Due list
Heat watches, pregnancy checks, sync injections, close-up moves and expected calvings for the next 30 days, worked out from each heifer's records.
Herd reproductive KPIs
Calculated from your inseminations, pregnancy checks and calvings. An insemination counts as resolved once a pregnancy check, a return to heat or a later insemination shows the result.
Breeding calculator
Quick dates for a single animal without adding it to the herd.
From an AI date
When to inseminate
Breeding readiness
Heat stress (THI)
Pregnancy staging
Reproductive tract of the HF heifer
Dorsal view, not to scale. Select a structure for its size in a breeding-age Holstein heifer, what you feel on rectal palpation, and the problems linked to it.
Estrous cycle explorer
A typical 21-day heifer cycle (normal range 18 to 24 days). Move through the days to see what the ovary carries, where progesterone sits, and what that means for breeding and treatment.
The bovine liver
Anatomy, functions and diseases of the cow's liver, with the tests and control programs you use in the field. The liver drives the transition period: almost every fresh-cow problem runs through it.
Visceral surface, dorsal border at the top. Dashed outlines are organ impressions.
Functions, and why they matter in a dairy cow
Liver and metabolic tests
Reference values differ between laboratories and analyzers; always read results against your lab's ranges. Thresholds for BHB, NEFA and calcium are research cut-points linked to disease risk.
| Test | Healthy (approximate) | Changes with | Field use |
|---|
Liver diseases: control and management
Flukicides
Typical label doses. Withdrawal periods differ by product and country; many flukicides are not permitted in lactating dairy cows, so treat heifers and dry cows.
| Drug | Stages killed | Dose | Notes |
|---|
Aflatoxin limits: Pakistan and international
| Item | Standard | Limit |
|---|
Roughly 1 to 6% of the aflatoxin B1 a cow eats comes out as M1 in milk, so feed control is milk control.
Liver fluke control program for Pakistan
- Species
- Molecular studies of flukes from Punjab cattle and buffalo identify Fasciola gigantica, not F. hepatica, as the fluke present. Its snail hosts live in canals, waterlogged fields, ponds and rice paddies.
- Burden
- A meta-analysis put prevalence in Punjab cattle at about 13%, and a five-district faecal survey found 25% overall and about 40% in Sargodha.
- Strategic dosing
- Treat young stock and dry cows after the monsoon and irrigation high-risk period and again before the next one, timed by faecal sedimentation tests. Use triclabendazole where immature flukes matter (heifers, dry cows); use adult-stage drugs where milk rules limit the choice.
- Fodder
- Cut-and-carry fodder from canal banks and wet field margins carries infective cysts. Cut higher, avoid wet margins, or ensile or dry it, which kills the cysts over time.
- Snail habitat
- Drain or fence wet areas and pond edges; give clean trough water instead of channel water.
- Monitoring
- Faecal sedimentation on 10 young animals twice a year, serum GGT in suspect cows, and abattoir liver condemnation reports.
Transition period
From 3 weeks before to 3 weeks after calving. Intake falls while the demand for glucose, calcium and protein jumps, body fat floods the liver, and immunity dips. International benchmarks are shown with how they apply on Pakistani farms.
Your herd's transition results
Negative days are before calving.
Metabolic profile interpreter
Close-up DCAD
Enter mineral levels of the whole close-up ration as % of dry matter.
Transition conditions
Standards: international benchmarks and Pakistan application
International values are commonly used research and advisory benchmarks. Pakistan has no national transition-cow standard; the right-hand column shows how to apply each benchmark under local conditions and the Pakistani rules that do exist.
| Measure | International benchmark | Pakistan application |
|---|
Hoof health
Claw anatomy, the ICAR claw lesion codes and zones, locomotion scoring, functional trimming and footbath standards, with how they apply on Pakistani farms. Lameness is a transition and nutrition problem as much as a foot problem.
Your herd's hoof results
Record a hoof visit from any animal's record in Herd, from the lists below, or score the whole herd at once.
Score the herd
Watch each animal walk on a flat surface, then tap her score. Only animals you score are saved. Score the whole herd monthly.
Footbath log
Handle formalin with gloves and good airflow; keep it away from milk and feed.
Lengthwise section through one claw, toe to the left.
Locomotion score (1 to 5)
Score every animal monthly as she walks on a flat, non-slippery surface. Animals scoring 3 or more need their feet examined within 48 hours.
Claw lesions (ICAR codes)
Functional trimming: the 5 steps
Start with the inner hind claw and the outer front claw, which are usually the healthier, less loaded claws, and match the other claw to them.
