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Observations on the Degree of Expression of Estrus in Cattle

Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College, Copenhagen, Denmark

R. W. Touchberry

Dept. of Dairy Science, University of Illinois, Urbana

ABSTRACT

The detection of heat is difficult when its external symptoms are vague. As a consequence, heat periods may pass unnoticed, or animals may be bred at an unsuitable stage. Thus, conception may be delayed unnecessarily. In spite of its obvious practical importance, the degree of the expression of heat symptoms, and its relation to the chances of conception, have so far been given little attention in the studies of fertility in cattle.

Weber (11) made extensive observations on the different heat symptoms on 24 cows. He found that the strength of the heat symptoms was, to a large extent, determined by the individuality of the cows; consequently, he divided the cows into a group of 14 cows showing weak, nine showing medium, and one showing strong heat symptoms. He also found that the strength of the symptoms varied somewhat for the same cow from one heat period to another. In the 1954 Swedish artificial insemination work (8), 229,392 cows were classified according to the strength of the heat symptoms.