One of the first jobs we do following bringing our herd indoors for the winter is Pregnancy Diagnosing, also known as PDing.
We undertake this process once a year with our herd (who are spring calving suckler cows) and we do this with Molecare Farm Vets who work with us all year round and do a fantastic job of keeping our livestock healthy.
As our bulls have been running with the cows since June, this means that they should begin calving in March next year.
Having been a Dad twice I can remember seeing my sons on the screen when my wife went for scans, but this is slightly different as the vet uses a tiny camera rather than ultrasound. In many ways the purpose is medically similar in that the vet checks whether they are indeed in calf, how far they are along and whether the pregnancy is progressing normally.
All of this information will inform our care for that animal between now and the date she gives birth, such as her diet, who she is housed with and in particular – how closely we keep an eye on her as we get closer to her calving date.
During our last visit from Molecare Farm Vets, Rachel was pleased with the health of the cows and the calves who are expected to arrive in early spring.
