How soon before calving....

[desertshi]

does a cow loosen up in the back end? This cow was supposed to be preggo when I bought her in January. Don't know a ADD because she was in a herd with a bull. She is definantly looking much fuller lately in the belly and I *think* her belly is dropping. I can see her udder while standing up and before I had to squat and then I would barely see it.

My question is how long is it before calving when a cow will loosen up in the vulva? In the past two days she went from normal cow vulva to floppy and loose as to where every step is jiggly-wiggly. No udder filling though? She already has an udder that is loose due to previous calving though so it isn't up tight to her body like a heifer.

I was taking pics but the batteries on my camera died. In the meantime they are charging and I only have these crappy cell phone pics that I cannot figure out how to make larger...

[randiliana]

It all depends on the cow. Some will show for weeks, some you might not even notice, and then they suddenly have a calf. Cows that have had a calf before tend not to show for more than a week or two, but it is an individual thing.

[gone-a-milkin]

WIHH, you shoulda seen this cow when she got her.
I was coming over here to say, Wow, she looks a lot better.

This is a range cow down in Mexico. Can't really compare her to
most of the beef cows you see in the north.

I can hardly wait to see the calf.

[desertshi]

She IS lookin' better isn't she!! We've just been giving her ground up feed (alfalfa/sorghum bales/corn ground up) with the occasional straight alfalfa bale thrown in. She has really gentled down a lot as well. I am going to take pics with my camera so ya'll can see them larger! Those cel pics are just tiny! lol. Batteries take about a day to charge though so it'll probably be in the AM. I REALLY, REALLY hope she is pregnant.

[Apryl in ND]

Originally Posted by gone-a-milkin

WIHH, you shoulda seen this cow when she got her.
I was coming over here to say, Wow, she looks a lot better.

This is a range cow down in Mexico. Can't really compare her to
most of the beef cows you see in the north.

I can hardly wait to see the calf.

I agree.

[springvalley]

Don`t know about havin a calf, she has no udder. Hope she waits awhile for ya. >Thanks Marc

[JKB07]

desertshi,


She is looking MUCH better!


I say preggers... need some better pics to take a guess of "when" though.


Justin

[agmantoo]

I think you may be seeing the improvement from the feed. When you got her I did not think she would have been heat cycling

[desertshi]

Okay, I took these pics three days ago!! :blush: Sorry I haven't posted them until now. I am sick and have been super busy!

Rear view...anyone know what that ball looking thing above her udder is? Weird. But I'm not too concerned.


Front view, sorry she's in the shade of our tree and didn't want to move! lol. It was like 98 degrees that day!


Side view


And a side view from when I first got her 3-4 months ago...can't remember exactly. In this pic you can see just how bad she was and use it as a reference in the other pics!!

[willow_girl]

Ohh, I remember that cow!

Her udder doesn't look like she's anywhere near calving. Can you bump a calf in her? Or have her preg-checked by a vet?

[desertshi]

I can't bump her because she won't stand for it. She lets me rub her head when she eats and I can get close enough to touch her but she walks away. No vets to do the deed either!

[triple divide]

Buy a nose lead.. tie her fast, see if you can bump a calf on her right side.

I'd be amazed if she was as close as you think. I hope I'm wrong, for your sake.

TD