Checking to See if the Cows are Bred

Tricia called our veterinarian to make a farm call.  None of the cows were sick.  In this case the farm call was to palpate the cows.  Palpation involves examining the cows' bodies by touch in this case to see if they are carrying calves.  We needed to have Dr. Fontenot palpate Daisy, Rosie, and Clarabelle.  He put on his plastic 'gloves' that go all the way up to his shoulder and poured a lubricant on them and then began his examination right there in our barn in the milking stall.

He felt around inside of the cows and could feel the fetus, sizing it up from experience and let Tricia know how old the calf was.  Since we chart the days of the month that we see the cows in standing heat, we could count backwards to determine when they were bred.  Here is the verdict:

Rose was bred on December 8th.  That means she'll calve somewhere around September 8th.

Clarabelle was bred on January 25th.  That means she'll calve somewhere around October 25th. This will be Clarabelle's first calf.

Daisy, on the other hand, is not bred.  Dr. Fontenot checked out the one ovary that he could reach and everything was normal.  He was going to do some research to see what the problem could be that is keeping her from getting pregnant.  In the meantime, we know that she'll be coming in heat again in about a week.  We will keep our eyes on her and the bull.  We know that Chuck, the bull, is "hot" and perhaps this go-around she will get pregnant.