Blood on the floor and other questions

[bigtreefarmer]

I have a cow with her 8 month old first bull calf who was running with a bull for a couple months in June and July so I have believed she is pregnant. I have not seen any sign of her either in heat or getting larger due to the pregnancy. Several weeks ago I discovered a 6" patch of blood on the concrete floor of the stall where I am feeding them. I couldn't see any cuts on either of them nor any remnants on her vaginal area. Is this a reason to worry about the fetus?
On another question I have not seen him nursing lately but with short days and lots of bush for them to wander around I could be just missing it. Is the best way to check separating them and seeing if the udder fills up? After reading the related posts on weaning I am wanting it to be done by them and not the fence method if possible. Thanks in advance, Jerry

[kansasdexters]

If you have concerns about whether or not the cow is bred, then have your vet do a preg-check on her to confirm the pregnancy and tell you how far along she is.

Most cows don't wean off their calves (by themselves), until the calves are between 9 and 12+ months old, so you can assume that the bull calf is still suckling his dam, if they are being kept together. The easiest time to wean off a calf is when there is plenty of nice tasty grass growing well in the pasture. Winter is not usually a good time to wean because of the stress from weather and the lack of pasture that occurs in most regions in the U.S. during that season.

Patti

[copperhead]

the problem here is that she's going to be nursing a big bull calf and trying to get her body ready to deliver a new one. If you leave him on her much longer she won't have time to recover and take care of her new baby, and he'll rob the new calf of it's nutrition.