Footbath standard
Standards: international benchmarks and Pakistan application
Benchmarks come from the ICAR Claw Health Atlas and common advisory targets. Pakistan has no national hoof-health standard; the right-hand column applies each benchmark to local housing and climate.
| Measure | International benchmark | Pakistan application |
|---|
Clinical exam guide
Reference tables for pre-breeding exams, pregnancy diagnosis and growth monitoring in HF heifers. Values are approximate textbook ranges; individual animals vary.
Reproductive tract score (RTS)
Score by rectal palpation 4 to 6 weeks before the breeding season. Heifers scoring 1 are immature; breed only heifers scoring 3 or more for a sync program.
| RTS | Uterine horns | Ovaries (L × H × W) | Ovarian structures | Meaning |
|---|
Fetal aging and pregnancy landmarks
CRL is crown-rump length. Transrectal ultrasound detects a heartbeat from about day 25 to 28; rectal palpation is reliable from about day 35.
| Day | Fetal size (CRL) | Ultrasound | Rectal palpation |
|---|
Growth targets for a 650 kg mature HF
Scaled from mature weight in Herd settings. Average daily gain of about 0.75 to 0.85 kg from weaning to breeding avoids both late puberty and fatty udders.
| Age | % mature | Weight | Milestone |
|---|
Body condition targets (1 to 5 scale)
| Stage | Target BCS | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Weaning to 6 months | 2.5 | Lean frame growth; fat here impairs udder development |
| Puberty (9 to 11 mo) | 2.75 | Below 2.5 delays puberty |
| Breeding (13 to 15 mo) | 2.75 to 3.0 | Best conception; under 2.5 means more anestrus |
| Mid-pregnancy | 3.0 | Steady gain, no fattening |
| Pre-calving | 3.25 to 3.5 | Over 3.75 raises dystocia, ketosis and fatty liver risk |
Ovarian findings on ultrasound
| Structure | Size | Appearance | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small follicles | 2 to 5 mm | Anechoic (black) round | Wave emergence; present on any day |
| Dominant follicle | 10 to 17 mm | Anechoic, thin wall | Ovulatory if progesterone is low; responds to GnRH from about 10 mm |
| Corpus hemorrhagicum | Variable | Poorly defined, mixed echo | Ovulation 1 to 4 days ago; PGF2α not effective |
| Mature CL | 20 to 30 mm | Grey, granular, echogenic | Diestrus or pregnancy; PGF2α effective (check pregnancy first) |
| Cavitary CL | CL with 2 to 10 mm fluid core | Grey rim, black centre | Normal variant; still makes progesterone |
| Follicular cyst | Over 25 mm, persists 10 days or more | Anechoic, thin wall under 3 mm | Anovulatory; GnRH or progesterone device |
| Luteal cyst | Over 25 mm | Thick echogenic wall over 3 mm | Progesterone-producing; PGF2α |
Reproductive conditions in heifers
Congenital, cyclic, infectious and management problems you meet in replacement heifers, with field signs and what to do.
Synchronization protocols for heifers
Timelines used for heifers. Start any of them on an animal from its record in Herd and the steps appear in the Due list.
Natural heat: the AM/PM rule
Inseminate about 12 hours after standing heat is first seen. Heat seen in the morning, inseminate that evening; seen in the evening, inseminate next morning. Heifers usually stand for 10 to 18 hours and ovulate about 24 to 30 hours after heat begins. A single daily AI late morning works acceptably on many farms where twice-daily AI isn't practical.
Reproductive drug reference
Typical label doses for cattle. Products and strengths differ between brands, so dose from the label in hand. Women of childbearing age and people with asthma should wear gloves with PGF2α, which is absorbed through skin.
