Birth defect? Graphic image warning

[LLBUX]

I found a six month? fetus this afternoon by the hay ring. :-\

I feel it is a birth defect, but have not seen this before.

The top jaw is not developed.  Rest of calf looks normal.

What may it be?

Not sure which cow, but it will be either PB Angus or a Hannibal/Heetseeker. 

 

[knabe]

save some tissue if possible?  any aborted found fetus is potentially valuable to jerry taylor at univ missouri.


http://animalsciences.missouri.edu/faculty/taylor/


he's studying snps that don't show up in a homozygous state in the beef population as suspects of defects.

 

[DRC]

That calf looks like a mummy that's been expelled. I think that's why it looks weird to you.  Congrats...many times they don't expel and remain in the cow.

 

[BTDT]

You do not mention bloodlines, but it looks like a 5 month fetus that has been mummified and then aborted, possible monkey mouth defect, which is found mainly, but not exclusively in club calf bloodlines.
Keep in mind, with it being mummified, it has been in the cow for quite some time (3-5 months minimum) so if it was expelled recently, it actually died 3-5 months ago.
What is the calving history of the cow? Interval? AI vs. Bull bred? 

 

[LLBUX]

I am not sure which cow is responsible.  I did not see any signs.  I chore each morning in the dark so I really see them once a day.    All looked happy and healthy.

I have two Angus and a Hannibal/Heetseeker that are to calve in June/July

I also have three other cows that calved 1/15. 2/9 and 3/9.  Another due April 9.

Do you think this could have been a mummified twin?  After researching the subject, it looks like a 3 1/2 month fetus.    I have nothing in this breeding window.

All above calves are out of a proven bull.
The only clubby I have is the Hannibal.  Her first calf came in March 2012.  Bred  by bull Tuxedo in May.
She may have done this once before in 2012 after getting sick from Fescue Poisoning.     
She came up open that fall after a May bull breeding and no heat cycle after.  Bull bred again in October to Camelot.

She had a bull calf last year in July and and was bred back to Camelot. 
This bull has over 100 offspring with no previous birth defects. 
Only one known birth defect in the breed and he is not a carrier.

I'll be palpating the bred cows soon to find the culprit.

 

[rackranch]

With that small of a cow herd to observe, it seems it would be obvious which one just had a calve. Sorry for your loss.

 

[cowman 52]

Problem could be as simple as IBR.  Would check for a breeding date maybe 6 months back, 

 

[firesweepranch]

How long do you think the fetus has been around the hay ring? It looks pretty dry, like it might have been there for awhile.

It could a number of possibilities, and until you preg check everyone you will not know for sure. Hopefully you find everyone pregnant and it was just a mummified twin. Even if a cow slipped, it might have nothing to do with genetics and more to due to something else. Hard to guess.

 

[CAB]

Beings it is laying around the hay feeder, is there a possibility that it was slipped some time ago it a hay field or pasture that was baled and the rake put it in a wind row and then baled it up and it fell out of the bale now? As stated earlier if it is a mummy, which from the pic it sure could be, you can't tell when or how long that the cow has carried it around B4 expelling it and once the mummification has happened it's usually unlikely that they will expel them and your cow usually never breeds again. That's the reason that at a certain point in a pregnancy that it is not recommended that you abort one. Too risky that the fetus may become mummified if the cow/heifer is not able to expel the fetus.