ET Calf born 28 days early!

Ok, folks...follow me on this.

Purebred Simmental embryo implanted on 12/26/10.  Calculating gestation at 283 days, that makes her calf due on September 27th,  if my figures are correct.  Her implant tag from the embryologist had a due date of September 24th.

Of course I didn't have her in the close-up yard yet.  Last evening we find her with a pretty healthy red bull calf.  I didn't put him on the scale yet, but he was "pocket-sized"...I'm estimating 40-45 pounds.  Seemed fully developed.  Had plenty of pep.  Was up and sucking.  Aside from being small, he also sounded like a lamb when he bawled for his mom.

Has anyone else had one this early?  I don't recall even having AI twins that much ahead of the due date. 

We searched the pasture for a twin, but no sign of that at all.  Thought maybe something strange happened with the embryo splitting.  Any input on that?

Just very interesting.  Absolutely zero chance of any bull exposure...for sure an embryo calf.

Had a natural A.I. Calf born P.B. Maine bull calf that was born 2 weeks early and weighed 49 pounds! Not real sure but had the same deal no deformations, full of pep, just small.

The last 3 calves we've tagged at work have been 33, 27 & 23 days early... Two of which were ET calves (the 33 & 27 day babies)... On the flip side, we've females that are late and show no sign of calving anytime soon... This weather seems to be absolutely NO help either-- 107 in Curtis when I got home from state fair last Thursday evening... 55 + 20 mph wind as we fed yesterday...

-Sam

Had one last year about 30 days early.Weighed 40 -45 lbs.but had way more will to live than some of the big ones do.I blamed it on the heat but really don`t know if that had anything to do with it.

Not sure if you live anywhere around where the hurricane came but the pressure it creates in the atmosphere make women and animals go into labor which obviously leads to having a baby. Just a thought.


Zak

We're in Nebraska...temp when the calf was born was warm (95 degrees), but it hasn't been an ungodly warm summer...pretty much normal.  I don't think I can blame it on any type of weather extremes.

Little dude is doing well and was kicked out to a small pasture on Sunday.