Most people know about ultrasound for humans but few have heard of the same technology for cows. Well, farmers in North Rift have embraced a new technology that will see their cows calve within 14 months instead of the normal two years.

Eldosirikwa Dairy Consultants, the group behind this technology, say the machine can confirm pregnancy as early as 30 days after artificial insemination.

“Ultra sound scanning for pregnancy diagnosis is a new technology that will assist farmers get informed on status of their dairy herds early instead of waiting for three months to make manual detection or observation,” says Dr Richard Tanui, a veterinary official at Eldosirikwa Dairy Consultants. The scan identifies pregnant and barren cows including reasons and gives 99 per cent accurate results.

He says the technology helps farmers reduce time and resource wastage by cutting on costs of maintaining non-productive animals.

Fertility problems He explains that the scanning enables dairy farmers take early precautions and treatment in case of a failed pregnancy caused by internal cysts. Early detection of pregnancy will save farmers from spending heftily on repeated insemination services. Thanks to the machine, veterinary officers will also diagnose problems and administer treatment to save a pregnancy.

So how does this technology work? Tanui explains that the machine which resembles a laptop, has a key board, a monitor and a probe for rectal insertion. It confirms a pregnancy, checks the state of the ovaries and uterus. The machine can also check the age of the foetus and the expected date of calving. “It also shows the fertility, updates on health issues and management to enable a veterinary official address problems that may have led to failed or false pregnancy,” the expert explains.

We caught up with the experts carrying out ultra sound scanning on Holstein-Friesian cows at Samo Farm in Uasin Gishu where dairy breeds have been improved to hybrid dairy herds. Mr Stanley Koech, the managing consultant Eldosirikwa Dairy Consultants, says this technology is popular in developed nations like Netherlands.

“Our dairy have high potential but operate below 25 per cent and we want to assist them through effective breeding, good management and feeds. We have availed this technology locally so that farmers are assured while upgrading their breeds,” says Koech. He says with the technology, farmers can have their cows calve at intervals of around 380 to 420 days instead of the current average of about 560 days or even longer due to failed pregnancy on herds.

“Most farmers have been relying on sales people for advice but we want to focus on practical solutions with the use of the ultra sound pregnancy diagnosis on dairy cows to boost productivity,” explains Koech. He continues: “We do not want trial and error methods in addressing problems in breeding. With ultra sound scanning, appropriate solutions and treatment can be availed.”

Koech says the group is working on contracts with some dairy farmers who will be getting the service every month at a cost of Sh500 per visit. Other benefits include analysis of breeding records, advisory services on herd health management, monitoring farm progress in line with set targets and access to professional advice.

“This will assist in minimising abuse of hormonal treatments which have negative impact on cow fertility,” Koech says. Using the machine, up to 15 cows can be scanned per hour and the process is less stressful than manual pregnancy diagnosis. This process is done 30 to 45 days after a cow has been served. “The process is ideal for early identification of fertility problems and for the achievement of planned seasons of calving and prescribed calving intervals,” explains Koech.

The official explains that breeding problems can arise due to a number of reasons. The major cause for cattle in Kenya is the inactive ovaries due to poor nutrition thereby denying the cow adequate energy to sustain milk production as well as come on heat. He says provision of enough and quality feeds especially in the first two and half months after calving is essential for a the healthy development of a cow.

By rolling out the project, Eldosirikwa Dairy Consultants aims to enable farmers improve their breeds from their cows instead of buying expensive heifers developed elsewhere. Koech says Eldosirikwa is working in partnership with Eldoret Dairy Farmers Association to assists farmers in upgrading dairy breeds for economic empowerment. “Our objective is to become a leading livestock breeder in East and Central Africa region,” he says.

Patrick Mutai, a manager at Samo Farm says the technology has assisted him in reducing incidences of repeated insemination on herds. “Initially, we have been testing pregnancy of cows manually by hand and observation but with the new technology, we learn the status of herds at early stages,” said Mutai.