1st calf heifers

[ZACH B]

New to cow's bought bred heifers turned 2this past February had calf walked off kicks when calf trys to suck put in head chute same thing QUESTION is do I try her again or move her Will she do the second thing on 2nd calf

 

[ez14.]

Maybe she will maybe she won't not worth the headache should make good burger

 

[Rafter S]

if you have to, tie her back legs together down low while she's in the chute so she can't kick. After a few times she should let the calf suck without being in the chute. Hard to tell is she'll do it again with the next calf. If she'll eventually let this calf suck she'll probably be okay with the next one, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on.

And try using some punctuation once in a while for the benefit of us old grouchy folks.

 

[Son of Butch]

There are simple hobbles made for dairy farmers to prevent cows from kicking, you can use on cow/heifer in a chute
to protect the calf while sucking. Once heifer figures out letting calf suck relieves udder pressure/pain her attitude
will change. Some heifers are dumber than others and have a longer learning curve to becoming a momma.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

You can also just use a rope around her - right in front of her hip bones, down under tight in front of her udder. Have a loop at the end & cinch it up tight. the pressure doesn't allow her to lift her legs. But, be sure to use a slip knot. If you get it too tight, she could fall down.

 

[Silver]

You can also just use a rope around her - right in front of her hip bones, down under tight in front of her udder. Have a loop at the end & cinch it up tight. the pressure doesn't allow her to lift her legs. But, be sure to use a slip knot. If you get it too tight, she could fall down.

I hadn't heard of that, sounds like a good idea.

 

[TCRanch]

I've had a couple 1st calf heifers successfully calve, take a look at what they just produced & head for the hills. In addition to the aforementioned ideas, pen them together if at all possible. Both my wayward heifers ended up being awesome little mamas - and continue with each subsequent calf. Good luck!

 

[ez14.]

You can also just use a rope around her - right in front of her hip bones, down under tight in front of her udder. Have a loop at the end & cinch it up tight. the pressure doesn't allow her to lift her legs. But, be sure to use a slip knot. If you get it too tight, she could fall down.

I hadn't heard of that, sounds like a good idea.

Oh that's the only way to go if you got something to tie off to! :nod:

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

You can also just use a rope around her - right in front of her hip bones, down under tight in front of her udder. Have a loop at the end & cinch it up tight. the pressure doesn't allow her to lift her legs. But, be sure to use a slip knot. If you get it too tight, she could fall down.

I hadn't heard of that, sounds like a good idea.

Oh that's the only way to go if you got something to tie off to! :nod:

Not sure what you mean??? The rope is only around the cow. Yes, you can use this method for a cow that is just tied to something solid. They really don't like to walk around with it on.

 

[cowgirl8]

This is what I do.. Works great. I'll hobble them too, but with heifers I try this for a few days...

Then when the calf can get some nursing in, I switch to feeding distraction...I have a thread about heifers calving.. Poopers behind me.

 

[MRRherefords]

New to cow's bought bred heifers turned 2this past February had calf walked off kicks when calf trys to suck put in head chute same thing QUESTION is do I try her again or move her Will she do the second thing on 2nd calf

That is an age old question that many people ask. I personally would not, however with that being said, I have seen first time failures turn into top cows if given a second chance. Expensive though, to feed a mom that is not mothering.

 

[JW IN VA]

Give her some extra grain while she's in the chute.Does two things.Rewards her time caught and makes extra milk which she will find relief when the calf nurses.All the above posts are worth taking note of.
A small area for calving may help since they can't get away as far from the calf.There's a lot of changes in her life right now but she should still act like a mother.How difficult was the calving?
I've also heard of people taking a dog around close to the chute area.Sometimes arouses the protective trait.

If she does this next year she'd be gone.

 

[Lucky]

I do what cowgirl8 posted. If they still kick loosely tie some hay string around her feet, it'll dig in when she kicks. If that doesn't work O-No-More always seems to do the trick.

 

[ez14.]

I hadn't heard of that, sounds like a good idea.

Oh that's the only way to go if you got something to tie off to! :nod:

Not sure what you mean??? The rope is only around the cow. Yes, you can use this method for a cow that is just tied to something solid. They really don't like to walk around with it on.

I mean something to tie it to, to keep it tight

what we do is put the rope around the cow and pull it tight then wrap it around a pipe to keep it tight

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Oh, we just cinch it down tight & put a slip knot in it. Easiest to slide the loop for the slip knot under the rope BEFORE you tighten down. Otherwise, it can be really, really hard to get the rope back under itself.

 

[ez14.]

Our rope has a weight at one end and a metal ring on the other. so we can toss the weight over the cow put it through the ring. and pull it tight and we only have to use it in the milking parlor so there is always a good pipe to wrap it around and let the weight hang to keep it tight