Behaviour changes in 8th month of pregnancy

astrocow · #1 03/20/05, 01:37 PM

I was just wondering what changes there would be in a cow during her last month before calving. The fetus I imagine would be pushing on her rumin causing more burps and other sounds? Would the calf kick and move around causing her discomfort like a human baby would? Would that change her eating habits?
Thanks
Leigh

GOATDADDY · #2 03/20/05, 07:27 PM

I've watched three hereford heifers pretty darn close now and I can't tell a darn thing. Two have gone ahead and had a calf. The first one was a complete suprise although we had had her bred, we hoped. The second one didn't really show anything, maybe a little discharge now and then, until her bag of waters came out. We had to pull that one. I keep checking on the third but it seems like a big guessing game. No I never noticed burps or saw what I thought might be a calf kicking.

lilsassafrass · #3 03/20/05, 09:10 PM

Quite often you can see the calf shifting around in teh last month or so before calving on the opposite side of teh rumen sometimes you can make out a nose , or a foot kicking and pushing from within,I have found just like with goats I can bump them from about the end of the 7th month and can reasonabley tell if that cow is in calf ... but not always , some cows will show signs of calving as much as a month ahead of time , with teh vulva beginning to swell a bit , and she might start stringing mucus , some cows dont show those signs untill a day or so ahead of time , on heifers the change in udder is more obvious ahead of time with the uddder begining to show signs of developing into an actual udder instead of four immature teats , and then bag up closer to parturation even overnight ,some older cows quite often dont bag up till they calve , some will begin to bag up weeks ahead of calving ..
Some of my cows increase in appetite toward teh end of gestation , trying to get the nutrients they need for the growing calf ... some dont ...
Most of my more gentle cows will become more friendly and want more attention in that last month ... but then I have the few that will take themselves off to be by themselves most of teh time ...
Just like people each gestation is different and so are the signs of teh cow being in calf or imminent calving

Paula
Hyde Park Farm

myersfarm · #4 03/20/05, 09:41 PM

some cows get real large in the back side others dont show anything....when you start watching a cow....three others will have before she does........i have seen calfs kick i thought then 5 months later calf came out...so not sure what i saw.....i had a cow that was a bragus...and evertime she had a calf...my wife said the calf was jumping out at night and running around and the jumping back in before we got there in the morning...it was that big now her daught does the same thing...when she was 500 lbs i thought she was going to calf in a week or two it took 7 more months and she got bigger each day..so it was huge .others have had and didnt look like they were bred at all......john

JeffNY · #5 03/20/05, 10:59 PM

All our beefers swell up, udders get harder then they trick you. You think, hmm few more days. Naa, try at times 2 weeks later. Have one due any day now, she is huge. She is 1/2 Jersey, 1/2 Hereford. Next one in line is her 2nd oldest daughter. As far as mood? When really close, they act uncomfortable. They will move around etc. But any of ours don't really get moody, or change their mood. Sitting relaxed, walking easily does change.

Jeff

astrocow · #6 03/22/05, 08:18 PM

Well that was interesting reading. Our pregnant cow has stopped mooing. She has made a few strange sounds like "meh" instead of the usual "moo". Her degree of freindliness hasn't really changed. Still likes to be scratched all over. Except for today.Today was a really strange day.
Today when I brought her a bale she got down on her knees and right in front of me started bulldozing it with her forehead, tossing it around. Then she began running, galloping with her stomach as big as it is, turning and running back to the bale shaking her head. She's never shown aggression before. If I didn't know any better I would think she was due to calve shortly and wanted her space. I asked her if she had rabies. I turned and walked back out and climbed the fence, watching my back. She didn't do anything. She later came to the fence to be scratched. We've been having warmer, milder sunny days for about 3 days now. Could her change in behaviour be happiness? or have to do with her due date nearing?
Leigh

herefordman · #7 03/22/05, 08:50 PM

They get really cranky, start demending all kinds of weird food stuff, start complaining about sore feet, aching back, having to pee a thousand times a day.......................
Oh sorry...........wrong species..........