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Cow calved January 6, 2010; calf died shortly after birth. Same cow calved again January 20, 2010. Calf doing well. What caused the delay of two weeks between calves?

Last Updated: November 15, 2010

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It's hard to determine what went on here. We assume that the calf born on January 6 appeared fully developed and was not born prematurely. We have heard of calves born 21 days apart, and these calves are not twins. They could be maternal half-sibs or full-sibs if they have the same sire. These calves are from separate ovulations about 21 days apart. We have not heard of this occurring often, perhaps one or two times in the past 30 years. Generally, contractions associated with the birth of the first calf would cause the premature birth of the second calf. In your case, if the first calf was fully developed, we would guess that the calves are from two separate ovulations and are not twins.

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