pregnancy check

[DRB]

Has anyone tried to use the early pregnancy checks made for women to check a cow for pregnancy? Did it work?

 

[dun]

This very issue was addressed at some length in another forum around x-mas time. Turns out that they do work, anyway they did for the party that tried them. She has a method of capturing the urine in a cup and then introducing it to the test kit.
Our vet charges a buck and a half to sleeve a cow. Seems like the test kits run a lot higher then that.

dun

Has anyone tried to use the early pregnancy checks made for women to check a cow for pregnancy? Did it work?

 

[ronay0]

thanks for the asking, I had the same question.

 

[Ann Bledsoe]

Turns out it's not as accurate as I had hoped.

The cow that originally tested positive at 66 days, tested negative at 90 days, she was palpated and is still pregnant.
The cow that was bred Jan 22, still has not had a positive result as of today, although she has been palpated and is pregnant.

I did find a pretty interesting website
http://www.biotracking.com/

These folks do pregnancy tests on a 2cc sample of the cow's blood -- results in 20-something hours. Accurate 30 days after breeding.
Test itself is only $1.70 for each animal, but you would also have the added costs of shipping and collection syringes/vials.

Ann B

 

[txag]

Turns out it's not as accurate as I had hoped.

The cow that originally tested positive at 66 days, tested negative at 90 days, she was palpated and is still pregnant.
The cow that was bred Jan 22, still has not had a positive result as of today, although she has been palpated and is pregnant.

I did find a pretty interesting website
http://www.biotracking.com/

These folks do pregnancy tests on a 2cc sample of the cow's blood -- results in 20-something hours. Accurate 30 days after breeding.
Test itself is only $1.70 for each animal, but you would also have the added costs of shipping and collection syringes/vials.

Ann B

if you're only looking for a yes or no answer, these tests (if accurate) will work, but if you're also trying to determine how far along, palpation is the answer.

 

[Ann Bledsoe]

My cows are bred AI, I know exactly how far along they are/should be.

These tests are NOT accurate on cattle -- they are showing a cow that is approximately 120 days pregnant as negative. We got a positive on this cow at 66 days, and then a negative at 90 days and 120 days. (and she's definitely pregnant, been palpated, and you can "bump" the calf)

I set out several weeks ago to prove or disprove whether these tests would work, and have been testing one cow on a weekly basis since she was AI'd Jan 22nd.
At this point, it appears that the tests do not work -- at least not accurately enough to count on.
I will continue to test weekly until the cow is past 90 days. There's always a slim chance that there is a "window" somewhere in there in which the test is accurate.

Ann B

 

[txag]

My cows are bred AI, I know exactly how far along they are/should be.Ann B

i worked for a vet in high school and college and the majority of cows palpated were not a.i.'d & had year-round breeding seasons. they're commercial cattleman making the decision to keep or sell. i wasn't referring to your operation, just making a general statement about why most folks palpate.

 

[dun]

When our vet preg checks I don't tell him the breeding date, I like to see how close he can tell/guess. He's alwasy been within 7 days of the actual breeding date. But he taught at KC state and work at MARC for a while so he had better know his business.

dun

My cows are bred AI, I know exactly how far along they are/should be.Ann B

i worked for a vet in high school and college and the majority of cows palpated were not a.i.'d & had year-round breeding seasons. they're commercial cattleman making the decision to keep or sell. i wasn't referring to your operation, just making a general statement about why most folks palpate.

 

[Campground Cattle]

I agree with txag, AI ok if you watch the cows constantly. I just figured that was what the bull was for. You might disagree Ai is to costly for me I can't afford for cow's to miss or be late.

 

[DRB]

I don't have a lot of confidence in my vet as far as determining early pregnancies. I would like an up or down test as early as possible, I generally know when one is in heat and has been bred, I'd like to know if she caught...to separate the bull, know how to sell, know more about the bull, know more about your cattle, etc...
I wouldn't mind the blood test method...I' wouldn't be suprised if most any university could do this...I'll check it out..Actually I don't know why this couldn't be an at home project could it be that complicated?

