Basic HTML Version
Veterinary Surgeons
Dan King and
Jonathan Statham
XLVets Practice
Bishopton Veterinary
Group
Milk progesterone tests identify when (and when not)
to AI your cows (so you can improve herd fertility, and
save time and costs).
DAN KING AND JONATHAN STATHAM,
BISHOPTON VETERINARY GROUP
Good heat detection is one of the
fundamentals for good herd fertility. Yet in
many high yielding herds, spotting the signs
of oestrus can be a challenge. Modern
genetics and the pressures of high production,
mean that many cows now show oestrus for
only a short time, or hardly at all.
But there's another issue, as Bishopton's
Jonathan Statham explains: ‘With heat activity
being low, and the drive to get cows back
in-calf, it's estimated that around 20% of
artificial inseminations are actually given to
cows which are already pregnant. This may
be further complicated by the fact that around
5% of pregnant cows will still show signs
of bulling.
‘Not only is this a waste of semen straws, but
more importantly, inseminating a pregnant
cow is likely to cause abortion. This in turn
adds another 21 day wait before the cow is
ready to serve again, increasing the calving
interval at a cost in excess of £3 for every
extra day. And that's assuming that no
infection follows the abortion.’
Heat detection tools
In addition to watching cows for signs of
heat, there are a range of heat detection tools
that can be used on-farm to ensure cows are
inseminated at the correct time. These include
- Kamar markers, tail-painting, vasectomised
bulls, and activity monitors like Heatime in
which the extra movement of cows on heat
is recorded via transponders on head collars.
Another method of heat detection is to
measure the progesterone in a cow's milk.
Bishopton's Dan King explains: ‘The level of
this hormone will rise and fall according to
the stage of the cow's oestrus cycle. In a cow
which is cycling normally, low levels of
progesterone are found when the cow is
in heat, i.e. she is not pregnant. High
progesterone levels are found when she is
pregnant, or in mid-cycle.
‘The test is quite simple to do - a dipstick is
put into a sample of milk and ten minutes
later, a reading of high or low progesterone
is obtained.’
HERD FERT I L I TY
7
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...
Use of
Milk Progesterone testing
to improve herd fer tility
Dan King performing a milk progesterone test
Jonathan Statham and Dan King monitor and
record the progesterone test results