Dead calf

[Chtatom]

We went to the pasture as soon as we saw our 4 yr old cow about two deliver. When we got there the calf was dead. He was still warm still wet, mother cleaning him. Fairly big calf, but so is mother. No marks or obvious deformations. Any idea as to cause of death. 2 previous calf's born healthy.
Should we try to find bucket calf if so how quickly?

 

[TCRanch]

Sorry for your loss. She was probably in labor a lot longer than you thought, possibly the calf was malplaced (leg back, etc). Did you see the actual delivery? Could have been backward. Whether you "should" get a calf to graft is entirely up to you & your operation but if you do, the sooner the better.

 

[Dsth]

I use to buy a replacement calf to replace a calf that died. the last one I bought from a farmer that I had bought calves from before with no problems. except this one got the scours shortly after I bought it and had the vet treat it. that calf survived, but shortly after, I started getting other calves in the herd breaking out with scours. Vet said the new calf probably carried a roto (probably not spelled right) virus and affecting rest of the younger calves. I ended up tube feeding the rest of the calves that were born after I brought that one home. ended up losing all but one out of about ten calves. never bought a replacement calf since. If you buy one, keep cow and calf separate from the rest of the herd for 3 weeks to monitor health (advise from my vet.) Based on that experience, I would rather feed a good cow for a year and start over next year or cull a not so good cow. Good luck and be careful.

 

[T & B farms]

I use to buy a replacement calf to replace a calf that died. the last one I bought from a farmer that I had bought calves from before with no problems. except this one got the scours shortly after I bought it and had the vet treat it. that calf survived, but shortly after, I started getting other calves in the herd breaking out with scours. Vet said the new calf probably carried a roto (probably not spelled right) virus and affecting rest of the younger calves. I ended up tube feeding the rest of the calves that were born after I brought that one home. ended up losing all but one out of about ten calves. never bought a replacement calf since. If you buy one, keep cow and calf separate from the rest of the herd for 3 weeks to monitor health (advise from my vet.) Based on that experience, I would rather feed a good cow for a year and start over next year or cull a not so good cow. Good luck and be careful.

I had i similar experience. I no longer buy calves from somewhere else. I didn't loose 10, but seems like 5 or 6. And doctored a lot more

 

[TCRanch]

Yikes! I've never bought a calf to graft & based on your experience(s) I doubt I ever will. Sorry for your loss but thanks for the heads-up!

 

[76 Bar]

When we got there the calf was dead. He was still warm still wet, mother cleaning him.

Sorry you lost him. Like TCR said, likely slow birth for whatever reason. Its particularly gut wrenching when the momma is motherly & doing due diligence as opposed to blithely walking off.
DSTH and T&BF make an excellent point regarding the health dangers and often deadly repercussions of acquiring graft calves sourced off farm. Been there, done that. :frowns:

I would rather feed a good cow for a year and start over next year or cull a not so good cow. Good luck and be careful.

Agree.

 

[wbvs58]

I don't like having them around doing nothing. I have done it in the past and have always been disappointed in the next calf. I don't know what it is, maybe fat around the udder, they are often slow to breed back as well in my experience. Females are superb machines, just keep lactating and producing calves, you take out one factor and it seems to fall apart in my opinion. I just sell them now unless I have something in my own herd that needs a mother.

Ken

 

[Nesikep]

I've grafted a calf from a momma that had not much milk, so then it had 2 mommas.. In one case the real momma was so lousy that once her calf was adopted I shipped her out instead

 

[Silver]

I don't like having them around doing nothing. I have done it in the past and have always been disappointed in the next calf. I don't know what it is, maybe fat around the udder, they are often slow to breed back as well in my experience. Females are superb machines, just keep lactating and producing calves, you take out one factor and it seems to fall apart in my opinion. I just sell them now unless I have something in my own herd that needs a mother.

Ken

Totally agree. Nothing worse for a mother than not raising a calf.

 

[cowgirl8]

What could have happened is the sack may not have broken and it suffocated. Sometimes the cow gets it out and sits there a bit before she gets up. If the calf did not come out of the sack, its dead when she stands and cleans it off. When you get there, you have a perfect calf, cleaned but dead..... THe only way to prevent this is to be present at every birth.

 

[T & B farms]

I don't like having them around doing nothing. I have done it in the past and have always been disappointed in the next calf. I don't know what it is, maybe fat around the udder, they are often slow to breed back as well in my experience. Females are superb machines, just keep lactating and producing calves, you take out one factor and it seems to fall apart in my opinion. I just sell them now unless I have something in my own herd that needs a mother.

Ken

I have noticed the same thing. I have kept a few over the years that lost their calf. Thinking that they are not milking a calf, so the should breed right back and be good to go next year. Most of the times that did not happen. They were 2-3 months behind where they were the year before. Weird to me, but it's happened enough times I think there is something too it.
Now, a cow has to be pretty darn special to get another chance if she looses a calf. Once in a great while, I will give one a second chance if the calf dies no fault of her own. But if her stupidity causes it, she is burger

 

[cowgirl8]

We will keep a cow that missed a calf. We have a few and one's name is Funny Face. She has a strange face and it makes me smile when I see her. Husband OKed the keep because he said if it makes me smile its ok.. We kept Hurt Mouth, she missed her second calf. I put too much into her to just sell. I tend to keep my bottle babies if they miss a calf. Having them in the herds helps in getting them up. (not that our herds are hard to get up, but a lead cow is always helpful specially with a herd full of small babies on long drives through several gates) Now that we don't have retired show heifers in the herds, my bottle babies take their place. I don't care if they are or aren't productive... Its a luxury I can have since we don't have to have every cow producing....

