This document discusses various methods for detecting estrus or heat periods in female animals. It covers physical, biological, chemical, and miscellaneous methods used in cattle, mares, bitches, and queens. Physical methods for cattle include visual observation, pedometers, tail paints, and cameras. Biological methods involve using teaser animals or trained dogs. Chemical detection uses progesterone, estrogen, or pheromone tests. Temperature, behavior changes, and ultrasound are also discussed as detection techniques.

1. ESTRUS DETECTION METHODSAND
THEIR TECHNICHALREASONS, IN
DIFFERENT SPECIES OFANIMALS
Dr. Muhammad Awais

2. Estrus
Estrus or “heat” is a period during the reproductive cycle, when
female animals become sexually receptive, signaling they are
ready for mating.
• Also be referred to as “Standing Heat”

3. METHODS OF ESTRUS DETECTION
IN CATTLE
1. Physical Methods
2. Biological Methods
3. Chemical methods
4. Miscellaneous Methods

4. Physical Methods
• Visual and Personal Observations
• Sound Record Keeping
• Heat Expectancy chart
• Vaginal Probes
• Pedometer
• Tail Paints
• Chin ball Marker
• Close Circuit Television Camera (CCTV Camera)
• Pressure Detection Telemeter Devices

5. Conti…
• Radio Frequency Communication System or Heat Watch
System
• Trans Rectal Ultrasonography
• Use of colored paints, dyes ,oils and grease on the brisket
• Vaginal pH
• Vaginal Smear

6. Visual and Personal Observations
• Visual estrus detection produces the best result.
• Accuracy of detection is 70-90%
(Kastelic, 2001)

7. Heat Expectancy Chart
• This simple management aids allow heat to be recorded and the time of next
heat to be predicted so that cow can be viewed more closely at the time of
the next expected heat.
• Both manual and computer based system are developed which assist in easy
detection of heat.

8. Use Of Vaginal Probe
• The decrease in electrical resistance or rise in conductivity of
the vaginal tissues and discharges during estrus were well
reported
(Patil, 2011)

9. Pedometer
• The cows in heat are more mobile and walk two to four times as compared to
non-estrous animals.
• Activity meters used at the neck or a leg of cow and they may be read by
receiver and pass on to computer for retrieval
• ALT (activity, lying time and temperature) pedometer is a real time watch
used for measuring time interval for activity rise.
• Efficiency of heat detection is 85 percent.
(Nebel et al. 200)

10. Tail Painting
• It is commonly used in combination with visual observation.
• Fluorescent paint may be used in night for heat detection with
artificial provision of electric lamp.

11. Chin ball Marker
• The device placed under the chin of the bull, causes paint to be
smeared on back of the cow if mounting takes place.
• The efficiency of estrus detection is around 50-70 percent.
(Ensminger, 1997)

12. Video camera and recording using CCTV
• This system of recording is unique for round the clock
observation and data recording of herd.
• It is applicable in intensive system of housing (close housing).
(Firk et al, 2002)

13. Pressure sensitive KaMaR or BeaCon heat
detector
• It is fitted on sacrum of cow.
• The proper fixation is also important to avoid loss of device.
• The efficiency is 80-90 percent.

14. Electronic heat mount detector
• Electronic heat mount detector also known as heat watch
system, is a radio-telemetric system that sense the mounting
activity.
• A similar instrument the “mount count” is pressure sensitive
estrous detector glued at sacral area of cow.

15. Ultrasonography
• By using trans rectal probes we can measure the size of mature
follicle and can guess the estrus.

16. Vaginal pH & Vaginal Smear
Vaginal pH
• pH is good indicator of animal in estrus.
• The pH falls from 7.0 to 6.72 one day before estrus which further fall
to a level of 6.45 immediately before ovulation.
Vaginal Smear
• Smear also shows increase in cornified acidophil cells during estrous
period.

