Earliest preg detection

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504RP

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How soon after AI can you tell if the cow is bred or not ? What is the soonest you can tell ?
 
For what it's worth.... You should see a cow bleed-off 2-days after the AI.
 
I watch for a reheat. If none is seen and I want to know who's bred sooner than palpation I draw blood and send it off. Cheap and pretty accurate.
 
I have been getting ultrasound preg checking done the last 3 years because I have not been happy with blood test results. my vet recommends 30 days or more for ultrasound. I try to keep a close eye out for signs of repeat heats 18 - 24 days after breeding. If you feel comfortable with your heat detection then you can feel more comfortable waiting to preg check. I do like to preg check early even though I feel comfortable with my heat detection methods because other factors can influence cows showing repeat heats.
 
I have been getting ultrasound preg checking done the last 3 years because I have not been happy with blood test results. my vet recommends 30 days or more for ultrasound. I try to keep a close eye out for signs of repeat heats 18 - 24 days after breeding. If you feel comfortable with your heat detection then you can feel more comfortable waiting to preg check. I do like to preg check early even though I feel comfortable with my heat detection methods because other factors can influence cows showing repeat heats.
What were the problems with the blood test results?
 
I was going to ask the same question.
I haven't blood tested one in a few years and even then I only did a few. I only blood test the ones I am selling as confirmed bred. The vet I use does offer the ultrasound preg checking. Both seem like great options, but the blood testing is considerably less expensive.
 
What were the problems with the blood test results?
used it about 5 years. first year had a cow test open. vet checked her and she was bred. the last 2 years I had a cow test pregnant but no calf. usually test 35 days or more. have probably been testing 10 - 15 cows/heifers each year.
 
used it about 5 years. first year had a cow test open. vet checked her and she was bred. the last 2 years I had a cow test pregnant but no calf. usually test 35 days or more. have probably been testing 10 - 15 cows/heifers each year.
Is that with the BioPryn blood test? I am surprised. Thanks for sharing. Website says they are 97% accurate. Not disputing your results at all. You must have gotten more than your statistical 3% average!

I will be more cautious in making a claim the cow is bred with a blood test.
 
used it about 5 years. first year had a cow test open. vet checked her and she was bred. the last 2 years I had a cow test pregnant but no calf. usually test 35 days or more. have probably been testing 10 - 15 cows/heifers each year.
What was the time difference between blood results and the opposite outcome? What was your test day after breeding (30 or longer)? How long after prior calving were you testing? Biopryn has some specific disclaimers about needing to be more than 60 days post calving to avoid hormones influence from previous pregnancy. Could the opens have slipped their calves early after their positive test? I use the biopryn, but also watch for heat after breeding. Nothing is 100% though. If they advertise 100% accuracy, keep your wallet in your pocket
 
DHIA lab in Lancaster PA does milk samples also... some disclaimers but 30 days is the suggested time. I have a couple of Dairy farmers using it almost exclusively. I like the ultrasound tests. Never did the blood tests
 
We have recently started using blood tests. The first time was last year when we wound up with a new bull that had BLV and we had to test everything exposed. That was a nightmare that we hope is behind us. Preg check was accurate the first time and we sent off 42 tests Monday and got a 41 positive and one open report Thursday. I hope it is accurate this time as well. I saw the post about it being five dollars per test. The SEKgenetics in Kansas does it for $2.60.
 
We have recently started using blood tests. The first time was last year when we wound up with a new bull that had BLV and we had to test everything exposed. That was a nightmare that we hope is behind us. Preg check was accurate the first time and we sent off 42 tests Monday and got a 41 positive and one open report Thursday. I hope it is accurate this time as well. I saw the post about it being five dollars per test. The SEKgenetics in Kansas does it for $2.60.
The $5 was high side, all in. There is a kit you can buy that does 25 at a time with individual syringes, tubes, and instructions where to send. It's like a $1-2 per cow. Then the actual test is $1-2. Then the shipping which is no even a dollar a head and gets cheaper the more you send.

I know you can buy some of the parts individually and save a few pennies but I like the kits because it's easy to order and looks a little more professional, especially if doing it for other people. Both the people that make the kits and the guy that runs tests are super nice, easy going people, that are always available for questions.

I can order kits on my phone and have them in hand in 2 or 3 days max (they will over night), pull the blood, fed ex it, and have results by email in 2-3 days again.
 
Buck at 27 days I assume when you give a +ve that is a definite conceptus but are there others where nothing is seen but may still be pregnant, if so what %age would you estimate. I have never dabbled in ultrasound.

Ken
27 days is the age where I can reliably call pregnant/open. I can positively identify a pregnancy by 25 days, but that's too early for me to feel like I might not be missing something on open cows. I still recommend people wait until 30 days, it's much easier and I'm able reliably diagnose twins by that point.
 
The biggest knock against the blood test is that you will get some false positives. The glycoproteins it detects continue to circulate in the cow for some time after a pregnancy ends. If a cow is 5 months pregnant and aborts two weeks before you test her, she'll probably test pregnant.

I think the biggest advantage to the ultrasound is that the information is immediate. You'll know her status before she leaves the chute, and don't need to sort opens out later to do something with them. Depending on when you check, you can also get a lot more information than the blood test provides - twins, sex of the calf, how far along the pregnancy is, etc. If she's open, you'll know if she's cycling or has some problem that prevents her from becoming pregnant. Depending on the operation, some/all/none of this information is useful.

Cost is variable. For really small groups, the blood test is usually cheaper. I charge by time for ultrasound, so if you have a lot of cattle and work efficiently, it works out cheaper than blood testing.
 
The biggest knock against the blood test is that you will get some false positives. The glycoproteins it detects continue to circulate in the cow for some time after a pregnancy ends. If a cow is 5 months pregnant and aborts two weeks before you test her, she'll probably test pregnant.

I think the biggest advantage to the ultrasound is that the information is immediate. You'll know her status before she leaves the chute, and don't need to sort opens out later to do something with them. Depending on when you check, you can also get a lot more information than the blood test provides - twins, sex of the calf, how far along the pregnancy is, etc. If she's open, you'll know if she's cycling or has some problem that prevents her from becoming pregnant. Depending on the operation, some/all/none of this information is useful.

Cost is variable. For really small groups, the blood test is usually cheaper. I charge by time for ultrasound, so if you have a lot of cattle and work efficiently, it works out cheaper than blood testing.
I like ultra sound the best because as you say, you get that extra information. We did some the other day and one cow was 8 weeks post calving and i hadn't seen a heat, you guessed it, she has cysts. She has 4 more weeks to show something or she's gone and i like it because i know what I'm dealing with, not guessing. Also if they are 21 days i can be told if they are not in calf but can't say they are, i know that sounds odd but if he's checking and i happen to have a couple at 21-24 days can still run them through. The one the other day was 21 days and had a nice CL so wasn't in heat so i was confident in calf, she didn't come into heat over the next 7 days. I do like to wait until 55-70 days to sex the calf, very handy information especially at calving time but it is surprisingly hard to get the timing right.
 

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