Oh NO - TWINS???

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

As Randi said - twins "generally" come early - as much as a month early - generally dead that early.
There are always exceptions to the rule. I have had a set come a few days late - NOT NORMAL!
"Normal" - would be seeing a cow off by herself (month before calving season) - you go to check on her & find a set of dead twin calves.
"Normal" = would be finding a set of calves nursing mom & you never knew it! - a week early.
"Normal" can be all the way to everything in between - like tangled up messes that you may or may not save.
Most of our heifers start bagging anywhere from 1-2 months before due date, but never had one get such a sloppy & loose vulva this early PLUS more udder than ones due 3 weeks ahead of her.
But, hey - they're COWS - they like to keep us on our toes!

 

[chippie]

We've had one set of twins. We had a Jersey cow that was bred to a Simmental bull. She was so wide that she had to squeeze through a 4 foot gate. We didn't think too much about her size because she always had a large capacity. We saw her calve. My husband looked out the window and said, Sharon's calving. Everything went smoothly. While we were watching, she got up and started cleaning the calf. Then she started circling and laid down again. !!!! there came another one. They were both heifers, full term and good sized. They ended up being very fertile commercial cows. Raised calves every year for their owner.
I think that we were lucky.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Update - she spit out a dead bull calf. The placenta was still surrounding the calf. There's a name for that, but I don't know it. The placenta seperated from the dam, killing the calf.
Wonder if it could have been a slow process?? making her start getting ready early. We pulled her in 5 days ago because of her condition (looking close). So she calved just under a month early.
Bummer!

 

[hillsdown]

Shoot, that really sucks Jeanne. Sorry for the loss. I hope the rest of your heifers calve on their due dates and have healthy babies.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Dang. Sorry to hear that Jeanne. In horses that's red-bag syndrome, generally caused by endophyte infected fescue.

I hope the rest of your calvings go smoothly.

Katherine

 

[AudieWyoming]

Update - she spit out a dead bull calf. The placenta was still surrounding the calf. There's a name for that, but I don't know it. The placenta seperated from the dam, killing the calf.
Wonder if it could have been a slow process?? making her start getting ready early. We pulled her in 5 days ago because of her condition (looking close). So she calved just under a month early.
Bummer!

Sorry to hear that Jeanne. I know its no help but like they say " the only way not to lose any is never own any."

 

[backhoeboogie]

I lost one in November. Bummer. My condolences. Profit margins are so slim that you try to save every one you can.

I'll have 31 heifers calving over the next 4 months or so. This brangus bull throws tiny calves so I have that on my side.

 

[redcowsrule33]

Jeanne, I had a similar thing happen with a 3 year old several years ago. She bagged up 2 months early and followed what I considered to be a normal progression towards calving over the next week or so, so I assumed our bull somehow got thru the fence without my knowing about it. Delivered a live but extremely preemie calf. Had the whole thing sent in for necropsy, came back as bacterial placentitis. Based on how long it took and the fact the calf lived for quite a few hours (enough stress to get it to develop lung surfactant) this took weeks.

Sorry for the loss, it sucks to start out this way. May the rest be born unassisted on green grass or clean straw and get up and nurse waggin their tails!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Yes - if you have livestock --- you have dead stock. That's a given.
Thanks for the nice comments. We just wait for the next one (due 1-11)
Always seems the worse things happen at the start of calving season. --- Like TWINS!!
Well, the heifer is doing great - layed down, spit it out with no problem. Much better than having premie twins tangled up in a heifer.

 

[hillsdown]

Yes - if you have livestock --- you have dead stock. That's a given.
Thanks for the nice comments. We just wait for the next one (due 1-11)
Always seems the worse things happen at the start of calving season. --- Like TWINS!!
Well, the heifer is doing great - layed down, spit it out with no problem. Much better than having premie twins tangled up in a heifer.

The start of this season was a cafsicle and the second one I had to pull using the pullers, it has been 4 years since I have had to really pull a calf :roll: . Last years season started with twins and the second calf was backwards so I had to assist her, but just used chains. I think the cows want to keep us on our toes Jeanne ,and if we get it right the first time and survive it the rest of the season usually goes smoothly. ;-)

Glad the heifer is doing well.

 

[angie1]

Sorry to hear you lost your calf. 2 years ago I had a heifer calf twin heifers. She took care of them very well, but vet had to pull them. Glad to hear momma is ok, and hope the rest of your calving season is uneventful.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Dang. Sorry to hear that Jeanne. In horses that's red-bag syndrome, generally caused by endophyte infected fescue.

I hope the rest of your calvings go smoothly.

Katherine

Talked to a fellow Simmental breeder yesterday that also is a Horse Man - also said in horses it's called Red-Bag - but said it is caused by an infection.
Also, spoke to a fellow Simm breeder VET yesterday - said it could have been caused by an infection - but, bottom line, when the placenta comes with the calf - the calf was dead. "chicken or egg" - calf could have dies causing cow to sluff placenta - or placenta was unhealthy causing calf to die.