the grid, however, shows how that parameter is or is not changing over time. Interpretation will depend on the accuracy and completeness of the recording. This particularly applies to services and pregnancy diagnosis results. If these are inaccurate then parameters such as calving to 1 st service, calving to conception and conception rate should be interpreted with great caution until full recording of services and PD results is established. It is possible to drag in the borders of unwanted columns so that they disappear. Move the cursor over the right-hand border in the grid heading of a column. When the cursor changes to a vertical bar with arrows left and right, hold down the left mouse button and drag the column shut. In this way the unwanted parameters can be removed to only display those that are reliable when using data imported from milk recording data: 63

65 In the above example follow different parameters from the value (for the year ending) in May 2002 up to the value for May 2004 Herd size has increase from 129 to 150 cows. The lactation and 305 day yields have both increased markedly Fertility has suffered with longer calving intervals (18 days longer), a climbing culling rate and a falling mean lactation number indicating cows are culled at a younger age. The total milk/cow/year increased but has dropped back to former levels. The SCC dropped but has subsequently risen again To graph the long-term trend of any parameter in the grid, click a value in the column required with the right mouse button. The column will be shaded yellow to indicate it is selected (see Calving interval in the example above). Then click the the graph: button to display Return to the grid by clicking the button. The parameter can be unselected by clicking with the right mouse button. It is possible to graph more than one parameter at a time although horizontal axes may become misleading. For further information and assistance on InterHerd, please contact Software Support on

66 Appendix 1: InterHerd Event Structure Reproduction Events In the InterHerd program every breeding female animal (i.e. cows and heifers) should have a scheduled breeding event in the current lactation. The program expects this to happen and does not function correctly if this is not the case. To allow this to work InterHerd has expected or deadline events. The first deadline event is marker to highlight the point at which the cow should be seen in heat. So when a cow calves we set a Heat-Deadline a certain number of days after the calving (50 days). If the cow gets served then she should have a Pregnancy Diagnosis (PD) scheduled. After she is confirmed as PD positive, she should have a drying off and calving scheduled. In changing the main event definitions you do need to keep in mind this basic sequence of events. Other scheduled events can also be set up to monitor other aspects of the reproductive cycle of the cow. At each recorded event in InterHerd, the user can record other information associated with the event. The possibilities are: Result (the outcome of the event, often very simple) Categories (other features of the event) Operator (inseminator or person administrating the treatment) Sire (in the case of a service) Treatments (the actual drugs used including amounts and batch numbers) Comment (any general comment about the event) The Result is most important as it sets up any future scheduled events for the cow. This can be one simple event or may be multiple events. Try to avoid using comments as it is impossible to analyse them later as they tend to be inconsistent. Normally it is much better to use the categories. In general it is a good idea to record the reason why you are examining / treating the cow. E.g. you don t go around randomly injecting cows with prostaglandins (Estrumate etc.), you treat problem cows that are difficult to get in calf so we record the reason why we treated the cow. The deadline events do not really exist as you cannot go out to the cow shed and observe a deadline on a cow, so they are set up as transient deadline events. Once they have served their purpose they disappear off the system. Therefore extra information should not be recorded against the deadline events. With all this in mind here is an explanation of the standard set up of InterHerd. 65

67 Major Events CALV Calving A CALV event is entered when a cow calves. It creates a new lactation (parity) record for the cow and allows for the entry of the details of the newly born calf. Results For calving the results should be set up to schedule the desired fertility events in the new lactation. The standard results are: Normal For most calvings setting up a Heat Deadline at 50 days post calving and a Service Deadline at 80 days post calving. (See below) Caesarain Calving by caesarian section, setting up a Post Natal Check (PNC) at 7 days later so the cow can be checked by the vet, with a Heat Deadline at 60 days after calving (later than normal due to the problem calving) and a Service Deadline at 90 days after calving. Recommended to cull This result schedules a culling event 300 days into the lactation. It marks the cow as being a non-breeder and she wont appear in the action lists for fertility reasons. Categories The categories for calving are anything significant that happened at the calving such as breech birth or aid at calving. HT-DL - Heat Deadline (transient deadline event) This is a date set some time after calving by which the cow should be seen in heat. It is setup as a transient deadline event. Normally nothing will be entered against a heat deadline event. Any heats observed or services given should be recorded on the system separately. Entering a heat or service will remove any heat deadlines. Any cow that passes a heat deadline will be brought up on the vets list for checking. SR-DL Service Deadline (transient deadline event) A date after calving by which the cow should be served. This is normally later than the heat deadline and so the cow can be seen in heat but not yet served. It works in the same way as the heat deadline in that it will be automatically removed from the cow s record once she has been served. It is also set up as a transient deadline event and the cow will appear on the vets list if she passes a service deadline without a service. 66

