Omega Flush Flush Mix Boosts Conception Rates

03 March, 2026 | By Pat Wilson

Photographs by Rob Haining

Embryo Transfer conception rates have risen by 10% at Myremill, Maybole, after Kevin and Alison Lawrie switched to an Omega flush mix for their donor cows formulated by Galloway and MacLeod.

The couple, who farm in partnership with Kevin’s parents, Gilmour and Caroline, now regard the ration as central to their embryo transfer programme.

Kevin is the fourth generation to run the world’s oldest pedigree Ayrshire herd under the Brieryside prefix. The 350-acre unit, along with a further 200 acres of rented ground, is also home to the Arranview Holstein herd which focuses on type and commercial performance.

By concentrating on homegrown forages, 87% of the feed ration is produced on farm. This includes 150 acres of maize silage, 150 acres of caustic-treated wheat and 30 acres of barley. Three cuts of grass silage from 220 acres are taken plus a fourth from an additional 100 acres to support both milk output and the flushing programme.

The 320 cows – roughly 70% Holsteins and 30% Ayrshires – are housed all year round and milked three times daily through a GEA 30/30 rapid-exit parlour. Cows are fed to yield in the parlour with an 18% protein cake, alongside a TMR based on silage, molasses, maize, barley, a high-protein soya blend and whole-crop wheat. The herd averages 11,800 litres at 4.2%BF and 3.6%P, with all milk sold through First Milk.

Breeding strategy and Embroy Transfers

Around 30% of the herd’s top females are AI’d with sexed semen to produce approximately 100 replacements annually. Heifers, unless served with sexed semen, get two opportunities to hold an embryo transfer (ET) pregnancy before being AI’d with Aberdeen Angus semen, while the remainder of the milking herd is also served to Angus.

These Angus-cross calves leave the farm at two weeks old, at around 50kg liveweight, and are sold through Highland Meats to youngstock rearing units. The Lawries previously reared these calves through to 18 months and sold them as stores, but the current system is more cost-effective and far less time-consuming.

The flushing journey at Myremill was largely instigated by Alison, who worked with the American Luck-E Holstein herd in Illinois in 2016, with the two families remaining close friends. Luck-E’s breeding philosophy – well-balanced cows with strong udders, high protein and deep cow families – left a lasting impression, and the herd switched almost entirely from conventional ET to IVF in 2014, synchronising recipient groups with CIDRs to maximise efficiency.

Today, the Lawries import around 100 fertilised eggs a year from Luck-E and own two cows within the Illinois herd, which are also flushed and have embryos sent over. Some resulting females at Myremill can carry the Arranview prefix, tying imported genetics back into their own branding.

Flushing was introduced at Myremill to accelerate genetic progress. Kevin points out that buying in 100 cows when transitioning away from Ayrshires would require a significant outlay, whereas investing in multiple cow families, flushing them and establishing new bloodlines allows the same progress in half the time for a fraction of the cost. By generating many offspring from a single valuable female, the Lawries can quickly establish and expand cow families.

The fertilised eggs are transplanted into surrogate dams, largely maiden heifers, with lower-end genetic heifers used as recipients to produce more profitable resulting calves.

Nutrition at the heart of success

Embryos are implanted by fellow Holstein breeder and vet Mark Nutsford, who runs the Riverdane Holstein herd in Cheshire alongside the Celltech Embryo Transfer business.

He said that a typical embryo takes around 30 seconds to defrost in water heated to 30 degrees before it is immediately inserted into a cow that has been given an epidural. Even with the technical aspects in place, he insists that nutrition is crucial to overall conception rates.

Mark describes the Lawries’ conception rate as one of the best in the country, with the success rate having grown from 45% to 55% in less than a year, which he believes is around 85%, down to correct feeding: a high-energy, low-protein concentrate fed alongside high dry matter forage, whether hay, straw or well-made silage. Such is the quality of the forage at Myremill that it is a former overall winner of the Scottish National Grassland Society’s pit silage competition.

The Galloway and MacLeod mix

The Lanarkshire-based company is well established in developing high-performance livestock nutrition, with particular expertise in omega-rich feed formulations designed to enhance fertility, strengthen immunity and drive overall performance.

