Anyone preg check their cattle?

notjustair · Feb 12, 2016

I think it's a skill I need to learn. The last ones I had the vet preg check were a disaster. One was only supposed to be four months along and calved the next week. Two others were supposed to be open and calved a month later. Note to self: don't let the vet's newly graduated DVM son do the checking.

I'm not looking to confirm how many months along or anything. I just want to be able to determine yeah or nay. Anyone do their own cattle checks?

Tom in TN · Feb 12, 2016

notjustair,

There's a company called Biotracking.com that sells a kit that enables you to draw blood from the cows tail and send it to them for analysis. They are supposed to be able to tell if she's pregnant based on certain hormones in the blood.

I've never tried it, but I've come close to doing so.

Tom in TN

David from Kansas · Feb 12, 2016

We have the vet check ours by palpation and they have been extremely accurate. The local sale barn, however, doesn't seem to do so well. If they get within 3 months they are doing good. I have a son who has his checked by ultrasound and it is good also.
Don't know if it is still in operation but there was a school in Garnett, Kansas that taught artificial insemination and preg checking, mostly to farmers/ranchers. My younger brother attended it about 20 years ago and has been doing most of his own checking. I have had him check a few of mine and he did OK.

john in la · Feb 12, 2016

One of the LSU research stations near my house is a Biopryn testing lab.
Cost me $3 per cow and $6 for a goat and that price includes the needle and tube to collect the sample.
Takes a couple of days to get the results but you eliminate the human error; and for a few animals it is way cheaper than a vet visit.

Bruce from Can. · Feb 13, 2016

First Tuesday every month , Vet comes to our farm and "arms " the cows . Cows that are short bred 30-35 days , they will use a Ultra sound . I always have the cows re-checked again later ,just in case early embriotic death caused the cow to miscarry/reabsorb the calf. We do all AI.

KYfarm · Feb 13, 2016

I personally do not do it but absolutely have the vet come out and "arm" them with his ultrasound. I lease bulls and run them from late May until I can get them shipped in August. I then have the vet come out in mid Oct/early Nov. I get very accurate results and any open cows get traded in.

farmerwithmutt · Feb 13, 2016

Anybody remember bumping the cows? I've seen it done but can't really remember how it's basically bumping the cow behind the ribs and feeling for a calf

Dachshund · Feb 13, 2016

Just "bumped" one of my cows last night. I am GUESSING she has about 2 weeks left. Had another Jersey/Guernsey cross have hers on Christmas day. You could SEE hers crawling around inside her for 3 weeks.

moresmoke · Feb 13, 2016

It something that you need to have the feel for. So stick your arm in and feel around. As long as you have something for working facilities it's not that hard to do.

centash · Feb 13, 2016

Really? C'mon, nearly anyone can feel a preg. a week from calving! Even four weeks away doesn't take much skill. With practice, one can determine a preg. at 30 plus days by a palpation. An ultrasound is pretty good at 28 days. You need to get another vet! My dad could even determine the $ex of a calf by swinging a rusty spike on a baler twine over the cow's back...he had a 50 % success rate!!

Ben

Donald Lehman · Feb 13, 2016

With a little practice and knowing what to look for, you can pick a pregnancy up at around 30 days as stated below simply by arming them. Nearly anyone can pick up a pregnancy up at the 60 days mark. I used to do my own with pretty good results. My son does some of his own and the vets do some of them, depending on how busy he is and if the vet happens to be at the farm at the time. In my experience, farmers who do their own AI are better than the average on preg. checks simply because they know their cows inside and out. (literally)

LAA · Feb 13, 2016

for beef cattle blood test are cheap, accurate and easy and works from 4 weeks after conception. Its great if you have time to wait on results, if you are culling cows at the same time you are working them then it ain't so handy.

chevytaHOE5674 · Feb 13, 2016

We draw blood and send it in on all our cows. Been 100% accurate so far. Its quick and very easy for a just about anybody to do.

JMS/.MN · Feb 13, 2016

Bump to the rear of the ribs, on the right side of the cow. Sometimes you"ll see the calf kick just after your last bump. Especially late in pregnancy. Can usually bump by 7 months along.

Anyone preg check their cattle?

notjustair

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Tom in TN

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David from Kansas

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john in la

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Bruce from Can.

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KYfarm

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farmerwithmutt

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Dachshund

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moresmoke

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centash

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Donald Lehman

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LAA

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chevytaHOE5674

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JMS/.MN

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