| Drug | Class | Typical dose | Use in heifers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gonadorelin | GnRH | 100 µg IM (some products 200 µg) | Ovulates or luteinizes a dominant follicle and starts a new wave; follicular cysts | Needs a follicle of about 10 mm or more to cause ovulation |
| Buserelin | GnRH analogue | 10 µg IM | As gonadorelin | More potent per µg; check concentration |
| Dinoprost | PGF2α | 25 mg IM | Luteolysis: heat 2 to 5 days later; pyometra; luteal cysts | CL must be about 5 days old or more. Aborts pregnant animals |
| Cloprostenol | PGF2α analogue | 500 µg IM (d-cloprostenol 150 µg) | As dinoprost | Longer half-life; same cautions |
| Progesterone insert (CIDR, PRID) | Progestogen | 1 device, 1.38 to 1.55 g, 5 to 14 days | Sync programs; starts cycling in prepubertal or anestrous heifers | Clean applicator between animals; cloudy mucus at removal is normal |
| eCG (PMSG) | Gonadotropin | 300 to 500 IU IM at device removal | Boosts follicle growth in anestrous, thin or heat-stressed heifers | Higher doses cause multiple ovulation |
| hCG | LH-like | 1,500 to 3,000 IU IM | Luteinizes follicles and cysts; can induce an accessory CL 5 days after AI | Repeated use can raise antibodies |
| Estradiol esters | Estrogen | Per protocol | Used in some sync programs | Legal status varies; banned for food animals in many countries |
Semen tank, thawing and quality
- Tank
- Measure liquid nitrogen weekly with a dipstick and refill before it falls to the manufacturer's minimum. Keep canisters below the frost line in the neck; lift for no more than 10 seconds, then lower and wait 30 seconds before trying again. Use forceps, never fingers.
- Thaw
- 35 to 37 °C water bath for 40 to 45 seconds. Dry the straw completely, cut squarely, load a pre-warmed gun and inseminate within 10 to 15 minutes. Shield from cold, wind and sunlight.
- Quality
- Frozen bull semen standards commonly require at least 40 to 50% progressive motility after thawing and about 20 million sperm per conventional dose. Sexed doses usually carry 2 to 4 million.
- Sexed semen
- Best on maiden heifers with normal cycles and BCS 2.75 or more, at first or second service. Expect conception at roughly 80 to 90% of conventional semen.
- Records
- Log sire code, batch number and supplying station with every service. Batch records let you trace poor conception to a semen lot.
Pakistan standards and field calendar
Regulation, vaccination timing, climate and performance targets for HF heifers on Pakistani farms. Pakistan has no single gazetted national heifer-rearing standard, so the targets below combine provincial law, UVAS and L&DD advisories, and international HF benchmarks.
Breeding regulation in Punjab
- Law
- The Punjab Livestock Breeding Act 2014 sets up a Livestock Breeding Services Authority with a Registrar of Livestock Breeding Services.
- AI technicians
- An AI technician under the Act is a person who meets its requirements and is registered by the Registrar. The Authority sets technician standards covering training and infrastructure.
- Semen
- The Authority regulates semen handling and AI on farms, natural mating, use of exotic semen and semen imports, plus standards for collection and production facilities.
- In practice
- Keep the technician's registration number, the semen station and the batch on every AI record (the AI form here has fields for them). Outside Punjab, check your provincial Livestock and Dairy Development Department.
- Breeding policy
- Crossbreeding with exotic semen such as Holstein Friesian is advised for non-descript cattle, while local breeds such as Sahiwal and Cholistani are improved by selection within the breed. Pure HF performs best under intensive housing with cooling.
Vaccination and parasite calendar
Common timing on Pakistani dairy farms from UVAS and L&DD advisories. Follow your district veterinary officer and the vaccine label, and keep the cold chain at 2 to 8 °C. The current month is highlighted.
- First-time vaccination
- Give a booster 21 to 30 days after the first dose of each vaccine, then follow the routine calendar.
- Brucellosis
- Strain 19 (or RB51 where available) once in a lifetime for seronegative female calves aged 4 to 8 months. Never vaccinate pregnant animals or bulls with S19, and handle it with gloves: it can infect people.
- Before breeding
- Have FMD, HS and LSD vaccinations current at least 3 to 4 weeks before the first AI so fever and stress don't fall on the breeding window.
- Parasites
- Deworm heifers every 3 to 4 months, rotating drug classes, and control ticks. Theileriosis, babesiosis and anaplasmosis cause fever, anemia and abortion and are priority diseases in Punjab surveillance.
Heat stress season on the plains
- Why it matters
- HF fertility starts falling at a THI around 66 to 68. Heat around AI shortens heat, damages the oocyte and early embryo, and raises embryonic loss.
- Summer breeding
- Use timed AI because heat signs fade; inseminate in the cool early morning; give shade, fans with sprinklers or foggers in ventilated sheds and cool water at all times; avoid moving or handling heifers in the afternoon.
- Planning
- Conception is best from November to February. Note that breeding in October to November puts calving in July to August, the humid monsoon peak, so plan close-up cooling for those heifers.
Performance targets for HF heifers
| Measure | Target | Act if |
|---|
Reference figures are typical values for Holstein Friesian heifers and vary with nutrition, climate and genetics. This tool supports, and does not replace, clinical examination and judgment.