Recognising growing demand for specialised flushing rations, Robin drew on his own practical embryo work experience and, following detailed discussions with Mark, played a key role in communicating how targeted Omega-3 nutrition can improve embryo quality and increase holding rates.

The unique mix is a blend of high-energy, low-protein components designed to improve embryo quality and conception rates and increase Omega-3 levels in both donor and recipient animals. Research shows that increasing blood glucose supports hormones such as IGF, improving follicle development, while EPA and DHA from Omega-3 oils support embryo survival and vigour.

“If you feed too much protein, the uterus becomes acidic, and the chances of the egg implanting drop dramatically. You need the pH level spot on,” explains Robin.

The Myremill programme groups recipient heifers and provides a basic chopped straw/hay mix, plus 3kg of the custom mix, for three weeks before implantation and for five weeks afterwards.

Given the cost of IVF and getting animals in the right condition, Kevin believes it pays to invest that bit extra in the ration when they are being fed anyway. The consistent improvement in conception rates over time, rather than a ‘nine-day wonder’, is attributed to pushing for good forage and maintaining heifers in the right body condition.

Robin is also adamant that there is no room for half measures when it comes to custom blends. If the recommendation is 3kg per head, that is exactly what must be fed, every day, without shaving the rate, or results will suffer, and money is wasted.

A custom mix must be balanced, palatable and fed consistently. If the correct amount is given daily and forage is kept consistent and dry, many variables are removed. Such attention to detail pays off in extra pregnancies.

Show and sale rings

Conception success has been so high at Myremill that the next step is to hold a major on-farm sale. Next spring, around 60 animals from the Luck-E prefix and 60 from Arranview will be offered, with a spread of ages from milking cows to weaned calves.

Luck-E owners Matt and Joe Engel are keen to build connections in the UK and raise the profile of their cow families with British breeders. Exporting embryos to the UK has already proved successful, and registering some females under their own prefix in Britain is seen as the logical next step.

For Kevin and Alison, anyone serious about genetic gain should look closely at ET. Alison stresses that conception rates with IVF eggs can match natural service, so one disappointing result should not put breeders off, as rates will balance out over time when feeding, body condition, and other key variables are right.

With the Luck-E and Arranview sale in the early planning stages for 2027, the Lawries’ enthusiasm for showing will remain an important shop window. Alison is currently preparing four calves and three cows for the UK Dairy Expo.

Kevin sees showing as an enjoyable hobby and invaluable PR to ensure future buyers recognise the Brieryside, Arranview and Luck-E prefixes.

The team recently claimed top honours in the West of Scotland Club Super 6 Winter Herds competition, securing overall victory and the highest points total for their team of six cows. Five of the six were home-bred, underlining the strength of the Brieryside and Arranview breeding programme and the genetics now being marketed through both the sale ring and the IVF flush mix-supported breeding strategy.

Farm Facts:

Farm acreage: 350 owned at Myremill and 200 acres rented. Some 87% of forage is homegrown; 150 acres maize silage; 150 acres wheat; 30 acres barley and three cuts of 220 acres of silage and a further fourth cut of 100 acres.

Stock: 320 milking cows plus 50 followers and 250 youngstock. Cows milked through GEA 30/30 rapid exit parlour. Cows average 11,800litres at 4.2%BF and 3.6%P with all milk sold First Milk.

Show success: Most memorable being reserve intermediate champion at UK Dairy Expo with the Red and White milking yearling, Luck-E Attitude America.

Labour: Gilmour, Kevin and Alison Lawrie with three full-time staff and four part-time relief milkers.

History: Kevin and Alison are the fourth generation to trade under Brieryside Ayrshires and Arranview Holsteins prefixes.

On the Spot:

Biggest achievement – Winning Stockman of the Year at the 2016 Highland Show.

Best investment – Datamars Tru-Test heat and rumination tags, which have taken a lot of pressure off monitoring herd health.

Best advice – Surround yourself with positive friends, family and staff who drown out all the negative noise!

Top Tips – Focus on goals personal to your business rather than follow trends.