First time heifer and wasy too young

[Debbie at Bount]

Okay I have a 14 - 16 month heifer in the barn that managed to get herself pregnant as a teen!!!!!! Her plug broke which means that I see gooey stuff coming out of her rear.... There is milk in the teats. Do these first heifers go a few weeks with this or is it time.

I intend on calling a vet but as still on the scared side right now. Delivered lambs but never a calf.

Debbie

[vtfarma]

Relax and watch the signs of the cow - if you are anxious for it and watching she'll be pregnant another month, leave for 5 minutes and she'll have it without you. Ours usually string about a week some two. We have had 2 that did not show any sign of stringing and delivered leaving us feeling like fools. Watch for signs of labor, pushing, labored breathing, changing positions up to down etc. The age is scary and I did see another post on here about it within the last week or so... I am sure that someone else will see that posted there and give you some input.

We have a smaller heifer who just turned 2 and is pregnant. She is short for our herd and looks like a bus when she is walking away from us. She makes me very nervous. Due any day now.

Good luck.
Laurie

[genebo]

Debbie,

You didn't say what breed she is. Some are earlier maturing than others.

Watch the udder for a crease down the middle. When the crease comes out and the udder fills until the teats stick out like the fingers of an inflated rubber glove, then birth is near.

I had a Dexter cow that began dripping milk at least three weeks before calving. She was so full that she sought out her yearling calf to nurse again, probably to relieve the pressure.

Good luck.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

Originally Posted by Debbie at Bount

Okay I have a 14 - 16 month heifer in the barn that managed to get herself pregnant as a teen!!!!!! Her plug broke which means that I see gooey stuff coming out of her rear.... There is milk in the teats. Do these first heifers go a few weeks with this or is it time.

I intend on calling a vet but as still on the scared side right now. Delivered lambs but never a calf.

Debbie

[Debbie at Bount]

Hi, she is a Angius X or at least 3/4th Angus. When do they come in heat. I am thing 8 - 9 months which would her in the 16mth age. I have a bunch of girls last year and she was one of them. What I am now think happened, is we had all the bull calves castrated but obviously one hid....and didn't get cut. I had the bull calves w/the heifers for a few months trying to put weight on for selling. I was going to sell all the heifers too but the price of them went up so high and I need replacement cows....so this is how I got into trouble. Never even saw a cow delivery just sheep.

Debbie

Originally Posted by genebo

Debbie,

You didn't say what breed she is. Some are earlier maturing than others.

Watch the udder for a crease down the middle. When the crease comes out and the udder fills until the teats stick out like the fingers of an inflated rubber glove, then birth is near.

I had a Dexter cow that began dripping milk at least three weeks before calving. She was so full that she sought out her yearling calf to nurse again, probably to relieve the pressure.

Good luck.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

[Kasidy]

I have seen hundreds of both sheep and cows give birth. The good news is that cows almost always have only one calf, so you are not likely to have to untangle twins and triplets as you do fairly often with sheep. We have had a few accidents with heifers over the years and things have turned out okay. Of course we (my husband, especially) has pulled lots of calves in his time and knows when trouble is pending. If you know sheep you will know when she starts to calve and will be able to reach in and be sure the calf is coming in the right position and to feel if the legs seem awfully big (ie the calf will be big boned and tricky to get past the pelvis) and a caesarian may be needed. The good news on that is that cows seem to take such surgery in stride and we have never lost a calf or cow from the operation. Just watch her very closely in case she needs major help. Hopefully the father was an angus also-----and with small birth weight genes!!

[Debbie at Bount]

She had her baby ...a girl.... we had to pull after an hour ...but all ended okay. She turned out to be a wonderful mother as being a baby herself! The calf is about 55 pounds which is kind of small. This new bull we have has been giving very small calves. Work to our benefit this time!
Thanks
Debbie

[willow_girl]

Glad you had a good outcome!