Blind calf

[Ky hills]

We have a calf that's about 3 weeks old and blind. It's a red whiteface bull so not exactly a great moneymaker under ther best of conditions.
What should we do? Get rid of it now while it's still small enough to handle? Kind of afraid to turn him back out cause might not get him back up very easy later on. I've heard a lot of times of people feeding them out, but I'm not sure we could handle him to move around and load, and it's s long time off from that too.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Completely blind???

Would take a lot of dedication to get one to slaughter I imagine.
I suppose if ya had an acre or two penned off for him and a buddy ya could bottle it and raise it that way

 

[Silver]

How long has it been blind for?

 

[MurraysMutts]

On second thought maybe a bottle calf out of him wouldn't be a good idea. I could just see him come a running for a bottle/feed and not know when to stop, bowling ya over in the process

 

[kenny thomas]

Unless you are going to cull the cow just.leave it out with momma. He will follow her and she will take care of him. Beef him when he is grown.

 

[farmerjan]

I had a calf that was pretty much totally blind .... but it seemed like it came on at about 2-3 weeks... we had turned them out to pasture and had not seen anything wrong with it when it was tagged. Maybe born completely blind and just used it's hearing? It got around out at the pasture and never seemed to walk into things... maybe it sees a shadow. When we got them in from pasture, it did walk into the trailer and other fences... Weaned it off with another that was nearly blind from pinkeye, different place, and put in with a nice calm heifer the 1st blind one was used to and they get along good. The one hears good and the other is seeing a few shadows and they have learned the fences in the paddock they are in. Come right to the bunk to eat a little grain. The seeing eye heifer will get moved out this year, and they will be fed to finish for beef. Won't make anything on them in the long run, but it has worked for us. Once they get used to their "area" they have done good.
If you can keep it with the momma in a not too hard to get around in place, she will teach it to maneuver around. Does it nurse okay? If so, then it is up to you if you want to take a little extra time to deal with it's handicap. If the cow is taking care of it, then half the battle is won right there.

 

[farmerjan]

Also, we gave both the pinkeye calf and the "blind one" a shot of A & D vitamins... twice to each... and I believe it may have helped a little bit. We tend to find that we are lacking in Vit D here... I have a very low vit D level as do several other people I know... so it stands to reason that maybe there are some cattle that are low... It sure didn't hurt them.

 

[Ky hills]

How long has it been blind for?

I'm not completely sure, but probably born that way.

 

[Son of Butch]

Unless you are going to cull the cow just leave it out with momma. He will follow her and she will take care of him. Beef him when he is grown.

Kenny's right, a blind calf can adapt. The real challenge for him (and you) will come at weaning. Weaning is hard on calves and even more so for him, as he'll be more dependent on mom than usual. He'll need to be with a small group of calves to get him through it to find water and get bunk broke, after that the worst will be over, but he will still be a bit of a pain in the butt.

 

[Ky hills]

This is one our weakest cows in terms of calf raising ability. The first 2 weaned off as dinks, Last years calf did much better, but now this She doesn't milk real well.
If we let the cow raise it to feed out, how do you get a big blind calf loaded?

 

[Son of Butch]

This is one our weakest cows in terms of calf raising ability. The first 2 weaned off as dinks. Last year's calf did much better, but now this. She doesn't milk real well.
If we let the cow raise it to feed out, how do you get a big blind calf loaded?

2 people and planning.
Sounds like a good candidate to put in the ring as a cow/calf pair.

 

[Ky hills]

2 people and planning.
Sounds like a good candidate to put in the ring as a cow/calf pair.

That sounds like a plan, would they sell them as a pair ?

 

[Son of Butch]

That sounds like a plan, would they sell them as a pair ?

they would here, the younger the calf, the less likely they would split 'em
I'd do it asap

 

[farmerjan]

I might have kept a cow with a dink calf, for the second chance, she never would have stayed if the second one was a dink. Got a heifer now that has next to no milk and she won't get a second chance.
You can sell her as a cow/calf pair and foist the blind calf off on someone else.

 

[Ky hills]

I might have kept a cow with a dink calf, for the second chance, she never would have stayed if the second one was a dink. Got a heifer now that has next to no milk and she won't get a second chance.
You can sell her as a cow/calf pair and foist the blind calf off on someone else.

She has been on my cull list for quite a while, but we were trying to grow cow numbers and she was bringing in a calf.

 

[Redgully]

I had a calf born once that was blind. Cloudy in the eyes. If you walked up to her once she realised she'd take of and run into a fence or tree. After a few weeks her eyes cleared up and she was fine. My theory is a hard birth.

 

[faster horses]

Why would you pass the sorry pair off on someone else? Decide what to do with the calf, and get rid of the cow in the kill pen.. Ethics is worth something. Remember the golden rule: "do unto others as you would have the do unto you."

Anyway, that's what we would do. Good luck with what you decide.

 

[Ky hills]

Why would you pass the sorry pair off on someone else? Decide what to do with the calf, and get rid of the cow in the kill pen.. Ethics is worth something. Remember the golden rule: "do unto others as you would have the do unto you."

Anyway, that's what we would do. Good luck with what you decide.

Yes, ethics absolutely, if I am selling something off the farm privately, I will tell everything I know about the animal/s. If I think it isn't going to work for someone the way they think I will either not not offer it to them for sale or if they ask I will tell them the details. I also am upfront to my detriment at the stockyards when selling sometimes.
The stockyards sales are as is, and they are quick to point out in the ring any problems big or small or near irrelevant.
My guess is that if sold through the ring, the pair would be split and the cow pounded out anyways. She is good looking big frame cow

 

[Hpacres440p]

Yes, ethics absolutely, if I am selling something off the farm privately, I will tell everything I know about the animal/s. If I think it isn't going to work for someone the way they think I will either not not offer it to them for sale or if they ask I will tell them the details. I also am upfront to my detriment at the stockyards when selling sometimes.
The stockyards sales are as is, and they are quick to point out in the ring any problems big or small or near irrelevant.
My guess is that if sold through the ring, the pair would be split and the cow pounded out anyways. She is good looking big frame cow

So the calf would end up going through the same struggle-or worse due to new surroundings. Could you keep the pair long enough to get him to a small slaughter size-don't wean if she can hold condition. Sell her at the sale and just get him processed?

 

[sunnyblueskies]

We had a blind one a few years ago, thought we'd bring it up to 6 weeks and then butcher for veal. Left it with the cow and herd, but put a small halter on it and tied it with a long, I mean long, rope on to one of the calf sheds. So the cow could go about her normal day (that was before turning them out to pasture) and the calf still had access to her and protection from weather if it wanted. That worked pretty good and we didn't have to worry about it running into fences.......... just about at 6 weeks it fell over dead. Don't remember what from........ all I'm saying is........ your effort and time and money may not come to fruition. But since when is that news when it comes to cattle.
P.S.: I wouldn't ship a blind calf.