Expert: Karin - 7/31/2011

Question
QUESTION: We recently got 3 baby cows. My pappy and mom and dad has cows and my pappy knows a lot abou cows. But the one baby sill haw her belly button sticking out and she is about 3 months old. None of the other cows are sucking on it so we do not know what It is.  Also one of the babies is a twin and we can't tell if she is sterile or not. What should we look for. Thanks

ANSWER: Hi Allison,

I would really like to see a picture of the calves or calf in question to tell see what you are concerned about. There are two very likely possibilities of why this particular calf still has her "belly button" sticking out and is 3 months old:

1. She is a Brahman or Brahman-cross calf, which commonly have exposed navels or "belly buttons" from birth to adulthood. The signs that she's a Brahman or Brahman-cross calf is her larger-than-normal ears and loose folds of skin.

2. She is not a she, but a he.  Bull calves are those that will have a sheath where their navel is, and thus is where they urinate from.  If the calf is peeing or urinating from the belly, then it is definitely a bull calf. Also check between the legs to see if there is a sac hanging down from there.  If there is, then "she" is a bull calf.  If there is NO sac hanging between the calf's legs, then it's a heifer calf.

It is GOOD none of the other calves are sucking on it. This shouldn't be happening in the first place!  A calf on a cow should be suckling from the back legs, NOT the navel.  The udder of a cow is located between the back legs.

You really need to tell the sex of each calf before you can see if the calf you are concerned about is a freemartin or not.  Freemartins are heifer calves that are a twin to a bull calf, and have a 90% chance of being sterile.  However, if the heifer twin you are concerned about has another heifer has her twin sister, then do not worry about whether she is sterile or not.  Twin heifers are not born sterile.  But if you need to test whether the heifer you purchased is a freemartin or not, I would get the vet out to do the test for you.  

If you can do a follow-up with pictures attached that would help me a lot. :)

-Karin

P.S.: If you find any of the calves suckling on each other, please separate them.  Normal calves do not suckle on each other, and to prevent this it is best if you separate them or put an Eezy-wean nose ring on them to prevent this from happening.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi yes she is a white Face limousine or however you spell it cross. She is def a girl. Thanks though. Any other suggestions. I tried attaching a picture but it didn't work. Sorry

Answer
Hi Allison,

I honestly can't think of any other issues that would cause her to have a more prominent navel than usual, but, now that I think of it, I do remember seeing heifers like her that had a prominent navel like you are describing.  Nothing was wrong with them, it's just they seemed to be born with this, or were really slow in having it to recede like with other calves.  

So really, it's nothing to worry about.  If she's acting, eating, peeing and pooping normally, then I wouldn't waste time worrying about it. :)

-Kairn