Among all the signs of estrus, standing heat is the most definitive sign. A female animal if allows the other animals to mount and remains still while the other animal or bull mounts, the animal is said to be in standing heat.

If an animal is showing the signs of heat, the animal should be preferably bred or inseminated following the AM-PM rule. According to this rule, if an animal shows signs of heat in the evening (PM) then the animal should be inseminated in the next morning (AM). Similarly, if an animal shows signs of estrus in the morning, it should be inseminated on the same day in the evening (PM). Ideally the animal should be inseminated or bred within 12 hours once it shows the signs of symptoms.

Normally a well fed cow and buffalo heifer should come to heat at the age of 10-20 months. However, in Indian conditions a cow heifer usually shows signs of estrus at the age of 12-15 months and buffalo heifer at the age of 18-24 months. But more than age it is the body weight of the animal which is more important. A cow or buffalo should attain 60% of the mature body weight to show the signs of heat (A cow heifer should have body weight of about 250 kg and buffalo heifer about 275 kg). Another important reason may be the deworming status of the animal and lack of balanced ration which includes vitamins, minerals, proteins and energy in the diet. If a young heifer is not coming into heat or is not becoming pregnant, farmers should consult a local veterinarian.

To make an animal pregnant, AI should be preferred over the natural breeding because the animal that is used for the natural breeding may not have been screened for the sexually transmitted diseases. Semen straws used for the AI are prepared from the semen of the animal that has been tested for the different sexually transmitted diseases and genetic diseases. Additionally, the breeding record of animals is also verified for different parameters like milk yield, age of puberty, performance of daughters, genetic diseases etc. But one should be careful while buying the semen straws because it should be procured from a certified semen station centre.

If the animal showing signs of heat is inseminated and the animal is not coming to heat after 18-24 days, the animal may be pregnant. In this case the animal should be given a balanced ration and should be kept free from the stressful conditions. Usually the veterinarians check for the pregnancy by rectal palpation between 45-60 days. But depending on the facilities available at the centre or hospital other methods like ultrasonography or kits may be used.

Expulsion of fetus by an animal after getting pregnant is called abortion. Animals may abort the fetus at any stage of pregnancy. If abortion has been reported in any animal in the herd, the animal should be separated from other animals. The aborted fetus and the membranes should be touched only after wearing gloves as it may be potential source of abortion causing microbes and some of them may be zoonotic in nature. Animal should be separated from the rest of the animals. Floor of the animal shed should be washed with antiseptic like KMNO4. A veterinarian should be consulted to identify the cause of the abortion so that appropriate measures, like vaccination and treatment of the animal, and other animals in the herd can be taken.

Usually the pregnant cows and buffaloes do not show signs of heat. It may be possible that the animal has aborted at some stage of pregnancy. But in some cases the pregnant cow may show signs of estrus though it is not common. If a pregnant cow shows signs of estrus do not assume that your animal is open to breed. Always get your cow checked by a veterinarian to know the status of the pregnancy in your animal. A case of abortion should be followed for the treatment of animal and other animals in the herd.

Normally there are 50% chances that the sex of newborn calf will be female. But farmers in India want more female calves as there is a religious emotion attached to the cattle and also female cattle produce milk which helps in generating higher income for the farmers. To get female calves only, the farmers should ask the veterinarian to use sexed semen (only X-chormosome containing sperm) to inseminate the cows. If the size of the herd is large then the owner may opt for the embryo transfer technology after the embryo sexing. There are private players and Govt. schemes running for the same.

After calving the cow does not enter the estrus cycle immediately. It requires some time for the uterine involution and during this period it remains in anestrus and it is called as postpartum anestrus. Normally, an animal comes to heat after 60 days and should conceive after 80-85 days after calving. A balanced ration to the pregnant animal during pregnancy, especially in the last trimester will prevent lengthening of the postpartum anestrus duration. In any case if an animal does not show signs of heat after 80-85 days, a veterinarian should be contacted.

To ensure good conception rate in the farm, the animals should be given balanced ration according to the physiology of the animals, provide stress free environment to the animals, de-worm the animals regularly, replace old animals in the farm with young animals, maintain hygienic standards in the farm to prevent reproductive diseases, detect the estrus regularly, use semen of animal with proven record and preferably of the same breed, and follow the instructions of veterinarian to take care of the pregnant animals. Even after following these if the conception rate is not improving in the farm, call a veterinarian to get the animals diagnosed for the reproductive disorders and treat the animals accordingly.

The best quality of semen is one which has high conception rate and is collected from the bull of high genetic merit which has been tested on the basis of the performance of their progeny. In order to get such semen, you should visit the government semen service station/ centre. They usually keep the bulls that are tested for different traits and have been analysed with the data. One may discuss with the veterinarian or in-charge of the semen centre to let him know the breeds of farm animals so that best advice can be given. If the semen doses are kept in dairy farm, the same should be stored in the liquid nitrogen container and the level of liquid nitrogen in the container should be monitored regularly.

Before using the bull for breeding, the bull must be screened and vaccinated for different infectious diseases (if available) that are transmitted through semen. The semen should be tested for different parameters from a certified laboratory. Maintain a record book for the animals that have been bred with the bull and follow the cases, so that in case of abortion or any disease in the female cattle or new born calf the causative reagent can be identified and precautionary steps can be taken. The bull may also get sexually transmitted disease from the female animal, therefore it is important to follow and maintain the breeding record of the animals.

The inflammation in the testes of bull may be due to some infection (Brucellosis). First, the bull must be tested for the brucellosis by veterinarian or through a certified laboratory and accordingly a suitable treatment should be done under the advice of veterinarian. The bull may get infection of brucellosis by mating with the female animal that is already infected with the Brucella sp.