We have been discussing Bovine Congestive Heart Failure (BCHF) for the past two weeks. BCHF is responsible for around a 7% death rate in the feedlots of the Midwest. Symptoms are similar to high-elevation disease with enlarged brisket, right heart failure, and eventually death.
We also talked about the difference between Pulmonary Arterial Pressure (PAP) testing and BCHF. PAP testing is like taking your blood pressure to identify risk while BCHF testing determines your genetic potential for risk of heart failure.
The real question is, “Do I need to test for BCHF?” If you have PCC-influenced cows and are at lower elevation, the short answer is probably not. If you run at elevation, BCHF is another tool in conjunction with PAP testing that can help identify cattle that will do better in that environment. Moderate and adapted cattle that are easy fleshing will always out-perform the mainstream giraffe-like bulls, even at elevation.
If you are new to the PCC® program and want to moderate your mainstream genetics, BCHF might have more of an impact. I believe that the larger-sized mainstream cattle are more prone to heart problems due to their increased size and poor adaptability. Using PCC bulls with good BCHF scores could reduce heart problems in one or two generations.
Similarly, if you have had heart problems in your calves, buying BCHF-tested bulls is a must. PCC will be offering BCHF-tested bulls in the Colorado sales this year. Feel free to call to discuss your needs for BCHF-tested bulls.