5 year old Cow 8 months bred
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MistyMorning
Well-known member
Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. The cows here always start acting that way around a month before calving.
Is this cow new to you? If not, is her behavior different from prior years? And is her udder/teats full? Our girls tend to get very affectionate towards us but fighting other cows in their 3rd trimester & spend a lot of time at the protein tub. They'll wander off looking for a good place to calve but generally not until they're almost to their due date. There's always the possibility she's closer to 9 months. I agree with MistyMorning that it's probably not anything to worry about - unless you just have a bad feeling that something's just not right. Trust your gut. We've had preemies, some a complete surprise but two of them we just knew something was up & brought the cows to the barn & were able to save the calves (both heifers, one is bred w/her 4th calf & the other a 1st calver).
angus9259":107uvkg8 said:
I've had her for 5 years. This behavior is not normal for her. She has calved 3 other times, hence why I am asking for opinions about her health. This morning she is laying with the other cows in the herd, however, her breathing seems to be a little irregular, along with her heart beat. She has been on the same diet as the other cows, which is hay I bale, cottonseed mill and salt, and pasture grass consisting of bermuda, bahai, and Dallas grass and chicken litter. I'm located in south central MS. This behavior has been going on now for about 3 weeks.
Does she still have a good appetite & drinking water? Normal poo? When you say her breathing seems irregular, is she holding her neck out & up? Is her brisket or legs swollen? Finally, have you taken her temp?
First thing I thought of is hardware, which was the case with two of our aforementioned preemies. But we also recently had to put down one of our best cows a week before she was due because of lymphosarcoma. None of them had any real obvious signs until it was too late. I'd get her to the vet or have them come out.
First thing I thought of is hardware, which was the case with two of our aforementioned preemies. But we also recently had to put down one of our best cows a week before she was due because of lymphosarcoma. None of them had any real obvious signs until it was too late. I'd get her to the vet or have them come out.
Just after my last message was posted the cow in question expired. I went out to check on her and she was dead. Her bowl movements and urination seemed normal. I'm at a loss as to what it could have been. I'm also kicking myself for not getting her to a vet, although like I said in previous posts, there were no signs of a problem other than being aloof from the other cows. She was always fat and in GREAT shape "maybe too fat", but to answer your question TCRanch, she was not holding her neck in any abnormal way. She had no swelling of any kind, I failed to get a temp.
Thanks for all the replys
Thanks for all the replys
SRC":3gcj11ul said:
I'm so sorry! Don't kick yourself too hard - we've all been there.
