# When will she calve?  Guesses?



## primrose (Mar 15, 2022)

Hi! I have a Jersey x Fleckvieh heifer due to calve 'March sometime' ... I have noticed her udder filling a LOT in the last 5 days, and fresh stringy discharge thruout the last few days...  Does she look likely to calve in the next week?  


  also i believe i am seeing some springing of the vulva? not totally sure, ive never watched one cow this closely lol



also sorry for the graphic images🙈😂


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## Alaskan (Mar 15, 2022)

Vulva definitely not yet "ripe"


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## farmerjan (Mar 15, 2022)

Udder is not full or tight.  Teats not filled or tight either. The discharge can happen for several weeks before calving.  A heifer will get quite a bit more swollen further ahead of time NORMALLY..... I give her a couple weeks at least. End of March would be my guess.


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## primrose (Mar 22, 2022)

Doesnt seem like much progress the last week... seems her 'roundness' isnt so round either... could she be a lot farther from calving then we first thot?  I have seen the calf moving around like crazy... so i know its in there🤪 yup im impatient, i was hoping to be milking already🙈


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## farmerjan (Mar 22, 2022)

Calf movements seen from the side can be detected for up to 2 months before they calve... so maybe she is farther off than you thought...


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## farmerjan (Mar 22, 2022)

When was the LAST date she was in with the bull??? Unless she was running with the bull the whole time, then we always figure from the first possible date to the last possible date when we are calving out our beef cows.  When we are more diligent about putting the bulls in and taking them out to get a 45 or 60 day calving window it is easier.... She could have come in heat, gotten bred and then cycled again in 3 weeks if she didn't settle.  
Her udder needs to fill out quite a bit more and get tight looking... since the pictures don't look much different, then it is a good chance she might go another month.  Again, it depends on the amount of time she was exposed to the bull.  If she was bred AI, then there have been many cases of a cow going 2 weeks over her "estimated due date".... so don't panic.


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## primrose (Mar 23, 2022)

so i just talked to the lady i bought her from... she was in with the bull until october🙈 BUT the good news is... when preg checked her in fall, the vet said she should be due in March!  a vet cant be too far off!? maybe she will calve before the end of April atleast!?😂 Thankyou for all the input!


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## farmerjan (Mar 23, 2022)

Okay... preg checked is good.  If the vet said March, and he was doing palpation, once an animal gets to the 5+ month range, the calf is "down deep" in the body cavity and it is hard to tell how far along they are.  Our vet does ultrasound, and he says anything over 6 months,  it is a guesstimate with the size of the fetus helping to guess how far she is.  So, yeah, I would say he could easily have been off a month... She will continue to get more and more udder, it will fill out and get tighter looking and once the teats look pretty full, then you are getting close.  She looks fine... don't get too impatient... you may wish for a day off of milking sooner than you think.... It is demanding...rewarding, but some days it is just something that you think.... I don't have time for this today..... been there done that many MANY times....


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## primrose (Mar 30, 2022)

well theres one more day of March left...
the calf is very visibly active, most of the time now!... opinions on calf sharing?  i had been planning to start out that way, but would i have an easier time with her since she is a heifer, if i took the calf off right away and fed the calf with her milk myself? then id be milking twice a day... i guess im wondering because of the issues that come with a cow letting down her milk/cream... id like to train her from the start the best way i can without her forming bad habits lol... maybe i could calf share later on...?? i guess i want the best of both worlds, the cream and some 'off time' 😂


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## Alaskan (Mar 30, 2022)

Never milked a cow..
 Just goats...

But for me less work is important. 

So I kept kids on mom, waited a week, then kept kids on mom and milked twice a day.


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## farmerjan (Mar 30, 2022)

Looking at the udder I would say a couple more weeks.  She probably settled to a 3 week later breeding than they thought?  Vulva not swollen or close looking. 
The calf sharing is strictly a personal decision.  If she allows you to milk her from the start, then I would do the sharing from the start.  If she wants to be difficult, then taking the calf away, and then you can put the calf in with the cow on her left, and you can sit and milk on the right side... I have done that many times.  
In the early stages, she is going to make more milk than the calf can use so you are going to have to milk her out at least once a day.  Often, if a cow is good about coming in to eat, I will leave the calf with them, and then once a day she comes in for grain, gets put in a head catch or halter tied, and then I have milked her completely out.  In a scenario like that, the enticement of coming in for the grain will be enough to get her to let her milk down.  It may take a few days before she is comfortable with you milking her instead of her baby... 
Honestly, you are going to have to figure out what the cow is comfortable with.  For the first few days, I would not get too worried as she becomes used to being a new mother... you can milk out some of the colostrum and freeze it for future use in case someone doesn't have enough or you buy a calf or something.  I keep about a gallon or more in the freezer... in 1 qt jugs.... so they are easier to thaw.  
There is no right way.  See what you are most comfortable with, and what the cow herself seems to tolerate and accept.  Some of the nicest friendliest ones can be a royal B#@*H in the barn after they calve, some are not so friendly and yet like the grain enough to be perfectly easy to work with.  Having the calf right there where she can see/smell it is often a calming effect on a cow.  But whatever you do, make sure her head is secured in a stanchion or head catch or at least a halter and lead rope tied to where she is eating so she does not have much "wiggle room"... you want her to stand in one spot and stay still.  If you have a stanchion or head catch, start putting her in it NOW and having her get used to be contained/tied up... so it is again, no big deal after she comes fresh.


