The effective weaning rate in many farms in Israel is very low, and is today approximately between 60% and 65%. These results constitute one of the main reasons for the low profitability of growing beef cattle in Israel. The weaning rate may be susceptible, among other factors, to the rates of successful conception and/or pregnancy.  Developing a simple non-invasive analytical tool to follow up regularly  on the rate of conception and thestate of pregnancies in cattle on the range is important in order to pinpoint any reproductive problem as it emerges and to respond to it appropriately in real time.

During the current research year we have followed the estrogen and progesterone levels in the blood and feces of the relevant cows along their reproductive cycle and pregnancy and the correlation between them. In addition, we have examined the feasibility of extracting testosterone from cattle feces and determining its concentration. The results received indicate that it is possible to determine whether a cow is pregnant according to the analysis of progesterone level in her feces.