 

[TCRanch]

One of my faves had twins this year during one of our brutal storms & lost both. Looked like she was cleaning off the first when she went into labor with the 2nd & that one was significantly smaller (both heifers), looked like a stillbirth. We took the first one to the workshop to warm her up but she didn't make it. I don't fault the cow & she was completely distraught for days so she stays.

 

[76 Bar]

Generally speaking I concur its prudent to cull non productive females. That said, there's some extenuating circumstances that warrant holding a female over. TCR's experience is but one example. Years ago I lost a number of calves (and pairs) to marauding pit bulls. Would have been folly to penalize otherwise outstanding cows and asinine to expect she could protect herself or her calf in the midst of an onslaught of blood thirsty predators.

 

[Silver]

Yes, the decision to cull needs to be on a cow to cow basis. Last year I was turning out pairs, got the pair out the gate and went to do something else. Looked back as the calf came running back to where it came from with it's mouth open bawling just as it hit the steel panel. End result was a broken jaw and a calf that needed to be put down. Would have been foolish to cull the cow based on that.
There are a thousand things that can happen to a calf over the course of 205 days and to blame the mother in every case makes no sense to me.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Most of the time I give the second chance. Almost always it turned out well. Usually we had dead calves from heifers, which couldn't deliver a big calf by themselves. There was only one time, when the heifer had even bigger calf next year, which wasn't delivered fast enough even with help, so have culled her once she recovered.
One time a matured cow, which has raised a number of calves had a dead calf. Not big, but dead. Bought a new calf for her, but once she saw it she went mad... Have milked the cow and fed that calf... Next year she had an alive calf, but he got a joint illness in his front knees and didn't survived for long. Have milked the cow for that year too. The next year she has delivered a nice heifer! She only had one before and we wanted another one alot! She did great raising that heifer and we have her now raising her own calf.

 

[HankB]

Lost a 3 day old calf Easter Sunday-not sure why. Last saw it at dark on Saturday night-seemed fine. Didn't see it Sunday morning, but it was still being hidden by mother. Got home around 4:00 Sunday afternoon found it laying up by the pasture gate out in open dead. Couldn't find any wounds/blood just looked like it had fallen over to side and died. Buzzards had already got to it-ate out eyes/rear end. Mother cow seemed to be doing pretty good hiding it/standing guard but then noticed on Friday she wasn't that interested in letting nurse, although her bag is so full looks like she's walking bowlegged. Fortunately we had a cow that had calved 2 weeks ago and she was letting the new one nurse from her. When found calf the mother didn't seemed that interested but the one who had allowed it to nurse seemed to be grieving (staying close/mooing). Questions: Any idea what might have killed the calf? Do I need to do something to help the mother's milk dry up? And if I'm understanding the post correctly given chance she probably won't be any more interested in mothering another calf.

Sorry for the long post. We are new to this and trying gather info from more experienced. Thanks

 

[Caustic Burno]

Is your herd vaccinated for lepto?
We had never had an issue in my area until feral hogs. The cows that didn't abort the calves routinely died at three days. When it hit my neighbor lost the majority of his calf crop.

 

[TCRanch]

Lost a 3 day old calf Easter Sunday-not sure why. Last saw it at dark on Saturday night-seemed fine. Didn't see it Sunday morning, but it was still being hidden by mother. Got home around 4:00 Sunday afternoon found it laying up by the pasture gate out in open dead. Couldn't find any wounds/blood just looked like it had fallen over to side and died. Buzzards had already got to it-ate out eyes/rear end. Mother cow seemed to be doing pretty good hiding it/standing guard but then noticed on Friday she wasn't that interested in letting nurse, although her bag is so full looks like she's walking bowlegged. Fortunately we had a cow that had calved 2 weeks ago and she was letting the new one nurse from her. When found calf the mother didn't seemed that interested but the one who had allowed it to nurse seemed to be grieving (staying close/mooing). Questions: Any idea what might have killed the calf? Do I need to do something to help the mother's milk dry up? And if I'm understanding the post correctly given chance she probably won't be any more interested in mothering another calf.

Sorry for the long post. We are new to this and trying gather info from more experienced. Thanks

Calf may not have received colostrum, a dummy calf, too cold/pneumonia, unable to nurse, naval infection or something else wrong to begin with. The list of "why" is huge & rarely answered. And no, it's the rare cow that routinely refuses to mother-up. Was yours a first calf heifer? Not uncommon. If she was older she may have sensed something wasn't right with her calf. Up to you & your operation whether you give her another chance but I've never had a repeat offender. Her milk will dry up, you don't need to do anything.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I strongly advise everyone that asks - NEVER, NEVER bring a calf from anywhere else, onto your farm if you are having calves born. Just because "the farm" it came from has healthy, well vaccinated cattle, does not mean it is safe.
All farms have their own bugs that the cows build up immunities to, which gets passed on to their calf thru colostrum. These are YOUR FARM'S BUGS. Every farm has different bugs. You bring in a healthy calf, carrying bugs that this new calf is immune to, but YOUR calves are not. DON'T DO IT!!!!