Dang cow

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Down in Dixie said:
View attachment 9148Here is her udder do y'all think it's been milked lately?
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i would say the front looks like it is not as full as the rear but she also could be starting to dry up if the calf is not sucking. generally once the calf sucks for a couple of days. the cow will start dripping milk from being too full if it is no longer sucking. did you notice that by chance? calves are like little ninjas and can hide in places that you think are impossible to hide. hope it pops up soon.
 
Don't know when the pictures were taken but the calf looks to be a bit scouring..
 
My heifers are having their first calves and I have one that hides herself and her calf. I check every few days to make sure they are still there, although she moves around. My heart sinks when I see buzzards. I have also spooked them through a barbed-wire fence, so I try to let her be.
 
Do you have time to just go and sit in that area she is balling to? Or at least somewhere close?
What's beyond that area where she thinks it is? Calves easily 'fall' through a regular barbed wire fence.
 
You know your cows - trust your gut. Which, I suspect is why you posted in the first place; something doesn't feel right. I agree the front teats look smaller, but that doesn't necessarily mean the calf has nursed. Or it possibly has, but something else is wrong. I've had calves that have been stepped on, foot rot, pneumonia, scours & navel ill that are still nursing, but mama's keeping them away from the herd/hidden.

Yup, try camping out & watch her - from a distance. Cattle are prey animals. So, even if they're practically pets, their instinct is to protect themselves/their calves. I'd be careful trying to flush out a calf with a dog unless it's a trained stock/cattle dog, but something to consider. And, at this point, I wouldn't worry about spooking a calf. At least you would have found it & can always get it back.

Best of luck!!
 
Down in Dixie said:
She keeps going to the same area and calling. I just walked the whole area and no sign anywhere.
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Unfortunately i had 2 cows do that this year. go to an area and bawl. One i found dead in the tall grass.(waited 2 hours in the evening to find it) The second, never found a thing. (3 days, searched a couple hours each day)
 
The pic was within 24 hrs of birth. I've been trying to get hay up so can't spend to much time sitting and watching. The cow still beds down with the herd. She isn't one of my pet cows and won't let me touch her. I may try and get her in the chute tomorrow when I get my last steer sorted off and see if her udder is slippery like you said Murray. Haven't seen any buzzards or coyotes either. We did just get a few days of rain during the time I figured it was just hiding. It was born Tuesday afternoon and last saw it Wednesday afternoon when I took the picture. Started looking for it Saturday with no luck. I've been around the house all week so I figured if it was here I would of seen it by now. Guess I'm going to have to call this one another loss. Lost one calf earlier this year that got sick during a bad cold front and momma wouldn't let me get it into the barn to dry off. Had a cripple calf two months ago that I got to where I think he will be ok to butcher next year. Then this calf. Two dead calves and a cripple calf are devastating on a small herd. Guess I'm 9.5 of 12 calves this year. Lol
 
Down in Dixie said:
The pic was within 24 hrs of birth. I've been trying to get hay up so can't spend to much time sitting and watching. The cow still beds down with the herd. She isn't one of my pet cows and won't let me touch her. I may try and get her in the chute tomorrow when I get my last steer sorted off and see if her udder is slippery like you said Murray. Haven't seen any buzzards or coyotes either. We did just get a few days of rain during the time I figured it was just hiding. It was born Tuesday afternoon and last saw it Wednesday afternoon when I took the picture. Started looking for it Saturday with no luck. I've been around the house all week so I figured if it was here I would of seen it by now. Guess I'm going to have to call this one another loss. Lost one calf earlier this year that got sick during a bad cold front and momma wouldn't let me get it into the barn to dry off. Had a cripple calf two months ago that I got to where I think he will be ok to butcher next year. Then this calf. Two dead calves and a cripple calf are devastating on a small herd. Guess I'm 9.5 of 12 calves this year. Lol
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I wouldn't bother putting the cow into a squeeze. She either still has the calf or she doesn't. It's the calf where I would put all my efforts in.
 
sunnyblueskies said:
I wouldn't bother putting the cow into a squeeze. She either still has the calf or she doesn't. It's the calf where I would put all my efforts in.
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I'm about positive the calf is gone at this point. Still looking but not much hope at this point. I would like to at least know what happened to it. Now the decision is what to do with the cow. Keep her and breed to my new bull and see what I get or sell her.
 
I worked 36 of my fall calves yesterday. Problem was, I was suppose to have 37. I have no idea what happened to the other one but at least I already to know who the mom is. She's old so there is no question of what to do with her.
 
Down in Dixie said:
I'm about positive the calf is gone at this point. Still looking but not much hope at this point. I would like to at least know what happened to it. Now the decision is what to do with the cow. Keep her and breed to my new bull and see what I get or sell her.
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Yeah it's frustrating when a calf disappears and you have no clue what happened. If the cow was part of the problem, if it was just a fluke accident and someone stepped on it. Been there done that......... it sucks.
As to what to do with the cow. Oh man, you can get a hundred different answers to that question. It all depends how much you look at the nickel and dimes. Some will ship the cow regardless, because she has to make up the income for a lost calf. If there would be something wrong with her, like shot milkbag, old age or difficult birth I probably would agree. But if that's not the case.......my personal take is to mark it down as strike one. If she has a strike 2 next year she goes to market, but that takes a full year of feeding that cow. So as I've said. That's such a personal question. It's whatever YOU think is right for YOU.
 
Since we have 2 calving groups, she would go with the next group, hopefully get bred right back, and she would still not produce a calf that year but would not be 2 years in before a saleable calf. But, that is if she was either a young good conditioned cow, or had raised a real good calf the year before... if she is old(er), bad udder, bad feet, mediocre calf the year before... she would go. Especially when cull cows are in the 60-80's and feed/ grain/corn is continuing to go up in price.
 
farmerjan said:
Since we have 2 calving groups, she would go with the next group, hopefully get bred right back, and she would still not produce a calf that year but would not be 2 years in before a saleable calf. But, that is if she was either a young good conditioned cow, or had raised a real good calf the year before... if she is old(er), bad udder, bad feet, mediocre calf the year before... she would go. Especially when cull cows are in the 60-80's and feed/ grain/corn is continuing to go up in price.
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I guess cull cows took a hit today.
Top price was a touch over .50 here. Same story Thursday.
There was a COUPLE cows that did better. But 60s was it!

Yep. I got us sidetracked. I sincerely hope that lil calf shows up. Or at the very least, find out what happened
 
No sign of a calf and cow looks like she is moving on. She may get another chance if she takes up quick. She was three months late on this calf. All my other cows gave me a calf around 11 months from the last calf. She was the only one that was late. Time will tell and I will be watching her hard.
 
Down in Dixie said:
No sign of a calf and cow looks like she is moving on. She may get another chance if she takes up quick. She was three months late on this calf. All my other cows gave me a calf around 11 months from the last calf. She was the only one that was late. Time will tell and I will be watching her hard.
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The thread below this is one I started last year.
Titled,
Here we go again....

Food for thought. Mine had her second calf yesterday. She lost her first. It's all in that thread...

Mine had her first calf ok, but the sac didnt break correctly, and the calf suffocated. She was a first calf heifer and didnt get up and get it done correctly I guess. I could see where she had licked the calfs rear end but that didnt help evidently
 
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