In Australia, there are quite some grazing farms using the "automatic pregnancy registration" in Horizon to manage pregnancy checks in the herd. This feature reduces the need for manual checks by the vet, reduces data entry and keeps reproduction numbers up to date, because it automatically changes the reproduction status of a cow from "inseminated" to "pregnant". In Horizon (Manage > Reproduction > Lactation) you can select how you want to use automatic pregnancy registration:
- At day – This option marks the cow as pregnant after x days after insemination (you can customize the nr of days after insemination). This setting only focuses on days and ignores any heat behaviours, for example when a cow shows heat behaviour, she will still be marked as pregnant after x days, unless there is a new insemination entered.
- Absence of heat – This setting marks animals as ‘auto pregnant?’ at day 42, and as ‘auto pregnant’ at day 48. It does take into account activity data, as well as manually entered heat and inseminations. Meaning, if a cow performs heat behaviour (e.g. 8 hours above the threshold) her reproduction status will not change status to ‘auto pregnant.’
Tip: check out the report "animal event overview" and filter on reproduction events for a list of cows with "auto pregnant" status.
What are your experiences with automatic pregnancy confirmation? How do you use this feature on your farm?
