[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

After waiting for her to grow up, then having to wait for my bull to get big enough, I'm finally going to get a little calf out of Annabelle! :leap: I'm really excited, I've been waiting quite a while!!

Only thing is, I have NO idea when she's due. At the absolute latest she would be due in July as I sold the bull in September, and that would be putting her at 4 months along right now, but I feel like she is further along than that...

It has been a very long time since I've had any heifers calve here, so I'm not that savvy on a heifer's udder development.

Here is my fat Annabelle, she is usually enormous, this is her being thin. I was out of hay yesterday and my sister brought me some for them this morning, so she didn't have the chance to fill up before the pictures :lol:

So what do you guys think? On track for a July calf or earlier? Did I mention I'm excited!! :greengrin:

May 20th. Just udder wrinkles.


October 3rd. Seems to be filling out those wrinkles.



Today (January 20th). A lot more filled out all around, building her fore udder and gaining definition.

 

[Crossroads Boers]

I don't know anything about cows calving or how she should look, but I LOVE her name and she's beautiful! Happy calving!!

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

Thanks! I cant wait!! She's bred to a red and white bull, so I'm hoping for color!

I really hope she's going to have a heifer, but either way I'm excited to get some milk! My sister and I are looking forward to having real milk and making ice cream, cheese, cheese cake, yogurt, etc, so many possibilities! And I'm way curious to find how how much she's going to milk, her mom milked 14 gallons a day

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

Here she was as a baby Can't find the rest of her baby pictures....She actually wasn't my favorite as a calf since she was never very friendly, but since Snow White broke her hip and had to be put down, she tamed down a lot. Snow White was the more beautiful of the two, to me, but I'm very happy to still have Annabelle

 

[NyGoatMom]

Thanks! I cant wait!! She's bred to a red and white bull, so I'm hoping for color!

I really hope she's going to have a heifer, but either way I'm excited to get some milk! My sister and I are looking forward to having real milk and making ice cream, cheese, cheese cake, yogurt, etc, so many possibilities! And I'm way curious to find how how much she's going to milk, her mom milked 14 gallons a day

:lol: :lol: You do realize goats have milk too, right Lacie? Picky,picky lol
Good luck...she's gorgeous. I would love to own a cow!

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

Well this is the first time I've heard about that! :ROFL: I can drink it, until I remember it's goat milk and then it instantly tastes like a buck to me. I've yet to get past that little hangup I have. Also, sometimes it upsets my stomach, so I have no idea there. But I can live off of cows milk, and do frequently :lol:

 

[Crossroads Boers]

Awww! They are sooooooo adorable!! I can't wait to see what color she'll have! Is the black or red more dominant?

Holy COW!! 14 gallons a day? Hey, I need a milk cow. These darn bottle babies are eating me out of house and home! LOL

 

[ksalvagno]

Pretty girl! Good luck! Can't wait to see calf pictures.

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

She had some mucus discharge this morning, about a 6 inch sting of it. Her vulva looks a bit swollen today too, especially to the sides of it, but she still looks like she has a ways to go. Or maybe I'm totally wrong! :lol:
Her udder is firm, but still has wrinkles, so she's not ready yet in that department.

Probably another 5 months to go in reality :lol:

 

[margaret]

Awww, I love her cute little udder :lol:
Good luck, hopefully she doesn't wait 5 more months!
She's pretty, I love her coloring
14 GALLONS?!? Wow, I think you might end up with enough milk:lol:

 

[Sprucewoodsask]

If she is anything like my Holstein - her name is Mrs. Milk haha her bag should get quite tight! Any heifers we ever had bagged for a good long time before they calve. I have heard of them bagging after calving but none of our heifers ever did. She probably has awhile to go. Happy calving

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

Is the black or red more dominant?

Totally forgot to answer this question, sorry!

I have no idea how this calf is going to turn out, since she has the standard Holstein color, which the black is the dominant gene. But the sire to the calf is a Milking Shorthorn, where the red gene is dominant.
I did some reading on it and from what I've seen is dominant red trumps dominant black, so the calf may come out red and white, which I'm totally fine with!
I really want a heifer calf, but a healthy calf is priority.

Did I mention I felt baby kicks today? :greengrin:

ETA: After googling some pictures of Milking Shorthorn x Holstein crosses, I also have a chance of blue roan, blue and white, or blue spotted :chin:

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

If she is anything like my Holstein - her name is Mrs. Milk haha her bag should get quite tight! Any heifers we ever had bagged for a good long time before they calve. I have heard of them bagging after calving but none of our heifers ever did. She probably has awhile to go. Happy calving

Thank you!! I'm hoping she makes a lot of milk! I'd be happy with even 5 gallons a day

 

[Cedar Point Kikos]

I think she'll go before July. So helpful, huh? :lol:

 

[Crossroads Boers]

Ok, wow! That makes it really fun.

 

[Ranger1]

What a pretty girl! I think I love all black and white animals though.
I'm not terribly experienced with cows, but I say, judging by her udder, March/April is when she'll calve.

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

Okay, I don't know if she's just fooling me or what, but I think she may calve this month, possibly in the next 2 weeks?
I have pics of her tonight, internet is being retarded though, will upload when I can. Her back teats are full and shiny, front teats are filling, udder itself is a little more full too. She's been holding her tail out for the past few hours that I've noticed too. Ligaments seem soft.

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

Okay, here's the pics! I have no idea if it's normal for them to fill their back teats first, so we'll just say yes? And that tail holding has me wondering when she's gonna calve. If I'm not mistaken, they do that when they're going to calve soon.
She still has to fill her udder a bit, but she's certainly working on it.

 

[thegoatmama]

Good luck Annabelle!!! :wahoo:

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

Thank you!

After some reading, it looks like it is normal for the back teats to fill first, and she could be as little as a week out from calving, judging by her teats starting to fill now