An investigation into the cause of poor breeding performance in a beef suckler herd

Abstract

The reproductive performance of beef suckler herds is a critical factor in determining their profitability. It can be affected by many factors, including nutrition, physical factors and infectious disease - often acting in complex combination. Careful herd-health planning and herd management, incorporating biosecurity and preventative medicine strategies, will assist in maximizing performance. Despite this, however, problems which require careful investigation to diagnose may still arise and, however unlikely, all possibilities should be considered.