When planning such a business as breeding cattle, it is often important to determine exactly when the cow begins to hunt. Errors in this matter often lead to significant losses, in particular to a decrease in the amount of milk and calves. Fortunately, there are a number of methods that allow you to know for sure that the hunting period has begun.
Cow in the hunt
Sexual hunting is the state of a cow when it becomes ready for mating. The onset of this period, as well as the duration of its occurrence, depends on various factors: the age of the animal, the conditions of its housing, the season, etc. Let's look at some of the features of this state. 
After how many days after calving comes
On average, a cow comes into a hunt between 30 and 60 days after calving. However, these periods may be somewhat shifted in one direction or another - it depends on the individual characteristics of the organism of an animal, a breed, and also how smoothly, without complications, the calving has passed.
Did you know? The most ancient breed of cows in the world from the existing breed is now considered to be the meat breed Chianine (or Kievan). It was bred in the Roman Empire, in Italy, about 2.5 thousand years ago. The breed has an exceptionally high taste of meat.
How many days lasts
An external manifestation of the onset of this process is the onset of estrus, during which a cow has a vulvar swelling and mucus is released from the vagina. The current lasts on average from three to five days. There are several stages of sexual activity:
- At the initial stage the animal becomes agitated, moans loudly and rubs against objects or buildings, the milk yield decreases.
- Next period - active estrus. A cow can roar, but she herself remains still, even when a bull rushes at her. This period lasts on average 16-19 hours. It is the second half of this period that is considered the most favorable for insemination.
- Followed by estrus periodthe cow calms down.
How to determine that a cow is in a hunt
Often in heat cows outwardly practically does not appear. This may be due to both its individual characteristics and the characteristics of the breed. In addition, in winter, signs of female readiness for mating are much weaker than during warmer seasons.
However, in addition to observing changes in the behavior of the animal, there are several ways to determine the start of sexual activity. It can be various measurements, analyzes, the use of special devices, etc. Consider these methods in more detail.
Read also about the methods of artificial insemination of cows at home.
Temperature measurement
This method consists in regularly measuring the temperature of the animal. When an animal is in hunting, its body temperature rises by about 0.3 ° C. The temperature is measured in the rectum or in the vagina of the animal. You can also measure just milked milk, but in this case, the accuracy of the method, and so low, is reduced. 
Measurements are carried out with a special thermometer. They need to be made daily. Using this method, hunting is determined in approximately 25% of cases; it is most effective when used on nullite chicks.
Important! This method can be applied only to completely healthy animals, since An increase in temperature is also observed in infectious diseases. Another factor leading to an elevated temperature of the animal and not associated with the onset of hunting is overheating of the cow in the sun.
With the help of test bulls
The method is based on the fact that the bull accurately determines when the female begins a period suitable for mating. The males used in this method are called bulls probes. As a rule, the role of the probe is an animal with bandaged seed canals, but other methods can be used to preserve the male's sexual activity when it is impossible to inseminate the female. The method is highly efficient and is usually used in fairly large farms.
Find out how a cow mates with a bull.
Instrumental way
In this method, with the help of a special tool take the analysis of mucus from the vagina. After a laboratory study, determine the level of estrogen (a hormone produced in the ovary) in mucus, which is an indicator of the onset of hunting. The instrumental way is accurate, but rather costly. However, there is a very simple and cheap way to detect hunting, which is sometimes referred to as instrumental. 
To do this, chalk or paint on the root of the tail mark put in the form of strips. As an option, instead of a label, use a vial of paint. The female, who is in the arousal stage, allows other animals to jump on themselves, which can be easily determined by a tag that is completely or partially erased. This method is practical and cheap, however, not too accurate, because the number of false positives exceeds 35%.
Pedometry
This method is based on the control of the motor activity of the animal, which increases during the hunting period. For this purpose, a special measuring device is attached to the foot (this is preferable) or to the female's neck. Controlling the activity of an animal in this way for several days, it is easy to determine the beginning of its noticeable increase. The effectiveness of pedometry exceeds 90%.
Did you know? The smallest breed of cows in the world is considered to be Vechur cows, which are bred in India. At the withers they reach 90 cm, weigh about 100 kg, and give 3 liters of milk per day.
Estrus detector
An electronic device, called a chute detector, allows you to determine the optimal time of cow fertilization by the change in electrical resistance of vaginal mucus. To do this, the device is inserted into the vagina of the animal. The procedure takes about a minute. Manufacturers of such devices claim that the detectors demonstrate 100% efficiency, provided that the animals do not have hormonal abnormalities or other health problems. 
The cow does not come to the hunt: why and what to do
The reasons that a cow does not come into the hunt may be as follows:
- the animal has not recovered after calving, as indicated by a weight loss;
- improper diet, causing hormonal imbalance;
- infectious diseases and pathologies of internal organs;
- diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
- pregnancy animal.
To eliminate the above reasons (except, of course, pregnancy of the animal), apply the following measures:
- They make the diet of the animal more balanced in vitamins and minerals, review the daily norms, taking into account the fact that obesity also negatively affects the readiness for mating, as well as the lack of weight.
- To improve the tone of the body using exercise.
- The floor in the barn should not be slippery, because Animals may have problems with their feet.
- If necessary, the female is given a massage of the uterus and ovaries.
- According to the purpose of the veterinarian, medical stimulation of the hunt is used, and various hormonal preparations are used.
- As a preventive measure, a cow is checked for endometritis a week after calving, and a week later it is advisable to examine the reproductive organs.
Important! High doses of drugs used to stimulate the sexual function of cows can lead to biological castration of animals or even death.So, there are a number of completely reliable ways to determine that a cow is in a hunt. Sometimes this process does not occur due to conditions of detention or for physiological reasons. In this case, you need to eliminate negative factors, and if this does not help, often resort to medical stimulation of sexual function.