17. Biological Methods
• Trained Dogs
• Use of Teaser Bulls
a) Vasectomised Bull
b) Endogenised Steers
c) Surgically Diverted Penis or Gommer bulls
d) Chemically Treated Bulls
e) Penile Blocked
f) Cystic Cows

18. Trained Dogs
• Trained dogs were having the ability to detect estrus odour
correctly in approximately 80 percent of estrus cow.
• Dog can detect estrus by urine, milk and saliva.
• The odour is not emitted by vaginal mucus or urine was also
reported.
(Dorothea et al, 2015)

19. Chemical Methods
• RIA used for PROGESTERONE estimation in milk
• Kit method for PROGESTERONE determination
• Kit method for 17â-estradiol determination

20. Miscellenous Methods
Temperature Change Measurement
• Little increase in temperature in heat is observed.
Change in parlor behavior
• Cow in estrus may be less regular in parlor behavior like entry
habits, restless in milking , kicking during teat cup fitting and
milk yield drop.

21. Conti……
Bio-stimulation
• Presence of male in the vicinity of the females, will improve
expression of estrus to be detected.
• It is used commonly as curative measure for silent heat
problems especially in buffalo.
Milk yield fluctuation
• Sudden drop in milk on estrus followed by recovery at next
milking is good indication of estrus.
• Such drop in milk is due to concentration of estradiol in blood.

22. Conti…..
Endometrial Biopsy
• It shows rise in phosphate activity around estrus.
• Cervical mucus glucose content
• The glucose test is more positive on day of estrus than on the other day.
Uterine tone
• The maximum tone in uterine horn remains on day of estrus.

23. Cont…..
Infra red spectroscopy and magnetic resonance spectra
• Infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra
are carried out to detect estrus related change (inflammatory
reaction) in vaginal,vulva and vestibule.
Bovinose
• Pheromone based sensor system.
• Detection of sex pheromones that are secreted by cow
exclusively in estrus.
• The pheromones are released by dung of cow in ertrus.
• Pheromones are volatile fatty acids i.e Acetic Acid and
Propionic acid.

24. Estrus Detection Methods In Mare
• Sound record keeping
• Visual examination
• Rectal palpation
• Ultra sonography
• Heat expectancy chart
• Teasing

25. Teasing
Stall Teasing
• individualy teasing occurs
• when the mare is kept in a stall, and the
stallion is brought to the barn
Tease Rail
• In a tease rail system, a mare and
stallion are introduced to each other
over a barrier
• Mare and stallion are being handled
separately

26. Cont..
Paddock Fence
• In the paddock fence method, a
stallion is brought to a pen with a
group of mares
Teasing Chute
• In a teasing chute, mares are placed
in a chute or narrow alley, then
teased by the stallion .
• This group method allows one to
tease a large number of mares easily.

27. Cont..
Teasing Cage/Box
• In the teasing cage/box group method, the stallion is put in a
pen inside of a paddock, and the mares are allowed to approach
the stallion

28. Estrus detection in bitch
• Vaginal Cytology
• Vaginal Endoscopy
• LH assays
• Progesterone assay
• Ultrasonography

29. Vaginal Cytology
• Predominance of superficial cells
• At standing heat, abundance of Giant Anucleated Cells and few
Large Intermediate Epithelial Cells with clumping of cells and
presence of numerous sperm cells after mating.

30. Vaginal Endoscopy
• Dense creamy or paper white
mucosa with angulated shrinkage
during estrus

31. LH assays
• Ideal in theory, but timing the LH peak requires at least two
blood samples per day , and, in most countries, no commercial
assays for canine LH are available.
Progesterone assay
• It is suggested that the plasma progesterone exceeds 2.0ng/mL
(6.5 nmol/L) at the time of the LH surge or on the following
day.

32. ULTRASONOGRAPHY
Ultrasonographically, the follicular walls become thicker,
around 1 mm in width.
• Depending on the size of breed, the maximum size of the pre-
ovulatory follicles varies between 6 to 9 mm.

33. Estrus detection in Queen
• Visual examination
• vaginal cytology of an estrual
queen reveals a predominance
of cornified epithelial cells with
only scant amounts of
background mucous