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Post by arlen on Jun 3, 2013 17:49:21 GMT -5
I had a 4 year old cow have her calf about 2 weeks ago. Yesterday I noticed a puddle (maybe a cup) of slime on the ground after she had a bowel movement. It came out of her vagina, and It was brownish red. I noticed a few other such puddles around the pasture, always near a cow pie. Is she just still "cleaning out" after 2 weeks? She seems fine, and her calf is fine also. Just wondering if I should be concerned. I didn't notice it last year.
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Post by lakeportfarms on Jun 3, 2013 20:04:43 GMT -5
In our experience it hasn't been an issue. It happens from time to time for a couple of weeks in rare cases, but we've never had a problem with them breeding back within a year. It's a slightly different story if the afterbirth is still dangling after a week to 10 days however. We just had a cow calve one week ago that finally cleaned today. That could indicate a selenium deficiency, among other things.
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Post by arlen on Jun 3, 2013 21:35:05 GMT -5
They have had access to loose minerals as well as a mineral/salt block. I will have to check the salt block, I'm not sure that it has selinium.
One other tidbit....She had her calf during a storm, and when I happened upon her, she was eating the placenta. I started putting fresh straw down in the shelter for her and the calf. I think that I startled her enough that she spit it out, then trampled it into the mud. So I'm wondering if her not eating it, would cause some sort of short term nutrient imbalance?
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Post by lakeportfarms on Jun 4, 2013 5:00:36 GMT -5
We have some who haven't eaten the placenta, and it doesn't seem to have any correlation to retaining any further birth tissue. The cow that we had that cleaned after a week was one that we purchased a couple of months ago from another farm along with some others. We happened upon her calf shortly after birth and she was extremely weak and seemed to have difficulty getting up nurse. Because we were unfamiliar with the mineral supplementation the prior owner had done I immediately went back and got a shot of BoSe to give the calf. We were almost at the stage of tubing it, but she eventually took a drink. For a couple of days we monitored her closely, she finally started to gain some vigor and now she's ok. I suspect Selenium deficiency, so we'll give the calf another shot in a week or so.
Our herd is on a pretty constant 90ppm selenium mineral due to our extremely low selenium levels here.
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Post by kansasdexters on Jun 4, 2013 7:03:22 GMT -5
Arlen,
It is very normal for a cow to have a bloody mucous discharge about 10 days after calving. It actually indicates that she's ovulated (which usually occurs about 8 or 9 days after calving). She does not become deficient if she fails to consume the placenta after the birth of the calf. Some cows want to eat it and some don't. Most won't eat it, if it gets dirty or muddy.
Patti
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Gorignak
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Post by Gorignak on Jun 4, 2013 15:11:52 GMT -5
Can we vote to have Patti change her Avatar to a "The Doctor Is In" sign. 
As far as every question I have asked her.....It has been "250 words or less" and the correct answer, precise and clear.
After cruising cattle sites and forums, I had a vague notion of 20 days to 80 days for the first heat. So, when we had a slight bloody discharge at 10 days, I was just about to ask the "question".
Dare I ask, Patti.....is this first 10 day "ovulation" an event that can lead to a standing heat and pregnancy, or just a reshuffling of the cards, getting ready for the big game in about a month. Our cow re-bred the last time at 26 days after calving. EVERYTHING was as you described. We did not notice the "personality" changes that they seem to go through for the three days surrounding their real "standing heat" cycle on this "10 day" event.
It seems that the most stressed fact on a lot of cattleman sites is that the BCS (Body Condition Score) of a cow is a strong indicator of how quickly they will re-breed and settle.
Doctor ??
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Post by kansasdexters on Jun 4, 2013 15:53:11 GMT -5
Hi Mike,
The first ovulation is usually a "silent heat" without the typical outward signs or behaviors. But some cows actually can get bred back, if they are exposed to a bull during this time shortly after calving. However, it's not doing the cow any favor to do this.
When I see the bloody mucous discharge, I make a note of it on the calendar and then count forward 20 days. That's usually about the time that cow will have her first "real standing heat" and show the normal outward signs and behaviors. Since I track each cow's heat cycle, this helps me to watch for that first normal standing heat.
We usually try to breed back our cows on their 2nd or 3rd "normal" heat cycle after calving, whether we're using live service or AI. Knowing the normal interval period (in days) between her heat cycles helps me to determine if the cow settled or not, or if she bred back and then lost it.
Patti
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Gorignak
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Post by Gorignak on Jun 4, 2013 16:12:37 GMT -5
Patti..........
Doin'it......# 1, #2 & #3. Yeah, that would be tough on the cow. We are "counting" now as per your first diagnosis on my question of when to AI. Keeping GREAT, detailed records, my twin girls are calling it down to the hour now.
Our "bulldog" calf heifer took almost 90 days to settle back to a routine. She was fit, not fat, but was "beat up" from the sectioning and removal of the calf by the vet. After the first "semi-heat" at about 70 days, she settled into a textbook 21 day cycle.... What a "Bi**h" they can be during that 3 day ovulation/standing heat period. Our youngest went through 4-19 day cycles then started a better defined, 21 day cycling when she began to ovulate.
Thanks always for the precise...."been there, done that" info.
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