How close to calving?

[544hydro]

Any guesses how close she is to calving. She is a highland cow, this will be her 4th calf first since we have owned her.

 

[TCRanch]

Tail to the side, definitely swollen, discharge generally equals darn close. Are her teats full? More to the point: if this is her 4th calf since you've had her I'm assuming you already know the signs. If she's taking longer than normal, get her in & make sure the calf is in the correct position. Trust your gut.

 

[dun]

Tail to the side, definitely swollen, discharge generally equals darn close. Are her teats full? More to the point: if this is her 4th calf since you've had her I'm assuming you already know the signs. If she's taking longer than normal, get her in & make sure the calf is in the correct position. Trust your gut.

Do your cows actually behave the same each year when calving?

 

[544hydro]

I'm sorry for the confusion. It's her 4th but our first with her. We bought her from our old neighbors who moved so I can't check with them. This is our first year calving. My gut tells me she is close but was with the rest of the herd when I checked on her this afternoon.

 

[dun]

If she is hanging with everyone else she most likely isn;t that close. From the signs it could be an hour or a month. Poofy isn;t that reliable of a sign.

 

[TCRanch]

Tail to the side, definitely swollen, discharge generally equals darn close. Are her teats full? More to the point: if this is her 4th calf since you've had her I'm assuming you already know the signs. If she's taking longer than normal, get her in & make sure the calf is in the correct position. Trust your gut.

Do your cows actually behave the same each year when calving?

For the most part, yes. And a lot of them calve in the same spot every year, contingent on the weather. But I'm also probably around my girls more than the average producer.

 

[angus9259]

I'm sorry for the confusion. It's her 4th but our first with her. We bought her from our old neighbors who moved so I can't check with them. This is our first year calving. My gut tells me she is close but was with the rest of the herd when I checked on her this afternoon.

Poofy isn't reliable nor is the gut (sorry to disagree on this) because the "gut" wants what it wants and it wants a calf so as to get out of the anxiety.

Sadly, even if you knew EXACTLY when she was bred, with those signs you could still be a week or two away. You mention this is your first year calving - as in with her or with any cows?

 

[angus9259]

Also - while separation from the herd is a great sign - it too is not failproof. They don't all separate themselves. Some will even calve right smack in the the middle of em all....

 

[dun]

All is true. The only sure sign I know of that they are getting ready to calve is when I see feet and hopefully a nose.

 

[544hydro]

Well she had her calf yesterday and both are doing well. Thanks for the help

 

[jerry27150]

nice little baldy