Preg Testing

Pregnancy testing is critical to any reproductive management program. There are two procedures our vets perform to confirm pregnancy; The Manual Rectal Palpation and Ultrasound.

Manual rectal palpation can be used on any stage of pregnancy over 6 weeks. The accuracy of manual preg testing for dating is best in the early stages of pregnancy under 4 months (16 weeks), rather than in the later stages of pregnancy. Accuracy for detecting whether an animal is pregnant or not over the stage of 6 weeks is 100%.

Ultrasound pregnancy testing is generally performed to diagnose from 5 to 16 weeks. The accuracy is high, but it can also be used to diagnose pregnancies at any stage fairly quickly if you only require a yes/no result.

Whilst we can tell you yes (pregnant) or no (not pregnant or empty) later on, to efficiently run your dairy farm, you need to know what stage of gestation the cows are. The further in calf a cow, the harder it is to be accurate about how far pregnant she is.

From 6 to 16 weeks of pregnancy it is very accurate, from 16 weeks the accuracy is reduced. To get the most information try to present cows for preg testing when they are between 6 and 16 weeks pregnant. Ideally tests would be performed 6 to 7 weeks after the end of AI and 6 to 7 weeks after the bull is removed.

If you would like more information on our preg testing services or would like to speak to a veterinarian to establish a calving plan contact the clinic.