No need to separate cows off the herd for the Vet to check

Dairy farmer, James Bargh, milks 90 cows at his farm in Bentham, North Yorkshire, England. He has been using the Alertys™ Milk Pregnancy Test from IDEXX for more than five years.

After seeing an advert for the milk pregnancy testing, and doing further research of his own, James decided to add the pregnancy test to his fertility management regime. He uses the test through his milk recording organisation, CIS, to check cows from 35 days gestation.

"The test keeps the cows in their daily routine during the early stage of pregnancy, with no need to separate them off from the herd for the vet to check. This is much less stressful and therefore better for the cows".

James checks for pregnant cows every six weeks using the test, with his vet checking again later in the pregnancy if required. For James, using his vet and the milk pregnancy test together is working well. “The test is a no-stress way to check if a cow is pregnant via our milk recording,” says James. “It also frees up the vet’s time to concentrate on any empty cows and repeats.”

As well as reducing potential stress on the herd, the test also has other advantages for James; “the test saves time as the CIS milk records are updated automatically with the result, we’re finding the vet’s calls are shorter, and importantly when cows are grazing, they don’t miss their fresh morning grass whilst being held back for the vet” says James.

"I would recommend the test to other farmers who are looking for a quick, non-invasive, test in early pregnancy. It is a great tool to help with your fertility management".