# Should not have happened, but it did!



## animalfarm (Jun 6, 2011)

I have a heifer born March 28,2010. I know this because I own the parents and she was born here, so absolutely no doubt as to her age. I had 3 heifers in total last year, all born within weeks of each other. I have been evaluating them as potential replacement heifers.

This one was my favourite until a few months ago when she started to look slightly pot bellied and generally odd. I wormed all the cows including her and since she didn't improve, I wormed again after 5 weeks. Still pot bellied.  I began noticing a bit of udder development a few weeks ago. Held the thought for about 30 sec. and said nope; its impossible. Forgot all about it since its spring and I am swamped with work. 

Well, I trudged up to the top of the hill tonight to fetch my newly calved milk cow who won't come to the barn on her own since this is the first time she has gotten to keep her calf and she is protesting the milking end of things. Guess what I found?

The above mentioned heifer had just finished giving birth to a nice little bull calf. Honest. I have 3 yearling angus heifers in that pasture and two 2 yr. olds who each have beltie x calves (no other black angus) so the impossible has happened. I walked around and double checked and yes, a 14 month old heifer has just dropped a calf. 

She hasn't been near a bull since she was 8 months old and these were her half brothers from the same year march/april calving 2010.

I am now suspecting this is going to be x2. One of the other heifers had a rather large swollen udder when I was making the rounds to make sure I didn't have an extra cow from somewhere. I was thinking maybe one had dropped in like Mr. Bean.


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## redtailgal (Jun 6, 2011)

.


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## animalfarm (Jun 7, 2011)

The deal is, that if she had an 8 month gestation instead of the usual 9 months, she would have to have gotten preggers at about 6 months of age. This is what has me staggered.

My 2200 lb angus bull would have flattened her just trying so it had to be a 6 month old bull calf (one of her half brothers). I would never have bred a heifer this young and I never thought it possible anyways. Now I have to rethink my whole way of doing things.


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## Snowhunter (Jun 7, 2011)

animalfarm said:
			
		

> My 2200 lb angus bull would have flattened her just trying


Sounds like the 2800lb Charolais bull we've got. He was in with some heifers (he was supposed to be infertile  ) and the smallest ones were about 650lbs. I dunno how he did it, or how the heifers stood, but he done the deed  cuz every single one of em had calves earlier this year.


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## his1911 (Jun 7, 2011)

exactly and to add to it most of the Charlois bulls calves were in the 70 pound birth weight range! UGH!!!


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## animalfarm (Jun 7, 2011)

That I can believe, but, how rare is it for a 5-6 month old heifer to cycle and become pregnant.  That becomes very problematic and just plain not good. 

If I put the bull in with the cows (who are still nursing calves) in August, it means I run the risk of more juvenile mothers next year when I really need freezer beef; not more replacements bred too young, and I don't want to wean that early. Its just as bad if a immature bull calf is doing the nasty. I don't have enough pastures to sort all that out.

And for sure, a second heifer is going to calve any minute and she would have gotten preggers around 5-6 months of age as well.


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