Calf will be due around May 13 the following year.
may 11 2009
It depends on the cow. Sometimes it can be a couple weeks before a calf is born that they start springing (producing milk), or it can be right after she gives birth. Every heifer and cow is different.
A cow may bellow continually when her calf is nearby as a way to call out to her calf or express concern or distress. It could be due to separation anxiety, discomfort, or a need for attention. The cow may be trying to communicate with her calf or seek reassurance from it.
No. The calf will obviously be too big to get his shoulders through the pelvic opening and through the birth canal without causing extensive damage to both himself an the cow, even if he was pulled out with a calf puller. You're much better off getting the vet out to do a Caesarean section on her to safely pull the calf out.
If the afterbirth, or placenta, comes out before the calf during calving in a cow, it could be due to a premature detachment of the placenta from the uterus. This can happen if there are issues with the placenta or uterus, leading to complications during the birthing process. It is important to consult a veterinarian in such situations to ensure the health and safety of the cow and calf.
If you know the approximate date the cow or heifer is due and she calves fairly earlier than that you will know that it is a premature labour. If not, when the calf is born it may be showing some abnormalities in body structure or may just simply be smaller than the average calf at birth.
In almost all cases, no. A calf "born" at this age is usually a calf that has been aborted by the cow due to things like stress, disease, malnutrition, etc. In this stage of gestation a calf's lungs are quite undeveloped and the calf itself is quite small so that it's survival may be jeopardized and in serious doubt.
No, but it will kill the calf since it is still very dependent on its mother's womb to help complete its growing processes before it is able to be born into the world. Calves that are aborted early rarely survive.
Her due date is June 18, but she may not calve until after or before then.
This depends on how long the calf has been dead for. If it's only been for one or two days, the calf should be pulled out. However this can be a very gruesome task, and is definitely not for those that are faint-hearted nor those who have weak stomachs. The reason I say this is because often the calf that is inside the cow has already undergone rigour mortis (or the energy in the calf's muscles are used up to the point where it is very stiff), making the calf far less flexible than it would be if it where alive or died just minutes or a couple hours ago. When rigour mortis sets in (which often takes around 4 or 5 hours after death, depending on the size of the animal), it makes it extremely hard to pull the calf out because its ligaments are so stiff. To make matters worse, the amniotic fluids that would otherwise make the uterine and vaginal tracts lubricated, have been excreted, making the uterus quite dry, not to mention pose a LOT of pain for the cow when she tries to push the calf out. But the sooner you get the calf out, the better.So, here's the gruesome part (for those of you who get offended easily, STOP READING NOW). A saw has to be applied to the calf to cut off it's head, and even possibly its legs, to make it easier for the dead calf to exit the uterine tract. The calf is already dead, so it won't feel anything as the vet or you saw the head off, plus the blood from the calf makes the uterus a little more lubricated and a little easier to pull out. Often the head has to be taken off because it just will probably be too swollen to fit through the birth canal, and the front feet should be left intact to allow the calving chains to be applied and to help pull the calf out. Of course the cow will be in a lot of pain as she tries to help push it out.A C-section could be extremely dangerous to the cow because it could invite infection to the cow, especially if the calf has started to rot or decompose in the cow. Toxins will more than likely get into the rest of the cow's system and kill her. For cows that have had a dead calf in them for the last 3 or 4 days, it is best to put her down. If the calf is removed from her, she will undergo so much shock and so much toxins that were being held in her uterine tract will be let loose that she will die within 5 to 20 minutes after the dead calf is removed.That's why it is IMPERATIVE and CRUCIAL that you ALWAYS keep an eye on ANY calving cows. Don't leave a cow for a day or two if you've seen her trying to push but has had no success. Check on her in an hour or two to see how she's progressed, NOT after a few days!!! If you suspect a cow hasn't calved after a certain period of time, get the vet out IMMEDIATELY. If you can't get the vet out right away, get her in the headcatch and reach inside to see why the calf isn't coming through, and try to correct the problem yourself. Get the calving chains on the calf once you've positioned it correctly and start pulling. Do not wait for a day or two to see how she's progressed: often by the time you eventually decide to get the calf out (a day or two later), you will have already lost the calf.
No, it's her VULVA that should show a bit of swelling and be loose and floppy-like in order to be ready to have a calf (often within 24 hours). If your cow is swollen in her anus she could have some other problems like prolapsed anus or has diarrhea. See your vet ASAP with either case.
It depends on the age of that cow or heifer, what position the calf is in when it enters the birth canal, and what size the calf is. Some may even say that it also depends on the sex of the calf as well. It should only take a few hours or more for the calf to start to emerge during the early stages of labour, being presentation of the water sac and the calf's front hooves. Once the water sac emerges, it usually takes from a half hour to an hour for the calf to be expelled. Most cows that have had experience will only take 10 to 30 minutes to "spit" the calf out. Cows that have been bred to a bull that does not have the genetics for easy calving tend take longer due to the fact that they have a bigger calf to push out. Heifers, on the other hand, may take several hours to give birth because of their smaller pelvic opening. Heifers that have not been bred to a calving-ease bull tend to end up with more problems, and will take longer to calve out. If a calf is not in the proper position it will also take longer, and may end up needing help from a vet or the rancher/farmer to pull the calf out and ensure the cow/heifer and calf's survival. As far as the sex of the calf is concerned, there are some claims that if a cow retains a calf for longer or takes longer to give birth the calf's a bull calf; the opposite is true if it's a heifer. Not sure if this has any scientific merit, or if it's just some old wive's tales.