Mastervet Bolus – Protecting your Investment at Breeding Time
Situated both south of Ballybunion and west of Listowel lies the Gortinare Pedigree Herd. Liam and Kevin Quilter are milking 110 Holstein Friesian cows, averaging 8,400 litres with a milk solids production of 637kg/year it is safe to say this is a farm where attention to detail is the name of the game. “We pay a lot of attention to our bloodlines, trying to match A.I. bulls to our cows and heifers based on genetic evaluations and type leading to the type of heifer you see here today.” says Liam. This year the Quilters will rear 65 heifers as replacements and also for sale as in-calf or calved heifers at the dairy sales in Listowel Mart.
Liam continues “We have established a good market for our stock both locally and further afield with many customers returning for heifers year after year. Our first calved heifers averaged 1,540 gallons (7,000 litres) and our herd maintained an average SCC of 90, never going above 100. Milk production, solids and udder health are valuable attributes, but they are not much good without good fertility performance. We are using sexed semen in our heifers which while costly, allows us to keep a good number of high quality heifers on the ground year after year. As a result we took the decision to use the Mastervet High Trace bolus as a way of improving fertility in our herd, heifers get one bolus about 5 weeks before breeding and cows will get two each.”
“I have used a number of different boluses in the past to varying degrees of success, on discussing the boluses with Frankie Carroll of Co-Op Animal Health Group last year he informed me that the Mastervet High Trace Bolus had some of the highest levels of Selenium and Cobalt available and is one of the few boluses that offer Zinc.” Frankie carries on “Selenium plays a key role in the antioxidant cycle, helping reduce levels of infection in the uterus and impacting on mastitis incidence. Zinc helps improve hoof strength, something the Quilters saw in the reduction in lameness in the herd last year.”
Liam adds “The bolus is easily administered, with no regurgitation. I have noticed my females coming in heat faster and more regularly, heifers are hitting their weight targets easily and I have more cows in-calf early in the season and more heifers in calf to sexed semen, I consider the Mastervet High Trace bolus an excellent investment in our breeding program”
Mastervet High Trace boluses are available through merchants nationwide, please contact your local Co-Operative Animal Health Group Area Manager for local stockist details.
Click here for further Mastervet High Trace bolus product details.