|
Post by northshoretrapper on Feb 20, 2014 14:25:52 GMT -5
Well my second hereford heifer is set to calve soon. I got her in the main barn and in the stall seeing how its been so frigid (upstate NY). We have a warm stretch this week then its back to low 20's next week. She's bagging up fast and her rear end is loose and swollen. Shouldnt be too much longer i hope (week or so??). Its so hard to tell. Her sister gave birth last spring and they've been exposed to the dexter bull the same amount of time. Not sure why it took so long for this one to take?
I was starting to think i was going to have to send her to the freezer is she didnt get pregnant this year.
Heres to hoping for a nice healthy calf!!
|
|
zephyrhillsusan
member
Caught Dexteritis in Dec. 2009. Member of this forum since Oct. 2013.
Posts: 1,502
|
Post by zephyrhillsusan on Feb 20, 2014 16:52:39 GMT -5
Good luck!
|
|
|
Post by Fran on Feb 20, 2014 18:00:03 GMT -5
Good luck!
|
|
|
Post by Olga on Feb 20, 2014 18:02:00 GMT -5
Good luck!
|
|
|
Post by lakeportfarms on Feb 20, 2014 19:41:45 GMT -5
Good luck! Hopefully she'll calve on a decent day temperature wise. Look for her to separate herself away from her normal areas if she's outside and get those ears and tails dried off if it's cold, even if she's in a stall.
|
|
|
Post by northshoretrapper on Feb 21, 2014 1:41:31 GMT -5
lakeport, she's in a 12x10 stall right now in the barn. She's not going anywheres, haha. Only down fall to this is im mucking stalls twice a day.
|
|
|
Post by northshoretrapper on Feb 21, 2014 1:45:14 GMT -5
Any ideas as to why it took almost two years for this heifer to get pregnant? Like i said earlier, her and her sister have been with the dexter bull since we got him in 2012. Her sister had a calf last May.
|
|
|
Post by Fran on Feb 21, 2014 6:37:34 GMT -5
I'm sure someone on here with way more experience than me will speak up because I don't have the answer. I did have one that had a calf Feb. 7, 2012 and was with the bull until first part of April and she didn't get pregnant. That bull was sold to a processor in April of that year for his bad attitude. Which I really hated because he thru some really nice babies (IMO). We didn't get our new bull until Thanksgiving of that year and he was young, so took him a little while to get business done -- but he did. She took and delivered a healthy heifer calf earlier this month.
|
|
|
Post by Olga on Feb 21, 2014 12:04:17 GMT -5
It is possible for a bull to have low fertility during a very hot supper (consistant temps of 95 and up) Or if both the heifer and the bull are chondro carriers, she could've been aborting. Or the heifer was in inferior condition and wasn't cycling. Or the bull could have very low fertility.
These are just some ideas "why" that come to mind.
|
|
|
Post by northshoretrapper on Feb 25, 2014 21:08:13 GMT -5
Well yesterday morning around 2am we heard the bull (whos' out in the field 50 yd's away from barn) hollaring like crazy. My wife went down to the barn and called me on my cell, lol, and said... Calf's out! I threw on pants and my jacket and rushed to the barn with towels. It was about 20 degrees out so making the sure calf was as dry as possible was my first concern, then nursing. We wiped her down as good as we could. Mamma was real nervous this being her first calf... doing the round and round we go with the calf mooing like crazy. Got some sweet feed in her grain bucket to distract her a little, which worked. Kept her busy long enough for the calf to find the teat. I plugged in a couple heat lamps and let them be. Went back down around 4 and it looked as if she got a good suckle on. Teats seemed smaller on the cow. I left to go to work, only worked 1/2 day. Was still nervous about the calf because she was still a little damp when i left and it was too cold. On my way home stopped and bought a blow dryer. After about 5 mins of blowing and rubbing her she was all dry and fluffy! Nursing and running around like a happy calf should! Will post pic's when i remember my photobucket pw, haha. All in all very pleased! Its a little heifer calf btw. I asked 1 1/2 year old what we should name her and she replied, "Melmo" (aka: Elmo) lol...so, Melmo it is!!
|
|
|
Post by northshoretrapper on Feb 25, 2014 21:10:25 GMT -5
Oh... a ? before i go to photobucket. We dipped her embilical cord after we wiped her down. Today I noticed that it all dried up as it should except for like an inch worth, right close to her belly...it still looked fresh?? I dipped it again today. Is this normal??
|
|
|
Post by northshoretrapper on Feb 25, 2014 21:28:36 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by northshoretrapper on Feb 25, 2014 21:31:40 GMT -5
Father is a dexter bull- mother is a hereford.
|
|
zephyrhillsusan
member
Caught Dexteritis in Dec. 2009. Member of this forum since Oct. 2013.
Posts: 1,502
|
Post by zephyrhillsusan on Feb 25, 2014 22:39:28 GMT -5
I was going to ask where she got her white face. When we were trying to AI in July and August one year it was super hot, and the AI tech told me that a lot of times the heat keeps the cows from cycling, too.
|
|
|
Post by Fran on Feb 26, 2014 6:54:52 GMT -5
Awwww, Melmo, sweet!!!! Love the little white face. Congratulations and glad everything went well. I think that the umbilical is normal. A couple of mine dried up right away, the others seemed to take a little longer.
|
|