Small

[AngusSenorita]

My heifer is currently about 115 days bred and we had her palpated, the vet said she felt bred but not 115 days bred. Should I be worried, I know a small calf can be a bonus I just don't want anything to go wrong, I tried to breed my ewe for the 1st time last year and she either lost it or never took so I am worried but am really excited about this.

Also what yearly vacs do cows need I know they need bangs but is there anything else( do they need a booster before they deliver?

Thanks for any info

 

[milkmaid]

Some cows just grow a bigger calf than others... and 115 days is NOT very far along. The majority of growth a calf does, at least in determining BW, is in the 3rd trimester. Your heifer is just barely into the 2nd trimester. Don't worry about it.

FWIW, determining the exact # of days a cow is bred is difficult for a lot of vets. My vet basically preg checks for a living, so he's very good, but on occasion he's been off 20-40 days on a cow. He just thought they felt older/bigger or younger/smaller than they really were. It's easiest to tell how far along a cow is when she's under 90 days; 32 to 60 days is best if you want an exact number.

 

[Frankie]

My heifer is currently about 115 days bred and we had her palpated, the vet said she felt bred but not 115 days bred. Should I be worried, I know a small calf can be a bonus I just don't want anything to go wrong, I tried to breed my ewe for the 1st time last year and she either lost it or never took so I am worried but am really excited about this.

Also what yearly vacs do cows need I know they need bangs but is there anything else( do they need a booster before they deliver?

Thanks for any info

You vaccinate HEIFERS for bangs before they're a year old. That's the only Bangs shot they need.

Talk to your vet or extension people about a herd health program. We don't give our COWS annual shots. The calves will need shots when they're weaned. But you need to talk to your vet and see if there are vaccinations your calves need specific to your area. Welcome to the cattle business. It can be a lot of fun, and profitable, too. Good luck....

 

[dun]

FWIW, determining the exact # of days a cow is bred is difficult for a lot of vets. My vet basically preg checks for a living, so he's very good, but on occasion he's been off 20-40 days on a cow. He just thought they felt older/bigger or younger/smaller than they really were. It's easiest to tell how far along a cow is when she's under 90 days; 32 to 60 days is best if you want an exact number.

The neighbor just hauled a cow to the dairy sale that the vet had called bred first stage in july. The same vet palped her at the sale barn and called her early second stage.
We know the majority of our breeding dates since we AI. Our vet in past years has usually called the breeding date within a week, a couple of 2 weeks. This year he was off on some by as much as 2 months.
It's a science, an art, and a little voodoo thrown in to get preg checking really accuarte over thousands of head.

dun

 

[MoGal]

We don't give our COWS annual shots. The calves will need shots when they're weaned.

Frankie, out of curiosity why don't you vaccinate the cows yearly??

For myself, I think that's just good cowkeeping basics 101 to vaccinate every year. Even on a closed herd.

 

[3MR]

We don't give our COWS annual shots. The calves will need shots when they're weaned.

Frankie, out of curiosity why don't you vaccinate the cows yearly??

For myself, I think that's just good cowkeeping basics 101 to vaccinate every year. Even on a closed herd.

What do you vaccinate every year for? Not why, but what.

 

[handydandy]

We don't give our COWS annual shots. The calves will need shots when they're weaned.

Frankie, out of curiosity why don't you vaccinate the cows yearly??

For myself, I think that's just good cowkeeping basics 101 to vaccinate every year. Even on a closed herd.

I don't vaccinate my cows at all. I've actually never lost a cow to sickness and I have excellent pregnancy and weaning percentages.
Cattle are tough hardy beasts and I believe we have gotten in the habbit of working for our cows and not letting our cows work for us.
How can we develop a herd with natural great health if we are constantly playing doctor? Selecting for good health is a great trait to have in your herd.

 

[MoGal]

Well, last year and the year before, we gave Virashield 5 with lepto and Covexin 8........ about a month ago I bought the 50 dose bottle of Virashield 6 + VL5 so that's what the salebarn cows got along with a dose of covexin 8 and the ecoli shot.

I just thought everybody gave their cows annual shots.

 

[*Cowgirl*]

We give everybody a hit of Triangle 9 PHK every year.