# False Pregnancy?



## swiss.susan (Jun 10, 2012)

Hello cow people!  I have yet another question.  I have done internet searches and am really not coming up with very much.  Can someone describe to me the symptoms of a false pregnancy in cows?  I have one, 25 mos old that I really thought was bred before my other heifer.  The other heifer calved a month ago.  There is udder activity, and her gut is huge...I just really, really thought she was bred first.  I know I could have her vet checked but I don't need instant gratification, I can wait her out.  My other concern is if they do this once, does that indicate a problem?  Is she likely to do this again?  Or am I probably just wrong about dates?  She has not cycled either.


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## Cricket (Jun 10, 2012)

Was she with a bull?  I would wonder if she maybe aborted early on and then got bred back quietly?


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## WildRoseBeef (Jun 10, 2012)

You know that doesn't sound like a false pregnancy at all, it sounds like she's certainly bred, but set to calve at a later date, just like what Cricket proposed. Heifers (and cows too!) are most certainly able either abort early or the embryo dies at an early date, gets reabsorbed back into her system and she's gets open again, which lets her be bred after your other heifer was bred. 

False pregnancy is actually nonexistent in cattle. Cattle either have a period of anestrus, false heats, silent heats, or cystic ovaries which may make cows either be in heat all the time or not at all, hence the "false pregnancy." 

In your cause, it definitely sounds like she's bred.  You could get her preg-checked by a vet to make sure or even send a blood-test in to a lab that specializes in verifying pregnancy by progesterone/estrogen levels in the blood.  Would love to see some pictures of this heifer, like her "girly" parts and a side/rear of her showing her sides, etc., too.


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## swiss.susan (Jun 11, 2012)

Yes she was with a Bull so it's very possible that she aborted and was rebred.  That didn't even cross my mind  I think I have figured out how to get pictures on here, I have recently taken pictures of the first heifer that calved so I am going to try and upload one of those and if it works I will go out tomorrow and take pics of the other one.


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## swiss.susan (Jun 11, 2012)

omg it worked!  Look at me go, uploading pictures and all.  Is this heifer to thin?  I didn't think so when she was pregnant but after calving...she is eating about 15 lbs of grain a day and all the pasture she wants.  good pasture too.  Tomorrow I will take pics of the other girl in question.


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## swiss.susan (Jun 11, 2012)




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## WildRoseBeef (Jun 11, 2012)

She don't look thin to me, looks like she's in good shape to be calving soon...my guess is in a month or so.


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## redtailgal (Jun 11, 2012)

SHe looks like she has already calved........Are you sure that the calf standing with her is not hers?


http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/6806_dscf5273.jpg


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## Cricket (Jun 11, 2012)

She looks fine to me--plus if she's getting that much grain and good pasture she'll put weight back on.  It's probably that you got used to her 'in calf' look.  On the other one--can you bump a calf?  Put your fist low on the right side of her belly right up against her and punch.  If she'd due within a month or 2 you should feel the calf bounce back.  (I can't do this, as I don't ever punch hard enough!) If nothing else, it sometimes wakes that sleeping baby up and it'll start kicking.  Good luck!  (How is the cow you are milking by hand going?)


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## Stubbornhillfarm (Jun 11, 2012)

Your first momma that calfed pictured here looks great.  Congratulations!  

Can't wait to see the pictures of the momma in question.


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## redtailgal (Jun 11, 2012)

Stubbornhillfarm said:
			
		

> Your first momma that calfed pictured here looks great.  Congratulations!
> 
> Can't wait to see the pictures of the momma in question.




oh DUH.  The post said that this was the one that had calved.  I'll shut up now before I embarrass myself any further.  My brain didnt wake up this morning/week/month.


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## swiss.susan (Jun 11, 2012)

that is my first heifer that calved and that is her fine little beef heifer that the neighbors bull sired    I used this picture because I was trying to figure out how to upload and get pics on here.  At feeding time tonight I will take pics of my girl in question.  Milking is going pretty well, for a first freshener I was pleasantly surprised.  She never once kicked at me, she did kick as though she were kicking a calf off but she has stopped that.  For the most part she stands very quietly and eats, the calf is almost a month old and i get about 2 gallons every evening.  She does need to learn some patience as she gets a little antsy before I am finished.


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## swiss.susan (Jun 11, 2012)

This is black betty, my holstein swiss cross, I had two more pics to upload but it is telling me they are the wrong file type....??  they were taken with the same camera at the same time these were...hmmm...rear udder is about the size of a basketball and has been for about 6-8 weeks.  It does seem to me that everything has shifted down in the last week...she isn't as filled out around her topline and hips.  I just don't know what to think.


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## feed grass (Jun 11, 2012)

swiss.susan said:
			
		

> http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/6806_dscf5296.jpg
> 
> http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/6806_dscf5295.jpg
> 
> This is black betty, my holstein swiss cross, I had two more pics to upload but it is telling me they are the wrong file type....??  they were taken with the same camera at the same time these were...hmmm...rear udder is about the size of a basketball and has been for about 6-8 weeks.  It does seem to me that everything has shifted down in the last week...she isn't as filled out around her topline and hips.  I just don't know what to think.


that heifer is either bred, or already calved.  Her teats are too big to have mastitis pre- freshening...

