Whether it’s your first season of cattle preg checks, or your twentieth, it’s still best to be prepared. We’ve put together a list of all of our “Best Preg Checking Practices”, including what to do the night before, a packing list, and best practices in producer communication.
The Night Before
Charge your monitor and your ultrasound! There’s nothing more disappointing than getting out to the chute and realizing that your equipment isn’t ready to go. Make sure that the hard power switch on the back of your monitor is turned on when you are charging it, and you only use the chargers that came with your ultrasound. We recommend using a label-maker or Sharpie to label your charger so that no one interchanges it with another charger.
Packing List
When it comes to packing for a day of preg-checking, you always want to be overprepared. Showing up without your RAM Kit isn’t the end of the world, but it certainly makes the day go smoother when you have everything! We pack our ultrasound, RAM Mount Equipment, and monitor in the case that you received your ultrasound in. We pack all extra equipment in what we call the “Preg Bucket.” Keeping these items in an easy-to-grab container, such as a small rolling tool box or a 5-gallon bucket with a lid will make your life easier than running around the morning of the preg check trying to find your extra bottle of J-Lube, or a butterfly clip to attach your fetal aging chart with. You can find our Preg Bucket packing list below:
• Sleeves • Gloves • J-lube • Ultrasound gel • Rubber bands • Zipties • Ultrasound charger • RAM Mount Kit • Probe cover • Fetal Aging Chart (bovine and small ruminant) • Settings chart • Bleach wipes • Armor All wipes • Shop towels • Trash bags • Pen and notebook • Uddertechs • Clean shoes • Brush to clean your ultrasound • Of course snacks with some water for yourself!
Producer Communication
This part of preparing for a preg checking day is vital for setting up for success! We recommend client communication happen early and often. Communicating appropriate time frames for the best success rate can help your clients understand the importance of scheduling their preg checks early. Check out this PDF- it’s a great resource for client communication. Feel free to print it out and hang it on your clinic’s bulletin board, bring it to client meetings, or text or email it out from the office. It contains information on manure quality, best practices, and preg checking time frames to set up for success.
Set Up
Setting up your equipment in an ergonomic fashion when you arrive at the chute can help your whole day of preg checking be more efficient. We recommend putting your 5-gallon bucket with water and j-lube right outside of the palp cage or door. Your ReproArm can rest in that bucket in between cows. There are several ways to set up your monitor and ultrasound- whether you stick your ultrasound in the back of your 2.0 Monitor case, keep it in a backpack, or hang it off the chute, we just recommend running direct-wired with the VGA cable. The hard-wired connection will always give you a better image than the wireless option. Obviously, the wireless option is great if you aren’t able to connect your monitor and ultrasound. Additionally, we recommend hanging your 2.0 monitor up with the RAM Mount equipment. Step into the palp cage to test that the equipment is angled in a way that you will easily be able to see it while preg checking, and make sure that the RAM equipment is not attached to or close to any moving pieces of the chute. If you are fetal aging, we recommend keeping butterfly clips in your preg bucket and clipping your fetal aging chart to the bottom flap of your 2.0 Monitor case.
Go Time
Remember the old saying: “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast”? At ReproScan, we use this saying All. The. Time! By going slow and scanning both horns of the uterus thoroughly, scanning from “1” to “11” on the clock with your extension arm, you will have a much better chance to catch short pregnancies that may be hiding in one horn. Ensure that you have someone reliable handling record-keeping, and when you’re calling out the diagnoses, use terms like “bred” and “open” instead of “bred” and “not bred”, as it can be difficult to hear over the sound of a hydraulic chute and cattle working in the facilities. If you are fetal sexing, avoid “male” and “female”, instead opt for “bull” and “heifer.” A great stop before preg checking season is one of our 9-CE Credit Training Courses to set yourself up for success. **If you would like to attend one of our training courses before we get into heavy preg-checking season, give us a call at 877-890-2411 or visit the “training” tab at the top of the page to see upcoming locations near you! **