Our 3 yr old calved 9 days early last year ,first calf. This year she is due on the 24th. Last year she really did not show any signs, we got home late from a meeting and she was down with a hoof sticking out. Any suggestions on vulva is a little loose and discharge for about 2 weeks. I know the breed date due to her being A.I'ed. Thanks :cboy: :help:
Calving signs
- Thread starter T Diamond
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"Hoof sticking out" is a pretty darn good sign actually! :nod:T Diamond":2kosyqs3 said:
Nah ~ let me see if I can find something here for you. brb.
OK ~ If you look a little further down on this post I copied and pasted, you will see pics and signs MilkMaid listed 12-24 hours prior to calving. There's a bunch of good stuff on here though.
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=49808
ga. prime
Well-known member
If milk squirts out of her teats every time she takes a step, she's pretty close.
T Diamond":12w54dck said:
There is a +/- 10 day window when it comes to calving. The typical signs of calving are strutted udder(it looks like it's going to pop at any moment, tits are engorged and shiny), sunken area around the tail head, loose/floppy vulvar area, restlessness, seperation from the herd, may or may not go off feed, may or may not kick at belly, may or may not be "talking" to calf, and just a general sense of the animal being 'off' on the owners part. The more time you spend around your animals the better you will know what their usual demeanor/behaviour is, and the better you will be able to know when they are deviating from that behaviour/demeanor in any way - I might also add that this comes in real handy when it comes to illness, as well. Discharge is not necessarily a good indication, because they can discharge for several weeks to several months(off and on) prior to calving. At the risk of sounding like a smart-ass(which is not my intent), the best indication of calving is when they are laying flat out and pushing, or when you see one to two feet. I am pretty sure that you understand the implications of only seeing one foot, so I will leave that be. I hope this helps.
weird behavior is also a clue...we have been hand feed big squares of hay & a little grain each day, I take a good look at them each day. so heres some examples:
The night before the first cow calved, she waited outside for several minutes, until all other animals in the barn and settled down--was just weird, she didn't want to get in the pushing match, also I think she was waiting for the 8' snow and sleet storm that was coming. Our second cow to calved this year, again waited for the cold front and blustery, snow and wind weather and calved friday night. Friday when we fed she waited outside on the hill for a long time, then decided to come in barn a few minutes, then went to the side of the barn and moo'd real soft..was really wierd behavior. I'm now waiting on a first calf heifer..she is soo loose and looks like anyday for a week..wonder what wierd behavior she will exhibit.
Good Luck!
The night before the first cow calved, she waited outside for several minutes, until all other animals in the barn and settled down--was just weird, she didn't want to get in the pushing match, also I think she was waiting for the 8' snow and sleet storm that was coming. Our second cow to calved this year, again waited for the cold front and blustery, snow and wind weather and calved friday night. Friday when we fed she waited outside on the hill for a long time, then decided to come in barn a few minutes, then went to the side of the barn and moo'd real soft..was really wierd behavior. I'm now waiting on a first calf heifer..she is soo loose and looks like anyday for a week..wonder what wierd behavior she will exhibit.
Good Luck!
weather changes do have some bearing on calving, my #6 cow always calves in the snow, we don't have much snow here. this year she calved on the dry ground, the next day we had a major ice storm. i guess this was her first bull calf. she would be different. i always look for when they lose the mucus plug then it will be only a couple of days.usually it sticks to their back side somewhere.
there are no sure fire ways to know unless you know the indvidual cows. some bag up big #24 some don't bag at all #47. some spring big #34 and some barely at all #7. some discharge for months some barely noticeable at all.
there are no sure fire ways to know unless you know the indvidual cows. some bag up big #24 some don't bag at all #47. some spring big #34 and some barely at all #7. some discharge for months some barely noticeable at all.
Susie David
Well-known member
Some really good posts and links were posted in the past..do a search and see what you find.
Have to agree that the drop in barometer triggers calving..when a big storm is comming we try to get the gals that are close into the pens close to the barn, some of the older gals will walk right into the OB stall in the barn and make themselves at home. DMc
Have to agree that the drop in barometer triggers calving..when a big storm is comming we try to get the gals that are close into the pens close to the barn, some of the older gals will walk right into the OB stall in the barn and make themselves at home. DMc
