Calving advice, please. - Calf due soon!

Louisa Gidney · Post by **Louisa Gidney** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:55 pm

I would heartily endorse Ann's advice. Had a heifer calve this morning & so proud of new arrival she wouldn't stand still for him to find the teat but kept him under her head to lick him. So, a quick milking session means calf has a full tum & I get into work not too much later than normal.
Be warned, milking does use parts of the hand that seem to have no other function, so soon seizes up on me at least.

Adamsbridge · Post by **Adamsbridge** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:37 pm

The bottle was one of the few things that I had.
Still no sign of the calf... She is showing quite alot, but hasn't gone into labour (no sign of water sack etc.). She doesn't seem distressed and is eating normally. When should I panic (internal exam / call the vet)? Thanks, Andy

carole · Post by **carole** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 3:11 pm

Hi Andy
I'm sure she is O.K particularly if she is not showing any distress, (tooth grinding is one sign). One of our cows will simply not calve if we are around so we try and disturb her as little as possible. I still remember our first calf and know exactly how you feel. Good luck.

Adamsbridge · Post by **Adamsbridge** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:24 pm

Finally, Daisy has calved! :D
Thank goodness for that... She made of wait, but it was worth it! A very handsome, stocky short bull calf. He has had a drink and both are resting. Can sleep tonight. Andy.

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 9:45 am

Congratulations - there is nothing like going into the calving pen and seeing a fresh calf up and fed and healthy, with a doting Mum, it has got to be the best feeling in the world!

Stephanie

natmadaboutdexters · Post by **natmadaboutdexters** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:50 am

How far along in the pregnancy does the udder start to swell, I have two heifers whose 'bags' are beginning to enlarge but I am unsure of their calving dates. I did ask our vet to PD the cattle last year but his dates were not very accurate and he doesn't really like Dexters, too small he says! I realise that every cow is different but it would be nice to know a rough timing. The earliest that they would be due to calve is the end of this month.

Natasha

Saffy · Post by **Saffy** » Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:36 am

Hello,

A Dexter heifer here started to spring in December and calved on 31st of March but she was an exceptional milker. It was really difficult to dry her off even when her enormous calf was 11 months old.

In my experience with my dairy herd years ago often if one was going to milk particularly well, she would start to spring earlier than the rest, so it may not mean that they are particularly close but they might be, did their Mums spring early?!

It also depends to some extent how well you are feeding them, if they get concentrates they will spring earlier than if they are not.

Stephanie

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 12:10 pm

Glad we don't have to report calvings that arrive more than 10 days early. The calves of our first herd sire (of Salty bloodlines) threw claves that frequently arrive 10 to 14 days earlier than a normal gestation. They did this every year, so I just got used to subtracting a week or two from the estimated delivery date. Some cows are always early. Some are early if delivering a heifer and late if delivering a bull calf. While other cows alsways seem to take longer to produce the goods. The waiting can seem to take forever. Especially when its the last calf for the season.

wagra dexters · Post by **wagra dexters** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 1:54 pm

According to my gestation graphs, bulls influence gestation length to a much greater degree than cows. Bulls fall into groupings, while cows are all over the place unless they have only ever been joined by the same bull.

Of 150 calvings 40 are by Woodmagic Hedgehog 3rd, 14 by Bindalee Celtic Chieftain, 13 by Hiyu Salty Rambler, 6 by Elmwood Robson, 6 by Llanfairs Finnigan, 4 by Cornahir Outlaw, others are by home-bred bulls, but all are precise. None are included for which I did not have the exact service date, either by AI or witnessing of paddock service.

Hedgehog and his two sons, Wagra Wedgwood and Wagra Zeppelin sire the shortest average gestation times of the 12 bulls in the graph. Their's range from 262 to 283 days gestation, peaking at 275 days. The earliest are AI calves by Hedgehog, DNA parent verified. The other bulls range from 272 to 289 days, peaking at 280 days.

Margaret