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Detection of a cow's pregnancy at an early stage of pregnancy is the key to a successful bearing of the fetus throughout the entire period. This allows you to provide the animal with the necessary care in a timely manner and create favorable conditions for the birth of healthy offspring. Now there are different ways to determine the pregnancy of a cow by milk, both at home and in the laboratory.
How to check the pregnancy of a cow by milk using folk methods
You can identify the pregnancy of an animal using a simple test at home. The main sign of the onset of pregnancy is a change in the taste of milk, but not every novice livestock breeder will be able to determine this difference. Therefore, you should not trust purely taste buds.
Common folk methods of checking a cow for pregnancy by milk at an early stage.
First way:
- After 40-50 days after the last insemination, you need to take 30-50 ml of milk, but not from the first and last stream during milking.
- The liquid should settle for 0.5-3 hours at room temperature.
- Separately, in a glass beaker for 4/5 of the total volume, pour boiled water heated to 40 degrees.
- Let it settle for a little so that possible impurities sink to the bottom.
- Using a pipette, drop 9-10 drops of selected milk onto the surface of the water from a height of less than 5 cm.
- If the cow is not pregnant, then the milk will quickly dissolve in the water and within 5 minutes. the liquid will acquire a uniform white tint.
- If the mating is successful, then the milk drops will settle to the bottom of the glass in wavy circles and only eventually mix with water.
Second way:
- Pour fresh milk and pure medical alcohol into a transparent flask, combining the components in equal amounts.
- Shake the container well.
- A dairy product taken from a pregnant cow will curdle within 3-5 minutes, and if there is no pregnancy, this will happen in 20-40 minutes.
The accuracy of this method, according to experienced livestock breeders, is 70-75%.
At home, determining pregnancy by milk (a video on this topic can be found at the end of the article) does not require the use of special devices, but it does not give a 100% guarantee either. Therefore, it is up to each livestock breeder to use folk methods or trust professional analysis.
How to find out the pregnancy of a cow by milk in the laboratory
A more accurate milk test for cow pregnancy can be done in a laboratory setting. This method allows you to quickly determine pregnancy on the 19-21st day after the last estrus by the level of steroid hormone in the milk of the animal with an accuracy of 97%.
Progesterone levels have the ability to change cyclically. During ovulation, that is, at the beginning of the sexual cycle, its concentration in cow's milk is in the range of 2 ng / ml. In the following days, this indicator constantly increases and reaches 10-20 ng / ml on the 13-15th day.
Based on this, it is possible to identify pregnancy on the 19-21st day after mating with maximum accuracy. By the concentration of progesterone in milk, one can judge the condition of the cow:
- less than 4 ng / ml - non-pregnant;
- 4-7 ng / ml - doubtful probability;
- more than 7 ng / ml - pregnancy has come.
To determine pregnancy, it is enough to take milk in the amount of 1.5 ml into prepared test tubes at the last stage of milking. The duration of the analysis is 30 minutes, excluding equipment preparation.
This method has gained wide acceptance all over the world, as it is easy to perform and does not require high qualifications of a laboratory assistant. But to carry it out, you need special equipment.
The main advantages of the enzyme immunoassay of milk:
- helps to quickly identify non-seeded cows and return them to reproduction;
- eliminates the stress of the animal in comparison with other common diagnostic methods;
- reduces the likelihood of re-mating of inseminated cows showing signs of false hunting.
The ELISA method detects a cow's pregnancy 40-70 days earlier than a rectal examination, and 10-15 days than an ultrasound method using a special sensor. This can significantly reduce the period of unnecessary waiting.
Conclusion
The use of any of the proposed methods allows you to determine the pregnancy of a cow by milk, but which one to choose, each owner decides for himself. Early detection of pregnancy is essential for healthy offspring. Indeed, during this period, the animal needs special conditions of maintenance and nutrition, since only in this case can a positive result be expected.
