mary
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Posts: 209
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Post by mary on Dec 29, 2015 3:02:51 GMT
This morning DH noticed what we thought was afterbirth hanging. I didn't check dates before we walked all over the fields in a cold wind looking for a calf. Finally on closer inspection we recognized a squirrel sized calf hanging in the cords.
A little research tells me a calf that size would be maybe four months along. I'd written down that she bred in May but came into heat again in August, four months ago. I also read that an abortion at this stage could be caused by moldy hay. DH says these last round bales we got had mold on the outer layers. I hope we don't get more abortions. The guy we usually get hay from had stopped selling because he was going to need the rest for his own animals, and we had to do some searching to find this.
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Post by Awnry Abe on Dec 29, 2015 4:32:14 GMT
Too bad. There are gobs of causes for abortions. It is not uncommon to get a layer or two of moldy hay on big rounds. I usually unroll a few inches for bedding before I drop them in the cradle.
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Post by willowgirl on Dec 30, 2015 14:12:53 GMT
Sometimes it just happens. There may have been something wrong with the fetus that caused it to be shed. As long as she cleans without issue, I wouldn't be too worried. Just wait a little while, maybe a cycle or two, and try again.
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Post by countrymom22 on Jan 2, 2016 2:11:09 GMT
mary, you said you thought she was bred in May and then she came into heat again in August. Do you think she aborted sometime between May and August as well? Just wondered. Sorry for your loss. I know it's hard when your into a pregnancy and then lose the calf and have to wait to start over again. Hopefully she'll recover quickly and you'll have better luck with her next time.
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mary
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Posts: 209
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Post by mary on Jan 2, 2016 15:36:59 GMT
I don't think so. I think the first time just didn't take for whatever reason. But who knows.
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Jan 3, 2016 3:33:04 GMT
Was she pregnant long enough to come into milk when she aborted? Unless you were really wanting the calf, it would be a nice silver lining if you at least got a milking cow out of it, assuming she wasn't already in milk? Not sure how that works with cows, so I'm interested to know. eta: Wrote this for some reason thinking she was a dairy cow - I think I've been reading willowgirl's posts for too long. Is she a beef or dairy cow? |
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mary
Full Member
Posts: 209
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Post by mary on Jan 5, 2016 1:54:28 GMT
I honestly don't know what she is. I bought her at auction as a bottle calf. We've considered that she might have some jersey in her because she is small and jersey colored. But she doesn't really look jersey to me. (Not that I know that much about it.)
She would have been about four months along, and she did not come into milk at all. This would have been her first calving, so her udder hasn't even developed.
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