Really Fun Daisy Update

The days are getting longer and the wait is getting shorter!

As most of you know, John was in Iowa this past week.  He had a great time, despite catching a cold and having to endure a bit of rainy gray spring weather.  I'm just really glad that he got to spend time with his family, and if it weren't for my busy schedule, I'd have loved to go with him.

Anyway . . . I've been a bit nervous about having him gone since Daisy is so close to her estimated due date, but we made it.  Nevertheless, she gave me a bit of a scare a couple times this week.  First, we had a very significant snow storm last Tuesday night, and Wednesday morning her udder had gone from little-girl-in-a-training-bra heifer udder to quite-the-young-woman, nearly-a-cow udder.  I asked our neighbors to stop by and check her out for me, but Sheila assured me that we still had a ways to go.  Then yesterday morning I saw what I thought might be the mucus plug, which would mean that calving is much more imminent.  I moved her into a round pen that is visible from our kitchen window so that she would be easier to see just in case.  Nothing had changed by the time I got home, so I turned her back out into the yard.

It's now Saturday night, and while I cannot say when the baby will come OUT, I definitely know it is IN there.  I've been trying to feel it for months, but I'd never been able to.  This morning, however, I not only felt it moving, but I also saw it moving!  It was so amazing! Any doubts that I had about whether she was actually pregnant have disappeared.  So, here's a short video in which I think you'll be able to see it moving, too.  What you'll want to watch is the spot below my hand when I rub her side.  It will look as though a rather large welt appeals, and then a few moments later it seems to melt back into her side.  It's clearest at about the 34 second mark.  John thinks I'm crazy, and I'm pretty sure he thinks all of the movement is just Daisy breathing, but those of you who have felt a human baby moving in a pregnant woman's belly will know that it's pretty easy to tell the difference.  (John also admitted that he's never had the opportunity to "pet" a pregnant cow this way.)

Stay tuned for more updates as this is sure to be an exciting week!

Daisy Update Part II

According to the bovine gestation table, Daisy's calving date is April 3.  She seems to be progressing nicely, though I'm not sure I'm noticing a remarkable difference in her overall size.  What I do notice, however, is that her udder is developing just the tiniest bit.

Take a look at the pictures below, and see if you notice a difference in her size.  The top picture is from about a month ago, and the bottom one is from Tuesday of last week (3/1).

The magical time is getting close!  So I've developed a spreadsheet on which you can venture your guess at the date and the gender of her calf.  Just a hint: heifer calves tend to be born a bit ahead of schedule; whereas, bull calves can come a bit later.  So, click on the link below to see an updated calendar with everyone's guesses.  Then, email me or comment with your own guess.  If it ends up being a bull calf, I will let the winner name him.  If it's a heifer calf, I will be naming her, but the winner will get the satisfaction of public recognition.  

Daisy's Calving Calendar Pool

Daisy Update Part I

I have a fat heifer . . . John kind of teases her about it, but I then remind him that she has "extra energy stores" because she has been eating along with his calves all winter.  If we didn't have calves to feed, we wouldn't be putting out extra feed.  Regardless, she and I have started on a walking regimen because I'm hoping to get her in a little better shape by the time she calves.  Almost every day this last week, I've walked her around the yard for 20 minutes.

The realization that Daisy had packed on a few pounds hit me when I was researching what is called a body conditioning score, or BCS.  Cattle are rated on a nine-point scale that helps determine their nutritional needs.  Here is a quick tutorial to show you how it works:

Skinnier cattle have very evident ribs, and skeletal features such as their backbones and pin bones are very obvious.  One tutorial I watched online explained that if you can see their ribs, the cattle should score a 1-4.  As soon as their ribs are not visible, they would score a 5-9.  A score of 5-7 is the most ideal.

This bull is fairly skinny.  You can see his ribs, his backbone, AND what are called the transverse spinous processes, which fill the space just below his spine.  Though I am not an expert (obviously), I would score this bull as a 2.

 The one below seems about right to me.  Her ribs are fully covered, but you can still the pointier bones on top of her hind end, which are the hooks.  I'm guessing she's a least a 6 and maybe a 7.

This cow is an example of Kobe beef (according to the details with the image), so I assume that explains her oddly small hind end and her very barrel-chested middle.  Regardless, I think the picture clearly illustrates what an 8-9 would look like.  There is no evidence of ribs and her whole front end is so large and blocky.

So after a bit of debate between John and me, we agree that Daisy is at least a 7 if not an 8.  We can't really try to slim her down diet-wise since losing weight that way would be unhealthy this late in her pregnancy; however, her size indicates that her calf could be bigger, which could cause difficulty during calving, or that she herself will be less motivated and energetic during calving.  However, once she makes it through calving, all of that saved up energy will come in handy as she feeds her baby!