Sexed semen is one of the key measures dairy farmers can take to help reduce our methane emissions for the dairy herd. Sexed semen will reduce our reliance on conventional dairy semen, and allow us to increase the use of high beef merit semen on the dairy females, leading to higher CBV (Commercial Beef Value) calves in the marts – increased profit for the dairy farmer and the beef farmer has a calf with a reduced age to slaughter, and less inputs in its lifetime. WIN – WIN
Using sexed semen correctly is of the utmost importance. There can be lower conception rates when using sexed semen so correct female selection is priority when allocating straws.
- Use sexed semen on heifers – this will lead to breeding your replacements from your heifers, leaving you with the quickest rates of genetic gain. Heifers also have “a clean slate” in terms of health and calving related issues. They are the most fertile and can have the best results when used correctly.
- Cow selection – When selecting cows for sexed semen ensure that they are :
- Calved 60+ days by the start of breeding
- Clean bill of health – no health issues in the past number of years
- Always in calf after 1 serve
- A calving interval close to 365 days
- High genetic merit
- DBI – in replace of conventional semen use high Dairy-Beef Index bulls on your cows and heifers. Ensure that you are using beef bulls with high carcass merit (beef si €90+) and easy calving (low to moderate risk calving).
If you would like some help completing a sire advice or have any queries relating to the EBI or DBI please contact the HerdPlus team on 023 882 0452 or email [email protected].