Q&A for How to Tell if a Cow or Heifer Has Been Bred

Yes, this is normal. The small amount of blood is from when the corpus lute burst, letting an embryo free into the uterine horn.

No, but remember that timing is important. Wait 12 hours after she shows signs of standing heat before AI'ing. When she goes into heat around 21 days later, that's when you need to be concerned, because that will definitely indicate that it didn't take.

There are two possibilities. Either she has aborted and may start up cycling again soon, or the calf shifted in her and she's looking different than before. Check with a veterinarian to be sure.

Possibly, it depends on what the discharge looks like.

Discharge is nothing. That's just the way of a cow "cleaning" herself out and is just normal vaginal mucous. This is no way to tell if a cow is pregnant. You will need to, as the article says above, do a blood test, rectal palpation or even an ultrasound exam to actually confirm if she's bred or not.

When doing rectal palpations it depends how long the cow has been away from the bull or from when she was AI'd. You could be feeling for a little bit of a bulge in one of the uterine horns if she's being checked 60 days post-breeding, or a head and some feet if she's a bit farther along, like 6 months into gestation or more.

She can, but there's a bigger risk that she will need help than she will be able to have the calf on her own. Normally a heifer should be calving at two years old, not 10 or 15 months old.

The blood isn't an indication that the bull bred her. Rather, it's an indication that she's gone out of heat or estrus. This is just an indication that the corpus luteum ruptured, releasing the ovum into the fallopian tube. A little bit of blood is nothing to worry about. But a lot, like if she's really dripping out of her vulva, is a must-call to the veterinarian.

It's possible the bull has an issue, something like a broken penis, a penile wart, or something else that is inhibiting his ability to do his job. It would help to have a veterinarian do a bull breeding soundness exam on him to see if it really is him that's the problem, and not the cows. But the two females could also have problems with fertility, which typically stems from feeding them too much rich feed like grain or other supplement causing them to get too much fat cover on them. Best to look at both possibilities to rule out all potential issues and solve your problem!

If she were coming back into heat, her vulva would look more reddish and swollen. The discharge may be just minor and not anything to worry about. You should look for more obvious signs of heat, like pacing around, bawling, trying to mount other cows (or cows trying to mount her), etc.