We had the vet out today to do pregnancy checks on half of our herd, including our first time moms.
This is one of our lovely young ladies that will be having her very first calf this season. She is likely pregnant as a result of natural service since she was estimated to have been pregnant for about 1 month, and artificial insemination was done in late fall. (this is explained more below)
The vet checks for pregnancy, it's exactly what you imagine and requires gloves that go up to your shoulders! Today I was the only girl helping out, and ofcourse the guys are making comments. My older cousin said to the vet "she was expecting dinner first!" At least the jokes keep it interesting, and everyone there is family so it's not so bad.
The vet gives us an estimate on how many months the cow has been pregnant. This helps us track whether or not the calf born will be a product of artificial insemination or natural breeding, since we use both techniques. Artificial insemination for our herd is performed late fall so anything that has been pregnant less than 4 months is a result of natural service.
The stocks shown in the picture have a weigh scale underneath them, so we take each cows weight. We can use this data to manage the health of our herd effectively during the winter months. Then the vet gives us a BCS (body condition score). Our herd could use a little extra weight but the vet seemed happy with how all our animals had fared over the winter months.
Have any questions about breeding on our farm? Contact me by posting a comment.
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