What is the reason for cows mounting after pregnancy

[GLZ]

So I have a cow that is driving me a bit crazy.

I bred her back in early June.  I saw no heat on her for two months, and then 21 days ago she decided she would mount everything in the lot with her.  Noone else was in heat, and noone else was the least bit interested in her.  I didn't try breeding her again because i never even remotely saw her stand, and no other cows were paying her attention at all.  Last night 21 days later, she decides to do the exact same thing again.  Mounting everything she can get close to, however noone tried mounting her at all.  I had one bull calf try to mount her, but she ran off as soon as he did.  I decided to go ahead and rebreed her this morning.  When I woke up this morning she wasn't showing a thing again.  Before loading the ai gun I decided to palpate her.  I am not very good at pregnancy checking, but I am pretty sure i could tell at 80 days.  I am 95% sure she is pregnant, as I definitely felt something in what I believed to be the uterine horn.  So I chose not to breed her again this morning.

My question is if she is bred, why does she keep having these most recent two intervals of jumping?

 

[Bawndoh]

I cannot give you a real technical answer, but I can tell you that this is seen a lot.  My sisters cows always decide to mount eachother into the late summer and fall time.  She panics, but they are always bred.  I would think just because of the hormonal imbalance of pregnancy itself may cause them to jump others.  I have also heard that +/- mineral/vitiman imbalances will do it.  I have heard that alfalfa and clover will make them jump others.  Your best bet may have been to ultrasound her.  When a fetus is 90 or less days old it is VERY easy to damage/kill it by palpating the cow if you are not a professional.  Typically the uterine horn will be a bit larger, harder, and about the firmness and shape of a banana.  But do not base pregnancy on that all the time.  After 90 days of pregnancy it is much easier to palpate them though.

 

[kanshow]

We dont get too worried about pregnant cows mounting... it is when they are standing for a mount that you worry.    Years ago,  my AI tech teacher told us that one of the best heat indicators is a 8 - 9 month bred cow.  That tells me that the pregnancy hormones are probably what is making her mount. 

 

[GLZ]

I guess I am not following, but what do you mean by

my AI tech teacher told us that one of the best heat indicators is a 8 - 9 month bred cow

 

[kanshow]

A cow that is close to calving will often be the first one to mount another that is in standing heat. 

 

[red]

I've had some cows that just seem to get bored & ride. I'm like kanshow on the standing. If no other cow is interested then you just have a cow w/ overactive hormones. 

 

[GLZ]

A cow that is close to calving will often be the first one to mount another that is in standing heat.   

Interesting.  I thought that is what you meant, but wasn't sure.  I have several fall calvers in the same pasture as her right now, and none of them were even the slightest bit intersted.  I just find it interesting and worrisome that she shows nothing for two months, mounts like crazy for about a 6 hour period, then did the exact same thing 21 days later.  When you are just starting out, and do everything AI with no cover bull it is enough to drive you completely insane.

 

[kanshow]

Since no one is riding her, I'd bet she is pregnant.