What to do?

[Barry Farms]

I bought 6 cows in Dunlap IA and they all calved w/ in 2 days of their due date exept for 1 PB angus thats bred to BIM that was due 3/14/13. She still hasnt calved! Shes an 8 year old cow so she can handle a big calf, she is also SUPER thick and deep. I decided to put her in the shed so she could have her calf out of the snow and locked her in the south section of the shed with 3/4 gallon of grain a flake of hay and water. Now 10 days over due she decided she wanted to jump over the gate smash it, smash her unborn calf, and go talk to other cows from the lot behind the barn. I am concerned that this calf is going to be huge and that I'm not going to be able to AI her to calve 2/15/14 if she hasnt calved yet. Ugh. Should I have the vet induce her or something like that to get it over with? I am really hoping on this being my show steer for next year because right now all my steer prospects are out of angus heifer bulls and baldie Sim-Angus heifers.

 

[bigby535]

I understand your concern.  My cows almost always calve between 280 and 285 days.  This year for some reason they are going long - from 290 to as long as 297 days.  The good news is the calves don't seem to be larger than normal.  If it's a cow, I'd let things progress naturally.

 

[mccannfarms]

I think you are going to have a hard time getting her bread back to calve by 2/15... You might want to consider moving your goal post back by about at least a month for her. Because its harder to get a cow to breed back in less than 60 days after birth in a normal birth let alone if things seem to be abnormal. You might have the vet check her out, but I would be semi hesitant of inducing her. I have seen 3 week calving windows on cattle AI'ed on the same day so 10 days past due date I would keep an eye on her for sure but I would be pretty tempted to just let her go at her own pace unless the vet said that something was wrong.

 

[OH Breeder]

The one thing I learned quickly breeding clubbies, is only you know in your gut what is going to work for you. I have had vets check cows and induce. I just make sure my group is ready to support the cow and the calf when we do this. Hourly checks etc. You have more retained placenta's it seems with induction but I can't afford to loose one or two when I am calving such small numbers. I say call the vet have him check her out and then if you trust his judgement, induce. To each his own. Some folks say let nature take its course. Two years ago, I tried just that. I felt absolutely horrible. A cow went 22 days over and it was a disaster. I won't and can't do that to my ladies again.

 

[CAB]

With you not knowing 100% that the cow stuck to BIM, you need to wait a little longer B4 you think about inducing her. It would probably not hurt to have your vet palpate her and then you 2 could decide together which steps to take next. JMO.

 

[Barry Farms]

I do know 100% shes bred to BIM, there were no clean up bulls used so when they found she was bred the first time she was never bred again so she had to be stuck to BIM. Do you think smashing her calf will like she did would hurt it? Shes gotta be 1400 lbs right now

 

[CAB]

I do know 100% shes bred to BIM, there were no clean up bulls used so when they found she was bred the first time she was never bred again so she had to be stuck to BIM. Do you think smashing her calf will like she did would hurt it? Shes gotta be 1400 lbs right now

Chances are the calf wasn't hurt when she cleared the gate, but I'm not there so there is no way that I can tell anything for sure. If you are absolutely sure that there was no clean up bull, you may want to talk to your vet and see if he/she is in favor of inducing your cow. You have to remember that you are taking someone's word about the no cleanup bull.

 

[firesweepranch]

What about calling the place  you bought her from and asking? They likely know her history (does she always calve late?), and can advise or at lease ease your feelings. That is what I would do...

 

[leanbeef]

I would never induce unless there was a serious problem, and you don't have a serious problem. 10 days over is longer than you'd like them to go, but it's not completely unheard of. At all...

Watch her closely and be ready in case she needs help. You can make things worse by interfering when the only reason to do so is your impatience.