Why don't you save yourself the hassle and headache and have a vet check her.. last time i checked it was $5. a head to preg check...


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## swiss.susan (Jun 11, 2012)

well she def hasn't calved so good, I hope she is bred.


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## feed grass (Jun 11, 2012)

swiss.susan said:
			
		

> well she def hasn't calved so good, I hope she is bred.


doesn't mean she didn't lose it, or slip it in the pasture w/o you knowing...  happens all the time.. usually when a heifer gets a bag like that around here- we bring her up and start milking her-- and she never will have that 'calf'...


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## swiss.susan (Jun 11, 2012)

but then wouldn't she lose the huge gut??  Or wouldn't I see her cycle again if enough time had gone by?  Dang, I hope she still has one in there!  I said I could wait her out but all the possibilities are making me crazy, think I will call the vet tomorrow.


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## Cricket (Jun 12, 2012)

Doesn't it seem as though if her bag has been about the same for 6 weeks that she probably hasn't calved?  Seems as though if she's been in milk for 6 weeks she'd either have dried off and they'd be going down or you'd have mastitis big time.  Did you try bumping yet?  

Preg checking here is $10.00 per cow, but then you have to add on the travel cost (the biggie!)


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## swiss.susan (Jun 12, 2012)

yes that's what i thought too, if she had calved her udder would have begun to dry up.  And she had never filled it completely, or even close.  If she lost a calf at this point I would have seen her bagged up.  Called the vet today, he was on another farm call and was supposed to call me back.  Haven't heard from him, try again tomorrow.  Today she was doing something I'v never seen her do...she would take her tail and lay it across her back and keep it there....??


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## feed grass (Jun 12, 2012)

It's easy to do your own palpation-- if you have a glove.. I do my own- especially if they are close.. you can feel that calf's head right there...

I've seen crazier things happen-- seen them bag up huge for 2 months-- anymore- we say if she's ready to pop-- give her two more weeks....


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## Royd Wood (Jun 12, 2012)

feed grass said:
			
		

> It's easy to do your own palpation-- if you have a glove.. I do my own- especially if they are close.. you can feel that calf's head right there...
> 
> I've seen crazier things happen-- seen them bag up huge for 2 months-- anymore- we say if she's ready to pop-- give her two more weeks....


 Very true


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## swiss.susan (Jun 25, 2012)

Here's an update....her udder has continued to fill and it was leaking milk today, so I would say she is very close to delivery   I did not thump her as I am the kind of person who, unless someone shows me how to do it, I'm not doing it.  I figured I would just wait her out, she will either calve or she won't.  I am so looking forward to a baby soon!


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## Cricket (Jun 26, 2012)

swiss.susan said:
			
		

> I figured I would just wait her out, she will either calve or she won't.


Now you're sounding like a farmer!  (My boss says the same thing and he's been at it all his life).  Is this cow bred to a Brown Swiss?


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## swiss.susan (Jun 27, 2012)

Yes she is...but she isn't a full swiss.  She is a swiss holstein cross.  This just wasn't my year for Swiss babies...lol.  My first swiss to calve was bred to my neighbors Angus bull.  I wasn't happy about it but decided not to abort,  you can see in the pictures her calf is a cross.  I have three more Reg swiss heifers bred to a swiss bull... I kept  them under lock and key until they were bred   Talking to the neighbor about containing his bull was very counterproductive.


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## kfacres (Jun 27, 2012)

swiss.susan said:
			
		

> Talking to the neighbor about containing his bull was very counterproductive.


It's called direct marketing of a missing bull that you know nothing about...

of if you're not that radical..

It's called direct electric fencing...  take that hot wire- and plug it directly into a 110 outlet...


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## Symphony (Jun 27, 2012)

kfacres said:
			
		

> swiss.susan said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Or Direct Shooting, lol.  Or just let that Bull out somewhere else.


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## swiss.susan (Jun 28, 2012)

I went and spoke with him about coming to get his bull, our pasture is 17 acres and his adjoins ours in the very back.  He doesn't live there and so has no idea where his cows are.  I didn't get pissy about the fact that his beef bull bred my dairy heifer, I just wanted him to go home and stay there.  He looked at me confused and said " well, he's registered "    we have redone our side of the fence...If he comes back that bull will just relocate somewhere else.


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## swiss.susan (Jun 30, 2012)

She calved last night with a swiss looking Bull calf.  It was a rough delivery, he still hasn't stood up but he does try.  I milker her out and fed him colostrum, put him in the shade so he could think about the world for awhile.


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## WhiteMountainsRanch (Jun 30, 2012)

*Ya congrats! Pics??!*


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## Royd Wood (Jun 30, 2012)

Great news - Lets hope he gets up pretty soon

omg what sort of an answer is that "he's registered" like that makes everything fine - Better luck with your breeding next time


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## shawnfisher (Jun 30, 2012)

swiss.susan said:
			
		

> She calved last night with a swiss looking Bull calf.  It was a rough delivery, he still hasn't stood up but he does try.  I milker her out and fed him colostrum, put him in the shade so he could think about the world for awhile.


learn a lesson about breeding first timers for calving ease?


