dead calf... momma breaking my heart....

[TXMike]

I had my first calf of the year today. I checked on em earlier this week and they all looked like they had a little while longer to go but we're getting close to calving. I went back there today and one cow stayed in a little oak tree patch so I figured she had calved. I fed the rest of em and walked back there and fed her and started looking around to see if the calf was around anywhere and found him dead. He was perfectly cleaned but he was pretty stiff so he'd been dead for a little while. This is my first dead calf so I guess maybe I'm just taking it a little to personal but the momma wouldn't leave the calf and she was following me when I loaded him up and then went back to where the calf was.... her teats look pretty strutted so I'm wondering if i should milk her to relieve some of the pressure or if it will bleed off on its own.

Do you see anything that looks obvious as to why he died? His hooves looked kinda funny to me and his back legs and hooves were all folded back. They almost look not fully formed. Thanks.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Losing one always hurts.

Sorry Mike.

 

[Alan]

Yup, just lost my first one of the season a couple days ago, it certainly takes the wind out of our sails. Momma was looking for her calf and mowing through last night, today she seems back to normal. Hard to say from the pics, it does happen. Sorry for your loss.

Alan

 

[Williamsv]

So sorry to read that you lost that pretty little calf. It is always sad. I lost triplets last week. The mama grieved for several days.

 

[Alan]

So sorry to read that you lost that pretty little calf. It is always sad. I lost triplets last week. The mama grieved for several days.

Just wanted to say I saw you lost your triplets, sorry for your loss. I was wore out last week and did not get back to respond, and yes, losing a calf is hard on cow and herds keeper.

 

[Farmgirl]

We lost one last year. When they grieve it is terrible. I would have someone look at that calf. His legs don't look right. Do you have a vet you could take it to?

Good luck,
Farmgirl

 

[A.J.]

Sorry for your loss. It's hard to tell from pictures what might have happened. As others have said, it might bad worth having a vet look at it since the legs look like that. It's always sad to see a cow trying to get her dead calf up and talking to it. I've found them before where they've pushed them a good ways trying to get them up. She should dry up on her own after several days. Hoping your next calves come through without any issues.

 

[Ferd]

I lost one last fall. I wish I had been there when it was born. When I got there she led me to the calf and smelled it. She looked at me and mooed, as if to say, "Please fix her for me." Wish I could have.

 

[Nesikep]

Anyone who's been around cows for any time will have lost some.. Lost more than I care to admit over the years, but I've had a pretty good streak of good luck (with some close calls of course).

If the cow is tame enough, milk the colostrum and freeze it for an emergency down the road.. if she behaves well enough, milk her and make yogurt, cheese, custard, and with any luck you might find an orphaned calf to give her to adopt!

 

[branguscowgirl]

It is heart breaking.
Looks to me like the right rear leg is deformed. One deformity seen, could mean there were some others that you can't see. Deformities can be from genetics, disease, nutrition, or just a fluke. I would have a vet take a look.
Nothing screams premature to me by the photos.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[TXMike]

Well I talked to a buddy of mine thats messed with cattle his whole life and he said he'd take a look at it. He said that the hooves weren't fully developed. They were really soft. He said they should have hardened up by now. They kind of reminded me of crab meat, when he pulled on em and the hooves came apart. And he either had tight tendons or his legs weren't right.

 

[branguscowgirl]

What is the deal with the rear leg? Broken? Deformed? Or just the picture and how it is laying?

 

[TXMike]

Probably deformed. He was pretty stiff so he said he wasn't sure if the momma had pushed him trying to get him up and his leg just got stuck like that or if it was deformed.

 

[kucala5]

Sorry for the loss. Nothing more forlorn than a mama and her dead calf. My first one I found a couple years ago. She was standing over the dead calf with the buzzards eating it. Mama stayed with that baby 2 days. She's got a fine baby on her right now though.

 

[TXMike]

I hope it's not genetic. This is her second calf and her first was the best one I had. This one would have been better his markings were picture perfect.

I'm kicking myself in the button right now because I got some good heavy fertilized hay this year so I only threw out a couple bags of mineral in the feeder whereas last year I kept the onyx mineral in it all winter.

I am seriously thinking about trying to graft another bottle calf on her. I found a guy not far that has a week old beef master calf that lost its momma he's selling for 400 obo. Would it be worth it?

 

[branguscowgirl]

You could put a calf on her. Just make sure that it had been given colostrum, so it doesn't get sick on you.

 

[wacocowboy]

I would try to put a calf on her no point in letting good milk go to waste. If you pay $400 for the beefmaster calf and you raise it up and get $1500 there is money to be made.

 

[TXMike]

I've never grated a calf onto a cow. She's pretty tame but she wouldn't let me milk her. I have some small holding pens and a squeeze chute. I tossed the calf off in the woods so I'd be suprised if he was still there to get some skin off him to put on the new calf.

My plan if i got the beef master was to put her in the squeeze chute and milk her a little on the nose of the calf and see if I could get him to nurse and then tie some hobbles on her legs and put them in the holding pen together till she accepts him. I've read there's some powders to rub on the calf to help her accept him.

 

[branguscowgirl]

What's holding you up!? Sounds like you have it figured out.

 

[TXMike]

Is this a good plan? Have any of yall triwd the powders? I read some people say use the moms urine, poop, vicks vapor rub, salt, soda, etc...

I called the guy with the calf but didn't get an answer. I'll try again tomorrow the sooner I get it the better.

The guys at work all jack with me because I'm the Internet cowboy.... I have read how to do all of it just haven't actually done it....