Is she ready?

[wuden]

Please help us greenhorns!!! The last couple of days our cow's udder has gotten larger and firmer. We were told that she was not due until LATE JULY! What are the signs that she is ready to go soon? We have never done this before! ANY help with the process and what we need to have ready and on hand would be appreciated. This is her second calf so hopefully she'll know more about what to do than us but we need information on what we need for the calf like immunizations, food, etc.. - - Thanks a bunch! Wayne & Brenda

[CatherineE]

Some cows bag up early, and others do it just hours before birth. As for what to look for, I'd like to recommend checking the photos on http://familycow.proboards32.com/ind...ay&thread=9255, as pictures really are worth a thousand words. Depending on what the weather is like where you are, there's usually not much you have to do as the cow handles it all, including feeding her new baby. Occasionally, the baby may be too big and has to be pulled. Occasionally, babies are born weak and don't get to nursing right away, so some people go ahead and milk the cow for her colostrum, freeze some for future use, and bottlefeed some more back to the calf, as it needs it asap. Some people use an iodine dip for the navel cord, to prevent navel ill, which is apparently an infection that can not show up for a long time, and can cause arthritis, I believe. We've pretty much left the cow to do her thing, and have been blessed that nothing went wrong, as we're fairly new, too, and I wouldn't have a clue how to pull a calf! lol. Some Jerseys, esp. high producing and/or older ones, seem to have a tendancy to Mastitis, or Milk Fever. You might want to familiarize yourself with the symptoms for those, just fyi. I've seen lots of recommendations to have a tube or two of milk-fever preventive oral paste on hand, just in case. Molasses in the water, before and after birth can help, too. Oh...you can either send in a blood sample to Biotracking to see how pregnant she is, or have the Vet out to preg check her...after all, knowing how far along would sure give you some peace of mind! Hope some of that helps. Good luck and let us know how things go?!

[Karin L]

I good sign to tell when she's ready to go is by looking at her vulva. When it's red, swollen-looking and loose, that's a good indicator as any that she will calve within 24 hours. And behaviourly, she starts to get a bit uncomfortable, sitting up and laying down and getting up again, pacing around, straining, and wandering away from the herd. You'll know she's already starting to calve when you see a couple of feet sticking out from her backend.