FRESH Event

The FRESH event records that an animal gave birth to one or more calves and started a new lactation. Expand the sections below to learn more:

Use the mobile app or the web version of PULSE to enter events! Tap Events in the mobile app to get started, or see Add Events to learn more about adding events from web. PULSE supports adding events that have occurred within the last year.

When you add a FRESH event, the system limits animals to those that are pregnant. It will not allow you to add FRESH events to the following animals:

Likewise, the system will display a warning before allowing you to add an animal that meets any of the other conditions listed below. The app will not restrict you from adding these animals; it simply warns you of their status so that you can determine whether to continue:

  • The animal has a DIMClosed Days in milk value between 1 and the configured maximum DIM limit in DC305 for a FRESH event.
  • The animal has been dry for less than the configured minimum number of days in DC305 for a FRESH event (important for drug warnings).
  • The animal is less than the configured minimum age in DC305 for a FRESH event.

Expand the topics below to learn more about FRESH event details:

The animal's height (in the units set in your PULSE User Account). To enable Height for this event, select the event from Event Definitions and expand Optional Details.

The animal's weight (in the units set in your PULSE User Account). To enable Weight for this event, select the event from Event Definitions and expand Optional Details.

Body condition score, which is used to evaluate an animal's energy balance based on being extremely thin (1.00) or having excessive fat deposits (5.00). The value can be a whole number or decimal, and you can include additional notes using the REMClosed Remark or comment field for the event (up to 16 alpha-numeric characters). To enable BCS value for this event, select the event from Event Definitions and expand Optional Details.

NOTE: When including height, weight, or BCS value for FRESH events: Enter the BCS for the dam, not the calf. Enter the total weight and height of the dam and calf.

You can define details for up to 3 calves that were born during a FRESH event and, if necessary, enter additional details for each new calf, such as calf IDClosed Identifier, barn name, vaccination date, and any other information required in the event command.

Expand the sections below to learn more:

If you know the calf's Gender and Status, then you can select the appropriate options for both:

  • You must define both options so that the app can determine whether to prompt you for additional calf details.
  • If you are not prompted for more calf details after choosing the gender and status, you can tap the green Done button at the top right of the screen to save your updates and return to the FRESH event. If you are prompted for additional calf details, see Enter Additional Calf Details below.
  • The app displays your gender and status selections for the respective calf. Note that if you choose a status of Alive and Sold, the app displays Sold.

If you choose Alive for the Status, the app requires you to define calf details to add this new animal to the herd:

  • For each additional calf detail, the app adds a new field below the Status field.
  • At a minimum, a new Calf ID is required, but other details, such as pen number, vaccination date, ear tag, etc., may be required based on the event command.
  • When you finish entering all of the required calf details, you can tap the green Done button at the top right of the screen to save your updates and return to the FRESH event. The calf ID you entered is displayed for the calf.

You can select the Unknown option if you do not know the calf's gender and status. If you select this option, it hides all other selections, and no further input is required. You can tap the green Done button at the top right of the screen to save your selection and return to the FRESH event.

This field indicates the ease of birth. Choose an option from 1–5, with 1 being the easiest and 5 being the most difficult.

TIP: Did you know you can automatically prompt for specific calf items to add while entering a FRESH event? For example, maybe you’d like your technician to record the breed of the newborn calf. To prompt for this automatically when entering calf details for a FRESH event, add the CBRDClosed Cattle breed item to the Items to be Prompted for New Calves section of the Lactation Configuration screen in PULSE.

When you add events from web or the mobile app, your updates are sent to PULSE and then on to DairyComp 305 for DairyComp Unlimited dairies (WiFi or data connection required).

PULSE (and DairyComp 305 for DairyComp Unlimited dairies) then process the following changes for each animal in the event:

  • Archives the dam's current lactation record.
  • Begins a new lactation cycle for the dam and creates a new lactation record for her (LACTClosed Lactation number+1).
  • Records the FRESH event on the dam's new lactation record, with the EDAYClosed Event day as the date the event was completed in the mobile app.
  • Completes automatic item updates on the dam's new lactation record, based on the Lactation Configuration settings in PULSE, or the information in DC305 (AlterClosed Command entered to "alter" content or settings in DairyComp. Example: ALTER\7 > FRESH table) for DC Unlimited dairies.
  • Creates 0, 1, 2, or 3 calf records, depending on the details provided for each calf. No records are added for calves that are dead or sold.
  • Copies the dam's stored items to each calf, based on the Lactation Configuration settings in PULSE, or the information in DC305 (Alter > FRESH table) for DC Unlimited dairies.
  • Completes automatic item updates on each calf record.
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