08/09/13, 08:41 AM
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 845
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and the verdict is...I still don't know
for those who don't know the saga, my little two year never bred heifer I had ai several times last year, to include the later part of November, but the ai gal checked her in Jan and said she was still open. So I bought in mid April a two month old miniature weaned bull calf and set my sights on next year. Annabelle is supposed to be a jersey but is very, very small, my guess a jersey dexter cross - she might weigh 400 pounds and maybe 40 inches or a bit more at the hip...
Anyway, I saw the calf try to nurse on her several times the first day or two he was here, although she had no bag (you could barely tells he was a cow), and she kicked the snot out of him...had not seen him try again, he has now been here about what, three months?. About two weeks ago I noticed her starting to bag up - alarmed I checked with a cow friend of mine, and she said check the ai dates. The bag is not hot, hard, and I can express fluid from all four quarters and it doesn't bother her at all...She would be due to calf the beginning of Sept if she was in calf, but she is not very big, she seemed open in Jan Feb. I have seen the calf try again to nurse, or maybe sniff under her tail, not sure, it is always from behind, and she still kicks him if he touches her. I had the vet out wed, but he was such a big fellow he did not want to palpate such a small cow, his assistant tried and she thought she felt a muzzle or leg once she passed her elbow but is not very experienced so we drew blood. This morning I put her on the trailer and decided to try and palpate myself. I thought I felt the same thing at about elbow length, under my hand felt live a hard lump that could fit in my palm...but once I withdrew my hand I started thinking maybe I was touch the bottom of her spine or something (don't know how it could be under my hand, but who knows) so tried again, this time had trouble finding the hard part had to go farther, on the third try I really had to reach up to the almost my shoulder....so I dunno...seems like if she was this far along any calf would be big enough to lick my fingers..but she still has three weeks to go - how much size to they get in three weeks I wonder....I am leaning towards no....waiting on blood test....trying to keep my expectations low....tried bumping, nothing happened...I do know she has suddenly developed a remarkable appetite, she has always enjoyed her food but now she is pretty serious about it, even pushing other animals away she normally let push her away....
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