To see the progress of the heat of an animal, a green colored bar is shown in Velos for animals with a heat detection attention. The bar is based on the figure below and shows the probability of conception during the entire heat. The darker the green color, the higher the chance of conception is when inseminating.
The figure below applies to the average situation as proven in scientific research. Specific cases such as the use of
sexed semen may have different optimal insemination moments. Take this into account in your business.
Figure 1: Optimal insemination moment (Roelofs et al. 2005 (Theriogenology))
- Probability of conception in %
- Duration of heat in hours
- Optimal insemination moment
The progress bar in Velos shows the same information:
Figure 2: Example of optimum insemination moment in Velos
The current date and time is indicated by the
When to Inseminate
It depends on the starting point of the heat when the animal should be inseminated.
- Look at the column Start of heat on the Heat detection page, this indicates the starting point of the heat.
- Look at the column Optimal insemination moment. Try to inseminate the animal when the progress bar is within the dark green area as to increase the chances of conception. As explained above, the dark green area of the optimal insemination moment has a duration of 5 hours after the start of heat, until 17 hours after the start of heat.
- If inseminated, enter the insemination in Velos.
Inseminating after this time frame still has a reasonable change. If the optimal time frame is missed, it is still in many cases better to inseminate, than not to.
Example
In the example below, a cow has a confirmed heat on 07-02, 46 days after calving. 21 days after the first heat, the second one came but the farmer did not choose to inseminate the cow. This could be due to a Voluntary Waiting Period of 70 days. The latest heat shown, 91 days after calving, will probably result in inseminating the cow, as she is also in het optimal insemination moment.
