Please Log In to access client features.
   Overview

Herd Detective is an analysis program that allows data to be examined from different perspectives so you can evaluate the effectiveness of management strategies. Herd production, reproduction and udder health data is condensed into easy to read graphs that help you focus on the management areas you want to examine.

The first step in using the program is to import PCDART data or data from another management program. Choose from a list of available PCDART herds to import data or specify files from another program to import.

Contact DRMS for a 15 day free trial of the program. The program has an annual fee of $200 which includes updates and support.

The following program tabs display in Herd Detective once import files are loaded:

  • Program Settings: detailed options including herd settings and goals can be entered to customize analysis. Some of these variables include VWP, First Cycle Pregnancy Rate and Program Compliance.

  • Group Setup: further analyze the herd in regards to lactation, group, calving season or fresh date.

  • Graphical Displays :
    • DIMFB Scatter Plot: days in milk at first breeding by calving date
    • DIMFB Histogram: the distribution of days in milk at first breeding
    • % Open Analysis: percent of cows open by day in milk
    • Removal Analysis: distribution of number of cows removed by day in milk
    • Cohort Analysis: various herd reproductive parameters over time
    • Stacked Bar Analysis: a herd’s various reproductive parameters from the Cohort Analysis in a stacked bar format
    • Projected Calvings: number of expected calvings in next 6 months
    • % Infected Analysis: percent of cows infected by day in milk
    • Milk Quality Analysis: various milk quality parameters over time
    • WisGraph Analysis: the percent of infected cows in a stacked bar format
    • Fresh Cow Analysis: various "fresh" (recently calved) cow parameters over time


  • Database: displays imported data.

  • Component Analysis: a scatter plot analysis tool to investigate relationships among milk components.

  • Special: a set of general purpose tools including product registration.

Percent Open Analysis is a module that uses survival analysis to generate a curve showing how long it takes cows to become pregnant. The survival curve in the figure above represents the reproductive performance for a herd with a voluntary waiting period of 60 days. In this case, all cows are open at 60 days so the percent open is 100%. The survival curve is built using 21 day intervals or roughly a heat cycle. By using this interval length, we can calculate the pregnancy rate (the proportion of cows becoming pregnant in each cycle) directly from the curve as shown by the bars at the bottom of the figure.



313 Chapanoke Rd., Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27603 919-661-3100 fax: 919-661-3145
4 Kildee Hall, ISU, Ames, IA 50011 515-294-2526 fax: 515-294-4920
drms@ncsu.edu * drms@iastate.edu

Visit our Facebook Page   DRMS on Facebook