Pregnant Heifer???

[jmarkt]

New at this "cattle thing", so hope I don't expose my learning curve!

We have a now 2 1/2 year old heifer who has, on two occasions, been exposed to a bull. The first time, she was about 18 months old and was not cooperative. The second time, she actually jumped the fence to get into a pasture with other cows, which included a bull. She was then two years old.

She is a large heifer, looking like she's weighing about 700 lbs, but have no"expertise" in identification of visual signs, i.e. swelling, and no discharge is present. We have no way of knowing if she is pregnant, but her teats are beginning to drop down. Is this a common thing, even for heifers, or is this an indication she could be pregnant?

Appreciate all input!!

 

[TCRanch]

Fatty udder is a possibility but 700 lbs is small for a 2.5 year old heifer in my world so I doubt that's the case. If you can get her in the chute, squeeze the teats, see if there's any milk. Swelling, discharge, holding her tail to the side, change in behavior, etc are all signs but at that size you should theoretically be able to tell just by looking at her.

Only way to know for sure is to have her preg checked. Vet, ultra sound, blood test.

 

[NEFarmwife]

New at this "cattle thing", so hope I don't expose my learning curve!

We have a now 2 1/2 year old heifer who has, on two occasions, been exposed to a bull. The first time, she was about 18 months old and was not cooperative. The second time, she actually jumped the fence to get into a pasture with other cows, which included a bull. She was then two years old.

She is a large heifer, looking like she's weighing about 700 lbs, but have no"expertise" in identification of visual signs, i.e. swelling, and no discharge is present. We have no way of knowing if she is pregnant, but her teats are beginning to drop down. Is this a common thing, even for heifers, or is this an indication she could be pregnant?

Appreciate all input!!

Elaborate on exposed...

 

[VaCowman]

Sounds like the perfect time for you to start a good working relationship with your local large animal veterinarian. It'll be easier for you to get them to come out on "emergency calls" when weather is bad, calving season is wide open, etc. It really makes a difference. Haul her up to the vet and let them make the call and find out how much longer you have to wait, or if she needs to go to the sale barn.

 

[Son of Butch]

New at this "cattle thing", so hope I don't expose my learning curve!

We have a now 2 1/2 year old heifer who has, on two occasions, been exposed to a bull.
The first time, she was about 18 months old and was not cooperative.
The second time, she jumped the fence to get into a pasture.... which included a bull.
She was then two years old.

We have no way of knowing if she is pregnant, but her teats are beginning to drop down.
Appreciate all input!!

First 'exposure was 12 months ago.... we can cross that one off the list.
2nd time was 6 months ago... if pg due roughly Christmas Day.

Make an appointment with your local butcher for the first week of January...
you can always cancel it if/when she calves before then. :tiphat:

 

[Dlh]

How long did she run with the bull on these two occasions?

 

[Son of Butch]

How long did she run with the bull on these two occasions?

What does that matter? It only takes a minute if the timing is right.
We had a young bull that jumped a gate to join with young heifers we didn't want bred
and he was on the one in heat in 30 seconds flat.

 

[Redgully]

How long did she run with the bull on these two occasions?

What does that matter? It only takes a minute if the timing is right.
We had a young bull that jumped a gate to join with young heifers we didn't want bred
and he was on the one in heat in 30 seconds flat.

Because if she was only there a week or two she may have missed "the timing is right" window.

 

[Son of Butch]

How long did she run with the bull on these two occasions?

What does that matter? It only takes a minute if the timing is right.
We had a young bull that jumped a gate to join with young heifers we didn't want bred
and he was on the one in heat in 30 seconds flat.

Because if she was only there a week or two she may have missed "the timing is right" window.

So what.... first time was 12 months ago... certainly not pg from that time.
The question only muddies the water for op and does nothing to solve... is she pg?

2nd any heifer exposed to a bull Might Be PG especially one that jumped a fence to
be with the bull. As Amarillo Slim would say it's a 50/50 chance either she is or she isn't.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

First :welcome: Some of us can be abrasive, but we all can be helpful.
In the "beef" world, "most" females are bred to calve by the age of 24 months old. If you are anywhere close in guessing her weight, she is extremely small. So, if she is bred, you will definitely want to have a vet on board with your farm to help out.
What breed or breeds is she? What was the breed of the bull she was exposed to?
Yes, if her bag is getting bigger and her teats are filling, she may be pregnant. This may not be a great thing if she is really that small.
Keep us informed on what the vet says.

 

[jschoolcraft86]

I think 6 months bred is a little early to start milk bagging? Also, how confident are you in that 700 lb estimate? I am just curious on the estimation because I'm no good at eyeballing weight.

I think your best bet is to do what has already been presented and get someone experienced to palpate or ultrasound her (My opinion is that the vet idea sounds like a good one).