You may do a good job getting heifers bred “in a timely manner” but are 90% of them pregnant within 150 days of your voluntary waiting period (VWP)? If they are not pregnant, they are likely to land on the cull list and become another costly “non-complete” heifer.
On average, raising a heifer costs as much as $3/day, and any delay in pregnancy increases total-rearing cost, and time required to recuperate those costs after she enters the milking herd. Minimizing the number of days that elapse between your VWP and the date of conception is a crucial piece in monitoring and achieving 90% pregnant at 150 days. Without rapid identification of open heifers, this goal is hard to achieve.
Pregnancy confirmation challenges
On many farms, pregnancy confirmation is performed during routine herd-health days, typically scheduled around the cow herd. This approach has many challenges for heifers, as they are often housed in separate facilities or a different location. Herd size also influences the frequency of herd-health checks, making weekly checks impractical. As a result, heifers can become the forgotten group, with pregnancy checks happening only a few times a year, if at all. This oversight can lead to increased age at first calving, higher rearing costs, and elevated non-completion rates. To avoid these issues, many farms have switched to using blood-pregnancy testing for confirming pregnancies in heifers.
Success with blood pregnancy testing
In 2017, Barclay Dairy in Seymour, Wis., added blood-pregnancy testing to their heifer-confirmation program. “We started using it, because we can check sooner,” shared Doug Barclay. “We pull samples at 28 days post-breeding, then the vet confirms again at 40 days. We find the blood test to be very accurate. Early-pregnancy detection has helped us improve pregnancy rates in both cows and heifers.”
For the past seven years, Travis Brantner has been confirming pregnancies in both heifers and cows using blood pregnancy tests. At his dairy in Mondovi, Wis., Travis collects blood samples and has them analyzed by CentralStar. “Since implementing this protocol, we find open heifers right away, at most 45 days post-breeding, so we can get them bred back sooner,” said Travis. “When a heifer comes back open, we use Lutalyse® and a (Eazi-Breed™) CIDR® to return them to heat. Blood-pregnancy testing works well; it’s the only way we do it for both cows and heifers. I especially like the convenience of pulling samples on my own schedule.”
Using a blood sample to confirm pregnancy in heifers offers numerous benefits:
- Early detection: Testing can be performed as early as 28 days post-breeding, allowing you to quickly rebreed open animals, so they calve as close to the target age as possible.
- Flexibility: Collect and ship samples at your convenience—no appointment needed.
- Accuracy: The test is 98% accurate, comparable to traditional methods.
- Quick turnaround: Results within 24 hours of sample receipt allows for quick decisions regarding open animals.
Optimizing results
The age a heifer gives birth to her first calf has a major impact on her productive life within the herd. Calf health and breeding efficiencies play a significant role in determining that age. Identifying and rebreeding open heifers in a timely manner is crucial to maintaining the optimal age at first calving.
If your program does not yet achieve 90% confirmed pregnant within 150 days of your VWP, it’s time to reassess your approach. Along with increasing the frequency of pregnancy checks to weekly, there may be other areas to fine-tune, in turn helping to achieve that goal. Talk with your CentralStar team for assistance.