An Early Calf

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FlyingLSimmentals

FlyingLSimmentals

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Sidney my first Register Black Simmental Heifer I bought from Double S, now a 14 year old had a little heifer calf yesterday when I went to feed hay. Problem being she shouldn't have been due. Calved last year 6/4 and now 2/28. She has little to no milk but is claiming the calf really well and calf is nursing each quarter. Calf seems okay and functional. Put cow up and giving her some grain in hopes of her to quickly make some milk. Did give the calf a bottle of colostrum in which she took easy. Gave her some milk replacer as well late yesterday. Heading that way to check on it now. How premature can one be and be alive and functional. Would get some pics but having camera problems.
 
I would say if all appears well she should be OK . I would be concerned with temp swings and chance of sickness. The cow should come into milk . by my calculations the cow bred 18days after calving and the new calf is 28days early and common knowledge is they can go 10 days either side of due date so its 3 weeks early .
 
Gimli was was born 255 days post AI so 30 days premature. I had to feed him for about 3 days. He was too weak to nurse. I gave him Colostrum (not replacer) and then milked her and tubed. He would not nurse at first. She had plenty of milk.

Good luck.
 
Looks like it may be a bottle calf if I can't get her to make some milk. Figured she'll would like M-5 said. Going to keep giving her grain and supplementing the calf. Just don't want to feed the calf enough that it thinks I'm mother unless its gonna be that way. I've seen cows abort fetuses that made more milk than she has. She usually has an efficient bag not big but one that is always running. I've saved daughters from her and they're good milkers, and even saved last years heifer it's in the keeper pen. Puzzled why she didn't make more milk? Figured it had to do with it being early and maybe a bit with her age. But she's solid and in good physical condition.
 
Its only been a day keep letting the calf try to nurse the after that give it a little milk , I would do a pint every 2 hrs to keep it hungry and trying to nurse, That what she will need to get her hormones to kick in . there is a drug IIRC that a vet can give to help . Ive never used it
 
Neither mama for my 2 preemies had much milk initially so I supplemented each calf for a while. Interesting side note: both cows ended up having hardware which I suspect contributed to the shorter gestation.
 
It will take at least a week to get her system stimulated enough to get more milk production. You could try some oxytocin. It helps with let down but also we used it on a sow to get her to come into her milk. Agree with small bottle feedings for the calf so it is still hungry and goes to cow to keep trying and stimulating system to come to milk
 
We had one here a few years ago that was 35 days early. The poor little guy could barely reach the teats but kept up with the cow and made it no problems but we were just lucky.
 
Okay scratching my head :? . Sidney gave birth to a nice large bull calf today. So who is Suzie from? Cow can't have a calf 5 months after the first can she? Couldn't have two eggs fertilized at different points? Ms. Sunkist one of my young Register cows calved 2 days before I found Suzie. Is it possible she left one behind and Sidney adopted it. Every other female has calved with bigger windows and have calves on the side. When I found Suzie, Sidney was the only cow around. When I went to the calf to check on it she came bawling too it and licking it. Calf went straight to nursing the bag. Can't remember now but thought she had a string hanging. Anyway Suzie nursed around on Sidney for a few weeks while I bottle fed her too. Thought she just finally weaned herself off of Sidney because of the bottles I was giving her. Have been noticing Sidney making a bag of milk now for the last week or 3. Suzie hasn't been nursing the cow. I've been still giving her a bottle from time to time and she's on feed. Guess We've had 3 sets of twins or something.
 
You definitely need to DNA your questionable calf/calves. I do not believe ASA will let you register them with such a discrepancy of length of pregnancy.
Looking back at your first post - you should have palpated the cow - I'm betting this is not her calf and she was pregnant at the time she "claimed" this calf.
 
Little Suzie is the only calf at question. Did think about running DNA on it and Sidney and Sunkist just to see which is the momma. But don't think it's possible for Sidney to calve and calve again 5 months later. Figure Sunkist had a twin and Sidney took it in for whatever reason. Either way Little Suzie is just gonna be a feeder calf. I might do the DNA anyway out of curiosity.
 
DNA them as mentioned just to see whats going on.. I like calving season, but I'd be sick of it by this point in the year.
 

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