Post by Aleisha on Jan 14, 2012 12:41:21 GMT -5
I have a very silly question. I had my 3 yo cow, Ruby, palpated mid October and the vet said about 4 months pregnant. I was so excited because the guy we bought her from a month earlier didn't think she was bred. When I realized how far along she was I decided to start drying her off in Dec. She wasn't giving much milk anyhow.
While I had been milking her she was getting fed probably 8-10 lbs of feed/day and alfalfa hay, and coastal. Her belly started looking huge and I thought she DEFINITELY looked preggo. But When I put her out to pasture to wean her calf and dry her off, and she wasn't getting fed daily (she still had access to hay), her belly shrunk WAY down and she looked no more pregnant than my open jersey. But I've started feeding her again and giving higher quality hay, and when she has a belly full of hay... she looks hugely pregnant!!!!
I am pretty paranoid about Ruby not actually being bred because we had a rough year in terms of fertility here. 4 out of 4 beef cows didn't re-bread, and our dog that we sent to a stud didn't concieve. My only consolation is that since I've had Ruby, bought her in Sept, she has not had any heat cycles. I know because we have a bull.
What are the odds that the vet's palpation was incorrect. Does a pregnant cow ALWAYS look pregnant, or are there times when they may not show much? I am expecting her calf sometime in late feb or early March. This is SUPPOSED to be her 2nd calf, but I don't know. IF she IS bred, when should I start seeing her begin to spring?
I realize there may not be any answers. I may just have to ease my mind and take her to another vet for a second opionion.
While I had been milking her she was getting fed probably 8-10 lbs of feed/day and alfalfa hay, and coastal. Her belly started looking huge and I thought she DEFINITELY looked preggo. But When I put her out to pasture to wean her calf and dry her off, and she wasn't getting fed daily (she still had access to hay), her belly shrunk WAY down and she looked no more pregnant than my open jersey. But I've started feeding her again and giving higher quality hay, and when she has a belly full of hay... she looks hugely pregnant!!!!
I am pretty paranoid about Ruby not actually being bred because we had a rough year in terms of fertility here. 4 out of 4 beef cows didn't re-bread, and our dog that we sent to a stud didn't concieve. My only consolation is that since I've had Ruby, bought her in Sept, she has not had any heat cycles. I know because we have a bull.
What are the odds that the vet's palpation was incorrect. Does a pregnant cow ALWAYS look pregnant, or are there times when they may not show much? I am expecting her calf sometime in late feb or early March. This is SUPPOSED to be her 2nd calf, but I don't know. IF she IS bred, when should I start seeing her begin to spring?
I realize there may not be any answers. I may just have to ease my mind and take her to another vet for a second opionion.