Anticipation....

Help Support CattleToday:

B

boondocks

Well-known member
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
2,594
Reaction score
4
Location
Upstate NY
is makin' me wait. Got a cow due March 30 but mine always come at least a week early and often 2 weeks. The other cow that was AI'd the same day gave birth almost a week ago. This one is starting to worry me. She is very floppy in back, very large, udder seems to be coming in, but no calf. She doesn't appear distressed, is eating like a, well, cow! Hopefully all will be ok. I've just never had them go out til their due date. (Only other time that happened, the cow had slipped her calf at some point over the winter but continued to put on weight and looked very preggers. Fooled everyone. She went buh-bye).

Weather has been nasty. If she's waiting for a nice day, good luck with that.
 
I have one that I have to keep away from pointy objects, she's about to pop.. I have a lot of cows that go well into the 290 days, and have had one go 302 (but she calved early this year!)
 
Nesikep":5rtz19ql said:
I have one that I have to keep away from pointy objects, she's about to pop.. I have a lot of cows that go well into the 290 days, and have had one go 302 (but she calved early this year!)
Click to expand...

Interesting. I'm going off the CT table, which is 283 days...Hopefully we will both get happy healthy calves soon!
 
As much as it will drive you nuts, 2 weeks early or 2 weeks late is still normal.
 
boondocks":3ipz8ge5 said:
Nesikep":3ipz8ge5 said:
I have one that I have to keep away from pointy objects, she's about to pop.. I have a lot of cows that go well into the 290 days, and have had one go 302 (but she calved early this year!)
Click to expand...

Interesting. I'm going off the CT table, which is 283 days...Hopefully we will both get happy healthy calves soon!
Click to expand...

I use it as well. Last year we had 1 (one!) that calved on the projected due date (named her Bingo); so far this year we've had 2. It's a handy tool but similar to looking at the 10 day weather forecast - all subject to change.
 
I think you have to find YOUR herd average, and go from that.. Mine is 288, and it depends on the bull.. the Limo bull has about a 3 day shorter gestation than the Gelbvieh or homeraised bulls
 
Nesikep":116fspu4 said:
I think you have to find YOUR herd average, and go from that.. Mine is 288, and it depends on the bull.. the Limo bull has about a 3 day shorter gestation than the Gelbvieh or homeraised bulls
Click to expand...

That's why I'm starting to fret. Our herd average is probably around 272-275 days, and she's at 282. Today, she was reaching her head back to very aggressively (not in a mean way) lick her side, and tonight she was strongly kicking her side with her back hoof! Like, "baby get outta there!" Anyone else seen them do that? I have seen the licking before, but never seen them kicking themselves like that. She is very big.
 
well, One of my big cows just went 297 days.. I wouldn't worry about it, but I do think she'll pop soon.. Mega is at 287 right now and she's REALLY heavy.. kinda stands with one hind leg a little cocked and shifts her weight around.. does a lot of laying down, even though that's not all that comfortable for her either
postimage seems to be balking at me today..
Try this instead
https://goo.gl/photos/qGwd3jHdc3gVetja6
 
Still waiting...took a pic today but have never posted one or I'd post it. She's the building that swallowed the house, not just the house!
 
boondocks":3rwy9bsj said:
Still waiting...took a pic today but have never posted one or I'd post it. She's the building that swallowed the house, not just the house!
Click to expand...
I have a few of them Caddy is at 288.. Mega is at 292

Here she is last week with her daughter from last year
 
Got the baby today! Heifer I think (only got a quick peek as it was getting dark). Oh and of course we have 3-5" of snow coming tonight, with sleet til Sat. Ugh. Hope she does ok.... This storm snuck up on us.
 
Nesikep":3nl15ajp said:
Yuk, but good to have it on the ground and fed before the storm hits..
Click to expand...

I hope she got a nursing in. She was pretty wobbly when I saw her and hadn't quite figured it out yet. Mama (third-timer) had cleaned her up and was trying to nudge her toward the milk wagon.
Been trying (pretty unsuccessfully) to moved our calving season up to late March-early April. I'm re-thinking that at the (literal) moment, as I'm heading out to plow at 3am on March 31!!!! Gotta see if I can get the ol pup to go with me for company--she's usually game. Turning to sleet in the am so I want to get the snow up.
 
You would be surprised at how resilient the little boogers are. A couple of years ago we had bull calf born in a slushy snow/ice bank. Momma wouldn;t allow us anywhere near him. He grew out to be our herd bull with never a sick day in his life.
 
dun":2mncavhd said:
You would be surprised at how resilient the little boogers are. A couple of years ago we had bull calf born in a slushy snow/ice bank. Momma wouldn;t allow us anywhere near him. He grew out to be our herd bull with never a sick day in his life.
Click to expand...


Hope you're right. Very worried, she has some diarrhea and is shivering. Had no way to get her in the barn in the sleet all day. Took her hay for bedding and got her and mama out of the wind as much as I could. She's very wet and the cold rain and sleet is supposed to keep up until tomorrow afternoon. Her sire is Conneally Comrade and he is throwing very vigorous smallish calves. Hope she will pull through, thinking about getting a calf hutch
 
2 weeks ago I had one born in a blizzard, 4am, dumb momma, I tried til I just about keeled over myself to get her to drink, no luck.
brought her in the shop and used a variable temperature heat gun to dry her off and warm her up.. worked pretty good.. Heard of putting them in a bathtub of warm water, but I don't think I'd get away with doing that. Got a pint of colostrum into her, which was a battle, let her sleep for a few hours, and when she got up and started terrorizing the shop I got another quart into her which really woke her up, carried her to momma and she went right for the teats.
 

Latest posts

Top