castrating a calf

[WildRoseBeef]

hello to all .im new in the farming life style ,I do love it .however i have alot to learn.my husband just banded our calf he is 5 months old.we did this 6/22/2013.i need to know how long for they fall off?last year we banded another one of my cows,and my husband didnt do it correct and we almost lost him .also i have a heifer and i think she got pregnant in janurary ,but not sure?how can i find out how far along she is and when do i stop milking?

Testicles should fall off in a few weeks.

Note when we use the word "cows" we are referring to mature female cattle, not the all-encompassing general term of "cow." If you're referring to one of your bovines as a general term, it's best to use the term "cattle" or whatever the name is given to the specific type of bovine based on age, gender, repro status, etc.

To your heifer: How old is she? What breed is she? Usually a heifer isn't milked until after she's had a calf, whereby she's known as a cow. Get her preg-checked by obtaining and sending in a blood-sample, or get a veterinarian or neighboring veteran cattle producer to perform a rectal palpation on her to see if she's bred and how far along she is.

With most dairy cows, usually you'd want to stop milking her two to three months before her projected due date.