cow and new calves

[f4leggin]

My cows have started calving - and once again, it just doesn't sound like I'm doing this right. My cows are on about 60-80 acres with lots of trees and brush. I check the cows twice a day, when I can't locate one in the herd, I search the property until I find her. If she has a calf, I get close enough to see if it's alive, and then back off - the first time I find them. I check on them again daily until the cow comes back into the herd with her calf. Twice in the past two days I have come upon a calf hidden in the trees and spooked it. I swear the calves are spookier this year. One, I inadvertently chased out of the pasture and had to get help getting her back to her Mom, the other I spooked yesterday - I'm hoping she reunited with her Mom - but did not see them together today - which is not that uncommon in my experience in the first few days.
Spooking hidden calves is obviously a problem. Cows that hide in trees (where I can't find them) is another problem. Coming upon a cow that has calved w/o a calf and not knowing if the calf is hidden, dead, lost is another problem. One obvious solution is to partion off a small part of the pasture for calving and put the whole herd in there (it's only 18 cattle). Is that the best solution? I get mixed advice. I worry that my cows won't feel comfortable calving in a smaller area if they can't go hide in the trees to calf. But, I am so so unhappy not having better control of the situation and last year (my first year) I lost 2 out of 8 calves which seems like a high percentage.
Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Jill

 

[BTRANCH]

I know where you are coming from. We have 25 acres fenced into 4 pastures. The back pasture has thick groves of trees in it. We let our first cow calve back there thinking she knew more about what she needed that we did. Less than a week later, wild dogs or coyotes got her calf. I was so mad, sad, I did not know what to do. We now calve in the front pasture only. We use our middle pasture to fence line wean and then put the re-bred mommas in the "way back". Have not lost anymore calves since.

At the very least, if there was ever a problem, we could get a truck/trailer in, whereas in the back, we are SOL. Also, the front pasture is near the corral so we pen them up for the first couple of days to make sure everyone is ok and the calf is nursing, then we let out.

Good Luck and I hope this helps you.

 

[msscamp]

I check the cows twice a day, when I can't locate one in the herd, I search the property until I find her. If she has a calf, I get close enough to see if it's alive, and then back off - the first time I find them. I check on them again daily until the cow comes back into the herd with her calf.

I would make sure the calf sucked following birth, but then I would be a little more inclined to monitor the calf through the cow - if she is being nursed, I wouldn't worry about the calf. I would also be very careful in seeking out newborn calves, since they have a tendency to run blindly - through fences, or anything else in their way - when startled, and that is a very hard thing to control, correct, or fix.

...the other I spooked yesterday - I'm hoping she reunited with her Mom - but did not see them together today - which is not that uncommon in my experience in the first few days.

Under the circumstances you have mentioned, I would be very concerned - it is not unusual for newborn calves to run until they drop, and not be able to reunite with Mom once spooked.

Cows that hide in trees (where I can't find them) is another problem. Coming upon a cow that has calved w/o a calf and not knowing if the calf is hidden, dead, lost is another problem.

Check Mom's udder - once a calf has nursed there will be a different look to at least one, possibly two tits. They will look less shiny than the rest of the tits, and they will also be less full.

One obvious solution is to partion off a small part of the pasture for calving and put the whole herd in there (it's only 18 cattle). Is that the best solution? I get mixed advice. I worry that my cows won't feel comfortable calving in a smaller area if they can't go hide in the trees to calf. But, I am so so unhappy not having better control of the situation and last year (my first year) I lost 2 out of 8 calves which seems like a high percentage.
Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Jill

One option would be to pen the cows that are close to calving - that way you will be able to monitor them without having to worry about spooking the calves so they go through fences. Granted, it's not the best option, but it is viable. You will probably always have 2 or 3 in the pen, they won't be alone, and they will be alright. Calving is a situation that you will only have partial control over, at best. If you work off farm, you won't even have that. All you can do is your best, and trust in God for the rest.

