Preg checking

[MurraysMutts]

So recent events have me wondering....

When a person preg checks a cow/heifer, is it possible to call one say 5 or so bred, when in fact, shes bred 8 plus?

What I'm really wondering is...
Do twins play any role in that scenario?

I dont know enough to answer my question, even though I know enough to understand the theory behind it.

 

[wbvs58]

After 5 mths the accuracy drops right off as you are just bouncing around limbs and heads inside a big fluid sack. Whereas before that you are putting your hand around the pregnancy and can get idea of size. So yes to your question. Very experienced operators would give higher level of accuracy but even they can be out with the later ones.

Ken

 

[kenny thomas]

Had one check 6 months this spring and she calved 8 days later.

 

[Buck Randall]

I use an ultrasound and can be accurate within a couple days on pretty much anything under 75 days. It declines from there. By 6+ months, there's plenty of room for error. Is she going to have a small calf in two weeks or a big calf in two months? Your guess is as good as mine.

If you want accurate dates, diagnosis of twins, and fetal sex, tighten your calving window and get them checked on time.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Agreed.
I had 2 called 5+
One calved a week or so later.
This last one just calved. So a month basically.

Is it possible to only check one horn, and that just happened to be the smaller of a twin?
Would that throw the palpator off?
Ordinarily this vet is pretty well spot on.
Spose he could a been having a bad day and that's all there is to it. Lol

Just trying to get an understanding of "how it works"
And its keeping my mind off a lost calf..

 

[SBMF 2015]

Practice is the key. 2nd stage (4-6mos) is like bouncing a ball off your fingertips. 3rd stage (7-9mos) is kind of split up. 7mos feels like 2nd stage, but sometimes the calf is out of reach. We used to call those cows II+ bred at the sale barn. III stage (8-9mos) is easy. Run your hand along the inside of the cows pelvis. You will be able to feel her uterine artery. It will feel about as big as your thumb, and when you apply pressure you can feel it pulse (freminus) because the cow is pumping so much blood to the calf.
But like I said before, it's all just lots of practice.

 

[kenny thomas]

Agreed.
I had 2 called 5+
One calved a week or so later.
This last one just calved. So a month basically.

Is it possible to only check one horn, and that just happened to be the smaller of a twin?
Would that throw the palpator off?
Ordinarily this vet is pretty well spot on.
Spose he could a been having a bad day and that's all there is to it. Lol

Just trying to get an understanding of "how it works"
And its keeping my mind off a lost calf..

I sure am not good at it but I believe twins are hard to tell. As the calf grows it drops down so one might be on top and nobody looks for twins anyway.

 

[Buck Randall]

Agreed.
I had 2 called 5+
One calved a week or so later.
This last one just calved. So a month basically.

Is it possible to only check one horn, and that just happened to be the smaller of a twin?
Would that throw the palpator off?
Ordinarily this vet is pretty well spot on.
Spose he could a been having a bad day and that's all there is to it. Lol

Just trying to get an understanding of "how it works"
And its keeping my mind off a lost calf..

By that point in gestation, the uterus is very large and filled with fluid. A palpator may not even be able to feel a calf at all, especially on bigger, deeper cows. They are making a diagnosis based on the presence of uterine structures, and the age is no more than a guess.

If you want accurate diagnosis of twins, you need an ultrasound and early pregnancy detection. Twins can be in the same horn, which a palpator won't be able to identify.

 

[MurraysMutts]

I use an ultrasound and can be accurate within a couple days on pretty much anything under 75 days. It declines from there. By 6+ months, there's plenty of room for error. Is she going to have a small calf in two weeks or a big calf in two months? Your guess is as good as mine.

If you want accurate dates, diagnosis of twins, and fetal sex, tighten your calving window and get them checked on time.

While doing some yard work, thinking about this post.
What you were saying finally made perfect sense to me.

Small calf, big calf.
If they didnt check both horns, which I understand could be both horns or not both horns, it all makes sense to me now.

Honestly now guys, sometimes I'm a bit too optimistic.
I was hoping maybe there was a second calf in there...
Could go either way. I mean the dead calf was 70 pounds plus. Heifer.