68 It is vital that all health events are recorded properly. This especially important for the fertility related health events as if the cow has a problem getting in calf then it is extremely useful to know the full veterinary history of the animal. RFM Retained Foetal Membranes or Retained Placenta (observation / treatment) Results The result of a RFM determines if the cow needs to be rechecked (re visit) or not. Mild: No revisit A simple case of retained placenta that is dealt with by the farmer and does not require the cow to be checked by the vet. Severe: Revisit 14 days A more severe case where the farmer thinks it necessary for the cow to be checked the next time the vet visits the farm. Severe: No revisit A severe case but there is no revisit required. Categories The categories should record any signs of the condition such as a high temperature, white discharge, etc. VLD - Vulval Discharge (observation / treatment) Very similar to RFM. Needs to be recorded correctly. PNC - Post Natal Check (observation /treatment) A PNC is any standard fertility examination before the start of breeding for the cow. These could be the follow-up to a vulval discharge or a special check after a difficult calving. It also includes standard pre-breeding examinations. (There is no point in differentiating between a post natal check and a pre-breeding exam) Any reproductive tract observations made at the time of the examination should be recorded using the categories. These categories are the same as for the ONO event (please see ONO below). The results can be set up to record the treatment given and schedule the correct follow up event if necessary. Mostly it is not necessary to change the scheduled events that are already on the cow s record as this event will occur before the scheduled Heat Deadline and Service Deadline events in the current lactation. Note a PNC should only be recorded on the cow s record when it done as a routine. Other abnormal fertility visits should be recorded as ONO or FTC events. 67

69 ONO Oestrus Not Observed (Not seen bulling, NSB) ONO is recorded on cows that are seen by the vet because they have not been seen in heat or have not been served by the specified times. This is a very important event as monitoring the level of ONO s gives a good idea of the level of fertility problems in the herd. Cows with repeated cases of ONO are generally problem animals. Results The results are the treatments given to the cow with the correct follow-up events as follows: OK wait The cow is probably cycling properly but has just not been seen in heat. No treatment is given. A Heat Deadline is scheduled for 21 days later so the cow should be seen on heat within the next 3 weeks or she will appear on the Vets list again. PG The cow is treated with prostaglandin (synthetic prostaglandin) and an Expected Heat is scheduled for 4 days later. The standard prostaglandin treatment is set up in the default supplies field allowing easier data entry, e.g. 2ml of Estrumate. PRID A PRID (or CIDR) has been inserted. A remove PRID/CIDR (REMOV) is scheduled for 12 days later and a service is scheduled for day 14. To Cull The cow has major fertility problems and a decision has been taken not to breed from this cow again so a CULL event is scheduled 200 day after the event which should be somewhere near the end if the lactation. Categories The categories should record all the anything the vet might find while doing an examination. CL-LO Corpus Luteum on the Left Ovary CL-RO Corpus Luteum on the Right Ovary FOL-LO Follicle on the Left Ovary FOL-RO Follicle on the Right Ovary FC-LO Follicular Cyst on the Left Ovary FC-RO Follicular Cyst on the Right Ovary LC-LO Luteal Cyst on the Left Ovary LC-RO Luteal Cyst on the Right Ovary It is important to recording these findings as if the cow has to be seen again by the vet then the vet will know what was seen last time and will be able to treat the cow accordingly. Some farms/vets may not want this level of detail. They may just record 68

70 cystic ovaries or cystic left ovary / cystic right ovary. If so then set up a new set of categories to cover this type of recording. Heat Heat/Oestrus All heats should be recorded as they are observed. Recording of heats is very straightforward; just record the cow number and the date. You may also record the operator, i.e. who observed the heat. As standard the Heat event has one simple follow up event. It schedules an expected heat 21 days after the recorded heat. You may also record more detail about the heat by using the categories. The standard categories are: Standing Mounting Not Standing Milk Progesterone Too Early Service All services recorded should have the following: Date Bull used Inseminator (operator) The type of heat observed / service done may be recorded using the categories as follows: AI Natural Standing Heat Mounting Not standing Milk Progesterone The results of a service are very simple. A service schedules the PD event. This is normally set for 42 days after the service. The Vet list allows the user to change the Service to PD interval when it is run, therefore producing the cows at the correct time irrespective of how the event codes are set up. One other result for a service exits, it is a double service. A double service schedules a 2nd service for the following day and also schedules a PD at 42 days. FTC - Failure to conceive The vets list has the ability for find problem cows that keep getting served but never seem to hold in calf. If a cow is being served continuously then she should be checked by the vet to see if she has any reproductive problems such as cystic ovaries. Cows in this 69

