Having had a remarkably problem-free first calving for the first of the Dexters, we are now nearing the time for the next calf to arrive. Both cows were checked by a vet just before arriving with us in May 2015 and the prediction at that time was about 7 weeks between the two calving dates.
I’m not sure how accurate a vet can be when estimating that a cow is only 5 weeks in-calf but that’s the only information we have to go on for now. The first calf – Oscar – made an appearance on Dec 15 which was a few days early based on the predictions but adding the 7 weeks to that date would mean the next calf should arrive by Tuesday of next week (Feb 2).
From what I’ve heard and read in recent months it’s not an exact science anyway but I’m hoping that I can spot some signs ahead of time based on what I can remember from the arrival of the first calf
Over the last week I thought that calving was slowly getting nearer as I could see a little sign of udder development but perhaps I’ve imagined that. The photos below were taken almost a week apart and when I took the second one I thought the difference was clear. However when I look at the pictures again now I’m not so sure so I’ll be looking out for more changes in the next few days!
