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Milk Progesterone Testing: Application to Herd Management¹

Milk Marketing Board, Vetereinary Research Unit, Cleeve House, Lower Wick, Worcester WR2 4NS, England

ABSTRACT

A commercial pregnancy testing service for cows became available to United Kingdom dairy farmers in 1975. The service met an immediate demand from farmers attempting to reduce losses due to delayed conception, $1.20 per cow per day, and after 18 mo approximately 5% of cows were being tested. Approximately one in six (16.5%) of the cows tested, which had not been detected in estrus by 24 days after insemination, were negative to the test; monthly variation was in the proportion of negative tests. Accuracy was 100% for the negative tests in herds where cow identification was good, and 85.2% for positive tests mainly because of fetal loss and insemination during the luteal phase.

Other applications of the milk progesterone test in improving herd management are in limited use. These uses, which include the confirmation of estrus, fertility monitoring, and clinical applications, are of value to veterinarians and others in investigating subfertile herds or problem cows but, because of cost, are unlikely to find widespread application.

¹ Presented to the American Dairy Science Association 72nd Annual Meeting: Session on Reproductive Management, Ames, IA, on 28 June 1977.