71 category should be recorded as FTC with the relevant details. These cows do not fit the PNC or ONO or PD events but the results and categories are similar. Please see the notes on the results and categories of the ONO event above. PD - Pregnancy Diagnosis Results Pos Pregnant: The first result of the PD event is a PD positive. This event schedules the Drying-off and Calving events. A PD positive must schedule a calving (parturition) event. Neg: wait Cow not pregnant but nothing abnormal has been found. No treatment is given so a Heat Deadline (HT-DL) is scheduled for 24 days later. If the cow passes this deadline without been seen in heat or served, she will be back on the Vets list again.???? PD Uncertain. Not sure if the cow is pregnant or not, so another PD is scheduled 14 days later to ensure the cows gets PD checked again at the next vet visit. Neg: PG The cow is treated with prostaglandin (synthetic prostaglandin) and an Expected Heat is scheduled for 4 days later. The standard prostaglandin treatment is set up in the default supplies field allowing easier data entry, e.g. 2ml of Estrumate. Neg: Prid A PRID (or CIDR) has been inserted. A remove PRID/CIDR (REMOV) is scheduled for 12 days later and a service is scheduled for day 14. Neg: Cull The cow has major fertility problems and a decision has been taken not to breed from this cow again so a CULL event is scheduled 200 day after the event which should be somewhere near the end if the lactation. Categories The categories are the same as for ONO, recording anything discovered during the examination. 70

72 CL-LO Corpus Luteum on the Left Ovary CL-RO Corpus Luteum on the Right Ovary FOL-LO Follicle on the Left Ovary FOL-RO Follicle on the Right Ovary FC-LO Follicular Cyst on the Left Ovary FC-RO Follicular Cyst on the Right Ovary LC-LO Luteal Cyst on the Left Ovary LC-RO Luteal Cyst on the Right Ovary DRY - Drying off At a drying off record any drugs used and if necessary any other detail. CULL Culled or SOLD - Sold An animal can leave the herd by either entering a CULL or a Sold event into the records. Generally we use the cull event for cows and the sold event for beef animals. This allows us to differentiate between the sale for profit of beef or pedigree animals and negative culling. There are 2 important bits of information to record at the time of a sale/cull. They are the reason for culling and the destination of the animal. The destination is imperative if the system is to keep the movement book. It is very useful to recording the culling reason as this helps greatly when trying to analyse a herd. ABO Abortion Late abortions should be recorded as a calving. Example: A cow that aborts at 235 days after conception should really start a new lactation. The cow will milk like she is in a new lactation A cow aborting earlier in the lactation can be recorded as an abortion. The abortion event will reset the status of the cow to unserved and not seen in heat. The standard results for the abortion are as follows: Breed - A post natal check (PNC) is scheduled 14 days later and just like after a calving a heat deadline is scheduled for 50 days and a service deadline 80 days after the abortion. Cull - A culling event in the future to mark the cow as a non breeder. NS Not to be served InterHerd allows any cow to be marked as a non-breeder or cull cow. This is done by having a scheduled sale or cull event in the future. The scheduling of a cull date in the future can be done manually or using a result from another event. The decision to mark a cow as a non breeder is often taken at the time of a PD negative, so the PD event has a 71

73 result of Neg:Cull. If however you need to mark a cow as recommended to cull (nonbreeder) at some other time then you can use the NS code. The NS code will allow the user to specify when the cow should be culled. The results are as follows: Cull 100 days Cull 200 days Cull 300 days The scheduled culling event will created the relevant number of days after the date of the NS event. 72

74 Setting up the Vets List The vets list will find cows that have passed any deadline event. But there are certain conditions that cannot be found using scheduled events alone. Therefore the vets list has an extra button that allows the user to specify various other criteria by which cows can be selected. Clicking on the green plus button will display another screen as shown here: Please note that on this form the fertility criteria work from the start of the service period not the last calving date. The start of the service period is defined by the settings in Herd records - Options - Normal minimum period from calving to first service. This is usually set to 42 days. If the herd is a seasonal breeding herd, then the non-breeding periods are also taken into account in the fertility criteria. Once the parameters have been set up and you click on the OK button, the system will find cows that meet that criteria and will create a new scheduled event, as you have specified, on the date of the vets list. So cows not seen on heat or not served after the specified time will get an ONO event scheduled against their record. 73