My heifer just calved but her belly is still hard

[ekennard1020]

My brown swiss heifer calved yesterday morning. Her calf is doing good and eating. She had an uneventful delivery all on her own. Now it's been about 36 hours and her belly is firm and still very large. She doesn't like to be touched so really feeling her is difficult. How do I know if this is serious or normal? We have a brown swiss/holstein cross that was her mom and she didn't have this issue. I read that twins could be born days or weeks apart. Could this be a possibility? Thanks! I'm really new to this!

 

[holm25]

I would glove up and check for another calf or have a vet do it. There could possibly be a dead calf in there. Or it's nothing and just more proof that all cows are different.... But you would think she would have really slimmed down. How big was her calf? Normal size?

 

[Nesikep]

Checking for another calf would be a good idea... Does she still seem to have any contractions? Has she lost the afterbirth? Is the cow eating well?

 

[ekennard1020]

She did lose the after birth and had contractions all day yesterday but hasn't seemed to have them today.

 

[Nesikep]

If she had contractions after losing the afterbirth, I'd definitely check for another calf in there, and the sooner the better!.. even if she doesn't seem to have contractions now.. she may be exhausted from it.

 

[Son of Butch]

How do you get a Brown Swiss heifer from a Holstein x Brown Swiss cow?
or maybe I should ask... Why do you have dairy cows and not milk them?

And of course being a 1st time poster it would be rude of me not to :welcome: you to the boards!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Welcome to the boards. How is the heifer doing??