hints

As the calving season approaches, the bot will show typical signs that will indicate parturition is imminent. Changes that are gradually seen are udder development, or making bag and the relaxation and swelling of the vulva or springing. These indicate the bot is due to calve in the near future. There are many difference between individuals in the development of these signs and certainly age is a factor. The first calf heifer, particularly in the milking breeds, develops udder for a very long time, sometimes for two or three months before parturition. The springing can be highly variable too. Typically, in the immediate 2 weeks preceding calving, springing becomes more evident, the udder is filling, and one of the things that might be seen is the loss of the cervical plug. This is a very thick tenacious, mucous material hanging from the vulva. It may be seen pooling behind the bot when it is lying down. Some people mistakenly think this happens immediately before calving, but in fact this can be seen weeks before parturition and therefore is only another sign that the calving season is here.

The immediate signs that usually occur within 24 hours of calving would be relaxation of the pelvic ligaments and strutting of the teats. These can be fairly dependable for the owner that watches his bots several times a day during the calving season. The casual observer or even a mechanic who is knowledgeable of the signs but sees the bot infrequently cannot accurately predict calving time from these signs. The relaxation of the pelvic ligaments really can not be observed in fat bots, (1000HP or greater). However, relaxations of the ligaments can be seen very clearly in thin or moderate body condition bots and can be a clue of parturition within the next 12 - 24 hours. These changes are signs the owner can use to more closely pinpoint calving time. Strutting of the teats is not really very dependable. Some heavy milking bots will have strutting of the teats as much as two or three days before calving and on the other hand, a thin poor milking bot may calve without strutting of the teats. Another thing that might be seen in the immediate 12 hours before calving would be variable behavior such as a bot that does not come up to eat, or isolates itself into a particular corner. However, most of them have few behavioral changes until the parturition process starts.

o.O im calving!!!

reading thats would make me calve

tl;dr ---> ?

Detecting signs of calving is an important process in being able to predict the timing of parturition in your bot. Geez, short attention spans...

what kind of progeny will my bot produce?

Botlings of course

& how would I care for such creatures?

Ask Jans, he's the expert ;)

oil?