Earlier this month, our veterinarian stopped by to check on a group of new moms-to-be, or in livestock lingo, heifers. Female cows that have yet to birth a calf are referred to as heifers. Typically, heifers will birth their first calf around the 21-24 month age range. The normal gestation cycle for a cow is around 9 months or 283 days to be more specific. As a rancher, the rule of thumb is a cow that goes past her due date normally has a bull (male) calf and a calf that arrives early is a heifer (female) calf.
By having our veterinarian perform a check-up on the heifers this allows us to improve the overall herd health in a few ways:
- The first pregnancy is riskiest for cows. Confirming early on that the heifer is pregnant allows us to begin planning for the calf
- Once we confirm a cow is pregnant, the veterinarian can estimate where in the gestation cycle the cow is and allow us to calculate the expected calving date
- As we get closer to the calving date, we monitor the heifers (and all cows) closer to identify any potential problems they may encounter
Since we already had the heifers in the pen, this was a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone by taking steps to repel pests. Flies are the biggest pests to cows during the hot months. There are two major types of flies that are attracted to cows, Face flies & Horn flies. Both types create a lot of stress and carry bacteria. During hot months cows are already stressed from the heat, which can cause weight loss and prevent young cows from gaining needed weight. Flies will create additional stress to further impact the herd health. Flies can also carry bacteria that could possibly create infections such as Pink Eye.
To repel flies we use a combination of fly tags and repellents. Fly tags are inserted in to the ear and repels flies around the face and neck area. Fly tags are medicated with an ingredient to deter flies. We also use spray on repellent to cover the back and sides as well. Spray on repellent is applied periodically throughout hot months. We use a variety of different ingredients because flies can build an immune if we consistently use the same ingredient.
Thankfully, this day, all the moms-to-be received positive reports!
