False Pregnancy?

[redtailgal]

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.

 

[swiss.susan]

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.

 

[swiss.susan]

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.

 

[feed grass]

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...

 

[swiss.susan]

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

 

[feed grass]

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'...

 

[swiss.susan]

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.

 

[Cricket]

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!)

 

[swiss.susan]

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....??

 

[feed grass]

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....