 

[Anonymous]

We preg check our cows 90 days after breeding A.I. or naturally, with ultra sound technology. This is the only way to check cows, and if we are selling them in a sale, we sex the calf.

 

[Ann Bledsoe]

I used to have complete confidence in my vet for palpating -- but not anymore! He checked one of my cows and declared her "open, normal, and cycling", gave her a shot of lutalyse to bring her in for breedng, 2 days later her aborted fetus was found in the pen.
I've also read a lot lately about the dangers of palpation to the fetus -- 2% - 8% abort after palapation.

For my purposes, it looks like the BioPRYN pregnancy test will be the best way to go -- draw blood at 30 days, send it in and have results 27 hours after they receive it.

Ann B

I don't have a lot of confidence in my vet as far as determining early pregnancies. I would like an up or down test as early as possible, I generally know when one is in heat and has been bred, I'd like to know if she caught...to separate the bull, know how to sell, know more about the bull, know more about your cattle, etc...
I wouldn't mind the blood test method...I' wouldn't be suprised if most any university could do this...I'll check it out..Actually I don't know why this couldn't be an at home project could it be that complicated?

 

[Ann Bledsoe]

I'm not trying to change your way of thinking at all -- but I did want to explain something here.
I talked Dad into letting me AI his Red Angus cows last year, he though AI would be too expensive and time consuming too. We AI'd his herd to Monu and Red Spread (Accelerated Genetics). Synchronized with 2 shots of lutalyse, 14 days apart. Out of 29 cows bred, only 4 cycled again (that were seen).
In Dad's case, he was looking at having to buy a new bull -- his bull is 10 years old, and he needed replacement heifers. By using AI, we have alleviated the need for a new bull, the old bull is more than capable of running clean up for another couple of years. And we used bulls that should throw good daughters.
Total cost of AI for Dad's herd was $670.
The calves are starting to hit the ground now -- so far all have been Monu calves, and Dad couldn't be more pleased. Small calves that are extremely lively and alert at birth, on their feet and nursing within minutes -- first time ever that Dad's had a heifer deliver without assistance.
For someone who was so against AI a year ago, his results at this point have completely changed his mind. Now if we get good replacements out of this, he'll be sold on it forever.

Ann B

I agree with txag, AI ok if you watch the cows constantly. I just figured that was what the bull was for. You might disagree Ai is to costly for me I can't afford for cow's to miss or be late.

 

[dun]

I'll agree that the heat detection part is labor intensive, but if you synch them and schedule their impending heat for a week-end it should be do-able. Even if you don't synch them and do heat detect for as little as half an hour morngin and evening it works. That's what we do and it's worked for us. You do need to have your cows identifiable, and some folks don't eartag or mark them so it gets tricky. But the results, as Ann as attested to, are well worth the time.

dun

I'm not trying to change your way of thinking at all -- but I did want to explain something here.
I talked Dad into letting me AI his Red Angus cows last year, he though AI would be too expensive and time consuming too. We AI'd his herd to Monu and Red Spread (Accelerated Genetics). Synchronized with 2 shots of lutalyse, 14 days apart. Out of 29 cows bred, only 4 cycled again (that were seen).
In Dad's case, he was looking at having to buy a new bull -- his bull is 10 years old, and he needed replacement heifers. By using AI, we have alleviated the need for a new bull, the old bull is more than capable of running clean up for another couple of years. And we used bulls that should throw good daughters.
Total cost of AI for Dad's herd was $670.
The calves are starting to hit the ground now -- so far all have been Monu calves, and Dad couldn't be more pleased. Small calves that are extremely lively and alert at birth, on their feet and nursing within minutes -- first time ever that Dad's had a heifer deliver without assistance.
For someone who was so against AI a year ago, his results at this point have completely changed his mind. Now if we get good replacements out of this, he'll be sold on it forever.

Ann B

I agree with txag, AI ok if you watch the cows constantly. I just figured that was what the bull was for. You might disagree Ai is to costly for me I can't afford for cow's to miss or be late.