Due date was yesterday.

[gcreekrch]

We have been trickling along with bought females and some early ones of our own. 26 born on due date.
Since midnight….

 

[MurraysMutts]

Busy busy!

 

[Stickney94]

My first due date was Sunday. To say it's been a trickle would be an overstatement. I did relook at the epds of one sire and saw that he had a +2.3 days on gestation length to the breed average -- so I'm using that as excuse not to be anxious. haha.

 

[TCRanch]

On the rare occasion I get a calf on the due date, I always name it Bingo.

 

[daneg]

Usually have a couple before due date especially twins. Official call is after 3rd mature cow calves.

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

Mine were always 3-7 days early, we'll see how the new one goes.

 

[farmerjan]

Gestation length and due dates are not written in stone... they are average and approximate. 7-10 days before or after the "due date" is not considered unusual or abnormal. Yes, calving "early" is common with twins and often heifers, but it is to give you a GENERAL IDEA of when they are due and to be able to watch when it gets closer. And to watch if they tend to go over by too much... but again, if bull bred, then they could be off another 3 weeks..... Thank goodness we can't control Mother Nature or the weather.... even if it is inconvenient sometimes.

 

[gcreekrch]

Gestation length and due dates are not written in stone... they are average and approximate. 7-10 days before or after the "due date" is not considered unusual or abnormal. Yes, calving "early" is common with twins and often heifers, but it is to give you a GENERAL IDEA of when they are due and to be able to watch when it gets closer. And to watch if they tend to go over by too much... but again, if bull bred, then they could be off another 3 weeks..... Thank goodness we can't control Mother Nature or the weather.... even if it is inconvenient sometimes.

Neighbors here saying their herds pretty much started on due date. We found the same this year.

 

[Silver]

Calves by due date is always kinda interesting but I'm always more interested in the first cycle and first 30 days numbers for tracking year over year.

 

[wbvs58]

I find about 3/4 of mine will calve within a day either side of due date from the insemination date.

Ken

 

[gcreekrch]

Calves by due date is always kinda interesting but I'm always more interested in the first cycle and first 30 days numbers for tracking year over year.

Most years we are 80 to 85% done in 30 days.

 

[GoWyo]

Most years we are 80 to 85% done in 30 days.

And the last 5% seems to take forever. Usually pick a cutoff date and all the cows who lost calves or haven't calved go to town. We are at 43 days this morning since first cow dropped her calf and she was a week early.

 

[Dave]

Sale yard preg checked cows it is crap shoot at best. I am just happy when they have a calf and it is not half Jersey, Highlander, or Longhorn.

 

[Son of Butch]

I know it's been suggested to weigh a calf born 6 days early at 6 days of age to determine the birth weight.
BUT, how do you determine the birth weight of a calf that's over due?
Weigh the cow on due date and then again after calving?

 

[Silver]

Most years we are 80 to 85% done in 30 days.

Similar here, but for some reason we hit 90% at 30 days this year.

 

[gcreekrch]

And the last 5% seems to take forever. Usually pick a cutoff date and all the cows who lost calves or haven't calved go to town. We are at 43 days this morning since first cow dropped her calf and she was a week early.

Would never ship a bred cow in spring. She and her weaned little calf are worth far more that she is intact and the big cost is done.

 

[gcreekrch]

A little too much calving ease…. 40 lbs from a heifer. Full term with a will to live.

 

[gcreekrch]

Yep yep

 

[farmerjan]

I can't quite understand what the discrepency is with the term BIRTH WEIGHT. BIRTH weight is just that... the weight AT BIRTH. It is not listed as Weight on Date Due birth weight... it is actual birth weight on actual birth day....
I have no problems with everyone saying that most start on their due date, with figuring from date of insemination to due date... and that after however many thousands of births that they come up with a number of the gestation length... I use the charts just as well as everyone else...

Still weighing 6 days after the ACTUAL birth date... for an "adjusted birth weight"... or weighing the cow and then taking some sort of a difference if she carries over 6 days from projected birth date.... this is getting to the point of ludicrous.

Yes @gcreekrch that is a little (pun intended) bit of an extreme in calving ease... but if the calf has a good will to live, it will still be a plus. Might not top the scales, but the heifer has had a chance to be a momma, got the routine down, and her insides will go back to normal real quick, and hopefully she will go on and breed right back and be good to go. We have an easy calving bull that puts 50-60 lb calves on the ground and they are little pistols and have lots of vim and vigor. The heifers don't go through any trauma and breed back and go on to have a nice decent calf next time around. And if the bloodlines are there, the calf will wean in the low end of the average because she milked good and the calf just hit the ground running and continued to grow.

A LIVE CALF beats a dead calf no matter the size... I don't want midgets, but I would rather small from a heifer any day of the week.

 

[GoWyo]

Would never ship a bred cow in spring. She and her weaned little calf are worth far more that she is intact and the big cost is done.

I wouldn't either, but we are still in extreme drought and even after picking up another pasture lease, I need to lop off 10% of the herd, so after dry cows, the late cows are the next cut. And breds were bringing $1800-2100 last week, so after expenses and risk to run them til October, selling lowest performing breds doesn't look too bad.