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## swiss.susan (Jul 1, 2012)

Bull Calf.  He is doing better this morning.  He spend to much time in the birth canal and couldn't stand.  Hubby was afraid he was just going to be a dummy calf but he isn't!  He responds to my approach and he nurses.  He watches me as I move around.  This morning he stood and took about 10 shaky steps, I said "Hey Betty, look at this baby"  She came over to inspect him and he took about 10 steps toward me and layed down.  "NO, NO I am not your mother, Betty is!!"  Looks like i'v got myself a bottle baby.  :/


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## marlowmanor (Jul 1, 2012)

swiss.susan said:
			
		

> http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/6806_dscf5307.jpg
> 
> Bull Calf.  He is doing better this morning.  He spend to much time in the birth canal and couldn't stand.  Hubby was afraid he was just going to be a dummy calf but he isn't!  He responds to my approach and he nurses.  He watches me as I move around.  This morning he stood and took about 10 shaky steps, I said "Hey Betty, look at this baby"  She came over to inspect him and he took about 10 steps toward me and layed down.  "NO, NO I am not your mother, Betty is!!"  Looks like i'v got myself a bottle baby.  :/


Why would you have a bottle baby if he is nursing (I assume off mom)? He is cute.


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## swiss.susan (Jul 1, 2012)

This is Black Betty, How would you rate her condition just fresh?  She seems bony to me...we are in a drought right now, concurrent temps in the triple digits and the pasture is sparce.  Feeding hay in June   She gets about 12 lbs of grain a day


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## swiss.susan (Jul 1, 2012)

He hasn't nursed off of her at all, he couldn't stand and so couldn't reach her, to heavy for me to hold him up to her.  So I milked her and gave him a bottle, was hoping the shot of colostrum would get him up and going.  It has been 36 hours of bottle feeding, is there any chance he will nurse off of her??


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## swiss.susan (Jul 1, 2012)

Shawnfisher, we did breed her to a bull that was supposed to have low birth weight!!  I guess it isn't always fool proof


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## shawnfisher (Jul 1, 2012)

just maybe a dumb question--- but why would you want to let that calf nurse off it's mother-- it's a dairy calf-- and should be on a bottle.. I'm guessing you got brown swiss- b/c you wanted milk-- otherwise you would have picked a beef breed....  If you leave the calf on the cow-- you're not going to get much milk...

her BCS looks normal to me for a dairy first timer calver.

You have to remember, bw also comes from the dam, and i'm not sure any brown swiss bull is calving ease.


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## swiss.susan (Jul 1, 2012)

I didn't initially get BS for milk, about 6 years ago that's the type of cow my daughter wanted to show.  Around here we had to search far and wide to find any, the dairy's just don't want them.  So we found some bull calves and that's where we started, then I was in the right place at the right time kind of deal, and an organic dairy in our state was doing a total rearrange.  They sold me 15 bottle heifers, registered.  So in the years past when we go to our county fair, we are the only family that has BS, and we have people begging us for them.  My daughter has done her 10 years and is now out, my sons are in year 7 and 8.  I really had no idea what my plan was for these heifers, but milk wasn't it.  I milked a nubian herd for almost 15 years and was done with that. I decided my goal was to be able to sell them to other 4-Hers once my kids were out, the holsteins and jerseys just have a hard time competing agains a well fed out Swiss steer.    I had been reading about leaving the calf on and milking once a day and I have tried that with my first BS heifer that calved about 6 weeks ago.  I get about a gallon, give or take every evening.  It's working for me, I don't want bottle babies and I really don't want to milk.  So why do i have all these dairy heifers.  good question, all I can say is I enjoy them.  Once a day milking is far better than twice a day in my opinion, and I'm getting plenty to bring to the house.


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## Cricket (Jul 1, 2012)

He is cute!  You watch out, you can get hooked on those bottle babies!  We have a few BS where I work (most now crossed with Jersey) and their calves aren't noted for even being good eaters from a bottle to start with, so guess you're doing well to have him eating.  Most of the calves I see don't seem to lose the instinct to nurse--we have all bottle calves, and there's some cows that are quite sneaky about backing up to them so they can nurse.  So I wouldn't give up hope on that.

Good luck!


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## swiss.susan (Jul 2, 2012)

The calf is up and walking!


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## swiss.susan (Jul 2, 2012)

If I was going to have a full time milk cow, this one would be it!  First freshener, stands rock still and calmly eats.  Almost 4 gal per milking, long teats with large orifices so milking is super super easy.  She stands like she's been milked all her life.  What a wonderful cow


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## Cricket (Jul 2, 2012)

That's all good news!  Did you try to put the calf on her?  Sometimes if it's all going so well, you hate to try to make any changes!  Thanks for the update


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## swiss.susan (Jul 3, 2012)

yesterday morning I put the calf up to her and after some practice he got the hang of it.  This morning I could tell he had been nursing off of her during the night, but when he see's me he still jumps up and comes to me    I turned them out this morning.


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## Symphony (Jul 3, 2012)




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