A successful reproductive program is a priority for profitable dairy farms. Building your program starts with decisions about what cows to breed and when to breed them. It is just as important to determine what cows are pregnant and what cows are open so that we start the process over again as soon as possible. Approaching pregnancy testing as a process rather than a single event will result in a more successful reproduction program.
Milk and blood sample-based pregnancy tests offer flexible testing options with results as early as 28 days post-breeding and 60 days post-calving. Dairy One offers IDEXX pregnancy testing which detects pregnancy-specific proteins called pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs). These specific proteins are expressed in the embryonic regions of the placenta and are detected in maternal fluids such as blood and milk. Milk and blood pregnancy testing can fit into any reproductive management plan. They can’t be beaten as the simplest, least intrusive (for both cows and people), and easiest routines to set up for pregnancy determination.
Identifying the correct cows for testing
Every farm has different parameters for reproduction management. Dairy One field staff recognize this and are trained to customize the reporting mechanism that identifies cows for pregnancy testing. An important component of reproductive management is maintaining correct information. Be sure cow ID and breeding dates are correct and know who your ineligible cows are. Ineligible cows maybe those without a breeding date or who are not long enough past a breeding date to use a milk or blood pregnancy test. Testing these cows may waste money or even worse, lead to actions on a potentially pregnant cow that cause her to cycle back into heat and possibly lose an early pregnancy.
When should I use pregnancy testing?
There are three important times to consider pregnancy testing:
1. Early diagnosis, 28-60 days after breeding for herds on a monthly test interval.
2. Mid lactation, 75-107 days carried calf for the pregnant cows
3. End of lactation but before dry-off – this is a critical time to confirm pregnancy for two reasons. First is the loss of income from milk at dry-off. Secondly, if dry cow therapy has been used, you risk keeping her for additional time without any profit until she clears the meat withholding period.
When using milk pregnancy testing, cows must be at least 28 days post-breeding and 60 days in milk. For blood pregnancy, cows must be at least 29 days post-breeding and 90 days in milk.
Getting started
Every farm can customize either method of pregnancy testing by setting up software programs with their Dairy One DHI Technician to identify cows eligible to be tested consistent with the protocol put in place. Once the setup is complete, making the software run and creating the work list is all that is needed for consistent and accurate identification of cows to be tested. You are even able to limit the number of cows to be tested as determined by cost. All that is left to do is review the list with your technician before submission and wait for the results.
Submitting samples between test days or if not testing
Milk pregnancy strip-sample tests can be used between test days or independent of a DHI testing program. Farms can use Dairy One’s milk diagnostic kit to submit samples for strip-sample testing. Blood pregnancy kits are also available as complete or partial kits. Complete kits include red topped blood tubes, disposable needles, needle holders, instructions, and hazardous material shipping containers. The partial kit includes only the red-topped blood tubes. Kits are available in various sample quantities. The easiest way to order kits is through Dairy One’s online store or by calling Dairy One’s Supply Department at 607-252-7540.
If you have additional questions or would like more information, please contact your DHI Field Technician or contact the Dairy One DHI Records Support team at 607-252-7575, or email [email protected].