One of my cows had her calf the other day and just walked away from it. I mean she just dropped it on the ground and went back to eating at the hay feeder. I watched and waited for 30 minutes to see if she was going to return to it but instead she walked farther away and laid down and took a nap. In the meantime, I picked up the calf and took it to the barn, washed it off and got its colostrum into it. The cow has never returned to the spot to see if there is a calf there and has never cried out like the others when they are away from their calves. I tried to do some research on this topic but can't seem to find any reason for her to just drop it and walk away. I took her to the vet and he checked her over and said that "yes" she had a calf and was fine. I am thinking that this is not the kind of cow I need to keep around. Plus, this is not her first, it is her third calf and she knew what to do every other time. The little heifer calf is doing well in the barn and getting all the attention she can handle from my wife. I still have 29 calves due and am not thinking that this could happen again. The first 10 cows had their calves just fine, with no issues.
I am just looking for some idea as to what I can expect. Nothing like this happened last year. Do I keep her or send her down the road?
I am just looking for some idea as to what I can expect. Nothing like this happened last year. Do I keep her or send her down the road?