 

[hrbelgians]

Been there, done that, I know how you feel.
Msscamp put it right, you will never have total control, however one way I experienced to get more control even with a day job is. Use different genetics, there is a difference. Since I have started using MG's, and culled a few of the wild culprit's, my herd has made a complete turnaround concerning this particular problem! They are totally comfortable with people and I think the calves feel this from their mothers the minute they are born.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[dun]

No matter what you dooo, how calm the cows are or easy going the bull is, the first few days of a calves life they are strictly tuned to survival. The only 2 tools they have for that is hide and don;t move or if found run away from the threat. After a couple of dfays or so they will setle down and become more curious then spooky. We've had day old calves laying next to the cow jump up and run when we walk up on them. Cow could care less that you're there, but the run away for survival reflex is strong in a young calf.
Each year we calf in a different pasture. Some cows and the heifers we'll rotate through a smaller pasture that has tight fences, the others calf in one of the smaller 5-10 acre pastures that has very little hiding places. After a couple of days they get shuffled out to a larger pasture with the other calves and the yearling heifers. The cows are used to us wandering through them at least once a day to check for new arrivals and the calves get used to it. This year we had a calf that when you walked up on him he would jump up and charge, launched himself at the wife and knocker her on her butt. This was a day old calf. The cow is one of the most laid back easy going cows we have. She just lays there, could probably saddle her if I wanted to. Some years every calf is a hider and will scoot under the fence and hide in the woods or in a ditch under a downed tree or any place it can find that deels secure. Other years they just lay out in the middle and could care less. In all the years I've never figured out what any given calf will do in any given situation. The reason we like a more open pasture for calving is so we can observe from a long enough distance that the calf doesn;t spook. At times I'll just sit on the ridge and check with binocs.

 

[randiliana]

We calve in about a 2 acre pen, we don't have to, and we wouldn't run into problems with finding pairs if we didn't. But, we like the control, and the much easier ability to get them into the corral and barn if there IS a problem, or if it is cold out.

With 140 cows, we sort every week or so, and as long as the cows are in it long enough to get used to it most won't have a problem calving there. The other 0.1% crawl the fence and go calve out in the big pasture (80 acres). At any given moment, we will have up to 80 cows in the calving area. As they calve we move them out to a different pasture, and then again once the calves are about a week to 10 days old.

 

[f4leggin]

Thanks for all the advice. After reading my next question was going to be - how big should the pen be.. But 80 cows in a 2 acre pen - I guess that answers it - 2 acres for 14 cows should be plenty big. And, I hadn't considered that this years extreemly spooky calfs could be that I used a different bull than the year before. And, I didn't know (having had calm calves last year) they were so sensitive and spooky the first few days. Now, I do. And will be much more careful about approaching a hidden calf. The one that took off for the hills was sleeping close to my driveway - I saw it in the bushes, and wanted to see if it was dead or alive - got too close. Thanks again for all your help - Jill

 

[randiliana]

I should have mentioned also, that our 'newborn' pasture (which is also about 2 acres) is surrounded by sheep wire. Now, I am not suggesting that you have to go out and fence off a pasture with sheep wire (or any other woven wire), but it is nice having that, as I know that if we do spook a calf that it cannot go too far. It is also nice, cause we don't have calves bedded down outside the area where they are supposed to be. Been there, done that, and it is a pain. Mama is looking for her calf, you look for it, but can't find it and when you finally do find it, it is 200-300 or more yards away from the pasture it is supposed to be in. Coyote bait, those ones.

 

[greenwillowhereford II]

While I defer to the expertise and years of experience that Dun and some of the others bring to the table, I still say that the attitude of the cow and bull; especially the cow, has a great impact on the calf. I weigh all the calves within 24 hours of birth if possible. There is in my experience a direct relation to the cow's disposition and that of the calf. For instance, my youngest son's show heifer was out of my tamest cow, was very mellow to begin with and became more so with the handling associated with showing. Her calf is the tamest of all, perhaps of any we've ever had. But there's only been one calf that I've ever been unable to get close enough to pick up and weigh, and I waited longer than normal to attempt it. That one did run through a fence and I had to work him back in very carefully.

Our pastures are not large, and while they have a few shade trees, there is nothing to make it difficult to find and check on calves as a rule. I prefer to keep first calvers in the small pasture behind the house but I don't always. I do try to check daily, and if it looks very close, more than that.

I would definitely recommend penning them up close in your case.

 

[Susie David]

We are a small operation so we have the good fortune to have the winter cows calve in the barn and handle the calves for the first week of life. Once the weather is better we have them drop their calves in a two acre pen with loafing sheds and plenty of fresh straw. Still have them calve under shelter then move the calf out under a pine tree.
I find that the handled calves remain more easily worked and less spooky all their lives and the pen born animlas are a chore to handle, no matter how dostile the parents are.
And that's my two bits worth...asked for or not. DMc