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## primrose (Mar 30, 2022)

farmerjan said:


> Looking at the udder I would say a couple more weeks.  She probably settled to a 3 week later breeding than they thought?  Vulva not swollen or close looking.
> The calf sharing is strictly a personal decision.  If she allows you to milk her from the start, then I would do the sharing from the start.  If she wants to be difficult, then taking the calf away, and then you can put the calf in with the cow on her left, and you can sit and milk on the right side... I have done that many times.
> In the early stages, she is going to make more milk than the calf can use so you are going to have to milk her out at least once a day.  Often, if a cow is good about coming in to eat, I will leave the calf with them, and then once a day she comes in for grain, gets put in a head catch or halter tied, and then I have milked her completely out.  In a scenario like that, the enticement of coming in for the grain will be enough to get her to let her milk down.  It may take a few days before she is comfortable with you milking her instead of her baby...
> Honestly, you are going to have to figure out what the cow is comfortable with.  For the first few days, I would not get too worried as she becomes used to being a new mother... you can milk out some of the colostrum and freeze it for future use in case someone doesn't have enough or you buy a calf or something.  I keep about a gallon or more in the freezer... in 1 qt jugs.... so they are easier to thaw.
> There is no right way.  See what you are most comfortable with, and what the cow herself seems to tolerate and accept.  Some of the nicest friendliest ones can be a royal B#@*H in the barn after they calve, some are not so friendly and yet like the grain enough to be perfectly easy to work with.  Having the calf right there where she can see/smell it is often a calming effect on a cow.  But whatever you do, make sure her head is secured in a stanchion or head catch or at least a halter and lead rope tied to where she is eating so she does not have much "wiggle room"... you want her to stand in one spot and stay still.  If you have a stanchion or head catch, start putting her in it NOW and having her get used to be contained/tied up... so it is again, no big deal after she comes fresh.


ok! thanks for the tips! i do already have her very nicely halter broke, she stands tied... and also will walk into the barn and knows to walk into the stanchion were i secure her head and feed her grain everyday... shes very patient by now and will stand a good 10 minutes quietly well i sit beside her and mess with her legs/belly/udder😌i like her, i think she has huge potential to be a terrific family cow, if i dont screw it up hehe... and yes hopefully its not more than 3 weeks... we were expecting an early march calf so this slow progressing has felt like a long time of waiting lol...


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## farmerjan (Mar 30, 2022)

I think you have covered all the bases with her.  If she is that good, and trusting of you, then hopefully she will just go on and be just as cooperative once she has her calf.   Sounds like she ought to do good for you;  and that you are really "trying to do it right"... she is lucky to have you as her owner... 
There's nothing else I can suggest at this point... Keep us posted...


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## primrose (Mar 30, 2022)

farmerjan said:


> I think you have covered all the bases with her.  If she is that good, and trusting of you, then hopefully she will just go on and be just as cooperative once she has her calf.   Sounds like she ought to do good for you;  and that you are really "trying to do it right"... she is lucky to have you as her owner...
> There's nothing else I can suggest at this point... Keep us posted...


oh thanks!!  i sure do hope she will be quiet after calving! and i will keep you posted, hopefully next time she will have had her calf😃 thanks for all your help and advice so far!!


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## primrose (Apr 13, 2022)

well she FINALLY just calved!! i had her in the barn this morning, happily chewing her cud... i put her in the stanchion, she ate her ration... i checked her bag, it seemed tight, but not terribly much more so than usual... NO milk in her teats... then i came home after lunch and noticed her tail up.  No water bag... and less than an hour she has calved!! almost missed watching that one!  My only hint this morning was it seemed her pins had loosened and i thot i was seeing calf movement up in her hips!  Happy lively bull calf, and theres still been no after birth... she is an odd heifer😂👏🏽


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## Alaskan (Apr 13, 2022)

Great news!  We love easy calving!!!


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## farmerjan (Apr 13, 2022)

Did you actually see her calve?  Are you sure she did not eat the afterbirth?  Sounds gross but that is what they do.... 
If you do not see any afterbirth and are positive she did not eat it... then either call the vet for advice.... OR to get a shot of Lutalyse to give her, which helps to expel afterbirth... and possibly a shot of Dexamethasone...  but lute would be better... Dex can inhibit their milk production.  Normally if they don't pass the afterbirth, it is partially hanging out of them... for some reason, sometimes the hormones do not cause it to fully expel... the cotyledons do not fully detach from the uterus... whatever you do, if she partially pushes it out ....DO NOT PULL it... it can cause a part of it to break off inside and then it will cause infection... 

Glad you have a healthy bull calf... his nursing her will also help with the hormone process and often will help them to expel the afterbirth....


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## primrose (Apr 13, 2022)

yup i watched, and a few hours later she cleaned out and ate the after birth! so all is well!


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