Naval area

[Tomcolvin]

My heifer that just had a new born calf has a bulge that I notice this morning for the first time since calf was born 2 days ago now. Please see pics if I can post them. What do you think? She won't let me down there to look.

 

[kenny thomas]

Common in dairy cattle, it will go away. You need 1 or 2 more calves on her now.

 

[Tomcolvin]

I don't have any more to put on her. what do I do? I don't think she will let me milk her.

 

[MRRherefords]

It should go down. As long as she is not constantly kicking at it.

 

[kenny thomas]

She is going to give way more milk than the calf will use. What were your plans for having a dairy cow?

 

[JCcattle]

I think it's called edema! See it in beef cows the odd time too and very common in dairy. Should go away in time!

 

[Workinonit Farm]

I've got a part-Jersey that does that. No big deal, it will go away.

As for all that milk, I'm with Kenny, it would be good to add a calf, or milk her some. Have you tried milking her?

 

[JCcattle]

If u have a headgate you can do anything with her! If u feed grain while u milk she will learn to love it.. speaking from experience.. had a beef heifer so wild that she came after me once.. lost her calf and decided to milk her.. she became the laziest old mama out there and you could lie on her back no problem!

 

[angus9259]

She is going to give way more milk than the calf will use. What were your plans for having a dairy cow?

x3

 

[Son of Butch]

I don't have any more to put on her. what do I do?

Quit your job and become a dairy farmer. Buy another calf to put on her.
Both good options... so I know it'll be hard to choose.

 

[Nesikep]

Definitely will need another calf or milking or it's not going to be good for her health and udder structure

 

[farmerjan]

It is udder edema, fairly common in dairy cattle. It will subside in a few days or week normally. And all the other posters are right. She is a dairy animal; made to give milk....alot of milk. She either needs more calves nursing her or you need to be milking her. If her calf only nurses one quarter, because it is getting enough milk from that one, or even 2 quarters, the other ones will swell, get hot, get mastitis and you could wind up with her getting sick or at the least ruining her udder by the quarters not being milked out and eventually drying up. Get her in a head catch, give her some grain and either get her milked at least once a day or put other calves on her. The best way to get her to take them is to put her in the head catch until they go right for the udder, and not letting her have her own calf to nurse except when they others are nursing. It's an all for one or none thing and most dairy cows will allow other calves if they get the relief of the pressure.

Why did you start with a dairy animal if you were not planning to either milk her for your own consumption or to use her for a nurse cow?