In theory when the mucus plug is passed and they start to have a discharge they should calve within 24 hours, but, (there is always a but when it comes to cattle) it could take as lonmg as a couple of weeks. Best bet is to keep an eye on them and watch for other signs. The relaxing of the tail head, the udder filling, the position of the calf cahnging, you can tell if the calf has changed position by looking at the cow from the back or my favorite the front. You will see the cows shape on her right side has changed. We still get anxious at calving time also, you can never tell when something could go wrong, after all, it is a pretty complex process of events that have to take place for the calf to be born and get up and nurse.
dunmovin farms
> I have 5 cows that are starting to
> show slimy mucus. How far off
> should their calves be? The reason
> I ask is that we used a Scotchcap
> Angus bull this year. His genetics
> are not known for calving ease, so
> even 10 years of experience, has
> given me cause to worry about
> calving problems. Can anyone give
> me a good idea of when to expect
> these calves? Like I said even 10
> yrs. in it and I'm worried, go
> figure. Thank You for any and all
> help.
