Scanning maiden heifers reveals the importance of comfort for fertility

We scanned a herd of dairy cows and heifers outside Bushmills, Co. Antrim. The heifers were divided into 2 batches as they were running with 2 stock bulls. 1 of the batches were running with an oman bull. All heifers were fed the same diet. 1 batch had access to slatts with a lying area with cubicles, while the other batch lay on concrete slatts. 95% of the heifers that were lying on concrete slatts were not cycling. While 95% of the other batch lying in the cubicle area were in calf. The message here is that cow comfort is key to fertility.

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