How to find out at home whether a cow is pregnant or not and the timing of pregnancy
For a cow to give milk, she must bring a calf. Pregnancy in cattle lasts a long time, the animal can give birth to only one litter per year. You also need to happen every year. Consider how to find out at home whether a pregnant cow is or not, what determines the duration of pregnancy. Why does a cow walk, how to correctly calculate the date when she gives birth.
How long does a cow's pregnancy last?
The knowledge of whether the cow is pregnant or not is necessary in order to properly feed and care for the animal during this period. It depends on how the calf will develop, how the mother will feel. To determine the due date, you need to know how many days a cow is carrying a fetus so that you can prepare for calving in time.
Heifers happen for the first time when they are 16-18 months old, cows - for the first time after calving. The duration of pregnancy in cattle is 250-310 days. As you can see, the spread is large and is 8 weeks. The average duration of gestation is 280 days, but even for the same animal, each pregnancy lasts differently each time. The term is counted from the day of mating. A deviation in both directions for 2 weeks is acceptable.
How long can a cow walk?
Despite the standard gestation period of 9 months, pregnancy can last longer. The female can walk for 2 or even 3 weeks. This is due to the developmental features of the calf and the mother's body, as well as the fact that with natural insemination it is not always possible to determine with certainty the date when conception occurred.
In order to have time to prepare the animal for calving, it is advisable to start a calendar where the mating date will be marked. It is necessary to add 280 days - about how much a cow walks, this will be the date of the expected calving.
What factors determine the term
The duration of pregnancy is influenced by feeding, conditions of detention, age, breed, health of the pregnant woman. An animal belonging to a large breed wears a calf longer. The gestation period is increased by several days if the cow is covered by a large bull, so the fetus inside it is also large.
It is most difficult to expect due date from first-calf heifers, older animals, or those with medical conditions.
How to determine if a cow is pregnant at home
There are many ways to do this. You can check if the cow is covered by bringing a bull to her every day. If she does not respond to him, avoids mating, then we can assume that she is pregnant.The test bull method is based on this. The fact that a cow is covered can also be determined by behavior: she has not observed signs of estrus for more than a month, appetite increases, the animal becomes calmer, and moves less.
It is possible to accurately establish pregnancy by ultrasound, rectal method and laboratory tests of blood and urine. These methods cannot be implemented at home; you will have to contact veterinarians. The accuracy of the ultrasound examination is above 95%, in addition, the gestational age can be determined. The rectal method is still one of the main methods in animal husbandry in determining pregnancy. It is effective even in the early stages, when visual signs are not yet observed. If the animal cannot become pregnant for a long time, during a rectal examination, the doctor can determine why this is happening.
Pregnancy test strips are available from veterinary pharmacies. The strip is placed in urine or milk. In this case, test strips for humans cannot be used. In the laboratory, pregnancy can be determined by milk. He is handed over on the 19-23 day after mating. If progesterone, produced by the cow's body during pregnancy, is found in milk, it can be safely assumed that the cow is pregnant.
After 5-6 months, pregnancy can be determined visually by the protruding lower part of the side on the right. The easiest way to determine pregnancy is in the last month. They try to determine pregnancy at home using milk. To do this, mix 5 ml of milk and alcohol in one container. If the milk comes from a pregnant cow, it will curdle within a maximum of 3-5 minutes. If with a barnyard, this will take more than 20 minutes. The effectiveness of such a test is 70%, so it is advisable to confirm its result with more accurate methods.
How to calculate calving date
First of all, the mating date should be noted. Add 280 days + 15 days the cow can walk. You need to wait for calving during these 2 weeks. If the deadline has passed, and the calf has not been born, you need to contact your veterinarian, as this may indicate some health problems of the animal.
How many calves can a cow give birth at one time
Like all large animals, a cow gives birth to one calf. The sex distribution is approximately the same. Can bring twins, calves are of different or the same sex, heifers or bulls. Twins are rarely born, even less often triplets.
In exceptional cases, there may be four, five or more calves. This is almost always the result of artificial insemination or the effects of treatment when a cow is injected with heat-stimulating drugs. With natural mating, twins are obtained at best.
The ability to plan pregnancy and childbirth of cattle will be useful to any livestock breeder. Knowing how much a cow is carrying a calf, what deviations there may be, you can calculate the calving date and prepare for it. During this period of time, you need to closely monitor the animal so as not to miss signs of an impending birth. This is necessary in order to, if necessary, be near the animal and help with difficult childbirth.
