Dead calf

[CG1]

I know, Silver - but not very many of us have complete balanced minerals in our forage, like you seem to have.
And I should ad, if they are getting NOTHING, a salt block is better than nothing.

The grain we are feeding the cows according to the nutritionist has the minerals added to it. Because I feed my cows grain all year they felt we didn't need it. They also explained to me that it all depends where you are. Your quality of hay. Your pasture, etc. They felt that based on our farm conditions it wasn't necessary. I did go out and get a tub though. My cows are about a day to no more than a month away from calving.

Our cows aren't short on nutritious feed.

 

[Buck Randall]

It's hard to say from a picture, but that calf looks a little bit "soft". If they've been dead for a day or two before they're born, the tissue starts to break down and they'll seem extra floppy. That might explain the awkward position you found it in and the cloudiness of the eyes.

Given your history, I'd be suspicious that you've got some infectious disease (or more likely, several) floating around. Assembling a herd from multiple farms, having a bull that works in other herds, and not vaccinating at all is asking for trouble. Focus on nutrition as others have said, but also get on a complete vaccination program. Have your vet write up a protocol and stick with it.The time between calving and rebreeding is a great time to start.

 

[Katpau]

The first grass in Spring is mostly water and it is normal for their manure to be really runny. That is 100% normal this time of year. I know you said they had hay too, but if the grass is good, I doubt they're eating the hay. It can be a good idea to offer hay when the grass is really washy (High in moisture content), but they may not eat it.

You said the calves eyes were grey and clouded over. That would indicate to me that the calf had been dead awhile. I would guess it died in the womb and that was what prompted her to go into labor. That could be for many reasons and without a necropsy you won't know why. Even if you did one, in most cases the results won't tell you what caused it. I think that sometimes the umbilical cord twists or is pulled lose and they suffocate inside the cow. The calf starts turning into position in the last few days before birth, so it seems likely that on rare occasions they turn in a way that damages the cord.

You said you were right there and the calf appeared to land head first, so I doubt it came backwards or breach. Even when alive they often land in what looks like impossible positions. Don't assume they're dead because they land with their head flipped under, Usually the cow will begin vigorously licking them and that flips them into a better position and hopefully removes the sack if it is still across their face. It is not uncommon for a calf to lie so still that he appears dead for a few moments after birth. The eye blinking may be the first clue. The cow licking stimulates them and they will usually respond and begin the process of rising to their feet. Some come out of the cow trying to rise, but most flop to the ground not much different then you described.

 

[Katpau]

By the way, when I said they may appear dead for a few moments after birth, I meant seconds not minutes. 15 seconds seems like an eternity when you are watching from a distance. If they are not showing some signs of progress shortly after arrival, get in their and stimulate them by rubbing them. The cow will usually do that, but heifers can be confused and kind of scared by what just happened, and you might want to position the calf on its chest and rub it with your hands or a towel to get it going.

 

[CG1]

By the way, when I said they may appear dead for a few moments after birth, I meant seconds not minutes. 15 seconds seems like an eternity when you are watching from a distance. If they are not showing some signs of progress shortly after arrival, get in their and stimulate them by rubbing them. The cow will usually do that, but heifers can be confused and kind of scared by what just happened, and you might want to position the calf on its chest and rub it with your hands or a towel to get it going.

Thank you so much for all of your advice, really appreciate it. I do think there was something wrong with the calf. I do disagree with the above post that it is infectious disease though. Although my cows are from different farms, they all arrived as 3 day old calves, 3 years ago and are very healthy. My bull does visit neighbours but next door neighbours with cows of a similar story. All my neighbours have got healthy calves. My money is on either prolonged birth, issue with the calf and just **** luck, or a mineral issue. I have spoken to the vet about a vaccine schedule and he will be helping us with it.

My cow actually started passing the afterbirth yesterday. Exactly 7 days later. I called the vet and he said it was normal. Can take 7-14 days but to watch her for any signs of illness.

Our bull is all over her again tho. Trying to get at her. Should I let that happen? I'm not trying to get rid of her I'd like to give her another chance but is it too soon?

Also, sorry to ramble. My cow is a Holstein x black angus. I got her off a veal truck because im a sucker. Raised her up. I've heard that dairy farmers breed their Holsteins to angus when they don't want the calves for either convenience or because the dam has bad breeding genes. Is this true?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Dairymen will breed their heifers to Angus for "calving ease" and/or will breed their lower production/quality cows to a beef bull and their top quality cows to top quality Holstein.
A herd next door or a county away can be absolutely healthy. Your herd can be healthy. But, every herd has "bugs' that the cows are immune to, and they pass that immunity to their offspring through colostrum. Then the calf grows up with immunities to the same bugs as the herd. Every herd is different. So, you take 1 animal from one herd & put it in with another herd, and you have introduced bugs that your calves are NOT immune to. Not saying that has anything to do with this particular calf. Just trying to explain why people say letting a bull breed your cows and another herd can be a problem.
Also, cows can get exposed to diseases that affect the fetus. Lepto is a very common abortion disease. Dogs, deer, cattle, most wildlife carries it and if a cow is exposed while pregnant, she can abort or deliver a DOA calf. You need to vaccinate twice a year to protect cattle.

 

[Katpau]

With today's Dairy market it is not uncommon to breed many of the cows to a beef breed, just because the calves are worth much more than a straight dairy calf. Some breed just their top cows to Dairy using sexed semen and the rest to beef. It's possible she was bred beef because of genetic issues, but there is no way to know.

A cow usually won't come back into heat for at least a few weeks after calving and is likely to be infertile on the first heat and even longer when there were calving issues. It seems odd she is in heat only days after calving. I don't remember ever seeing that, but maybe the bull is just confused by the hormones from calving.

I just looked back at those pictures and I agree, that something just wasn't right with its head. I really believe it died before she went into labor. if you want to give her another chance, go ahead. The odds are in your favor. I'd give her and the others a shot of multimin and keep a good mineral out. I don't feed anything extra when the grass is good and plentiful. Cows really don't need grain in most situations. Some cattle feed is designed to be fed for short duration to cattle with the intention they are to be harvested in 90 days. Those feeds can actually be bad for an animal when fed as a main food source over a longer period of time. If you have not already done so, discuss with your vet or someone knowledgeable in cattle nutrition about what type and how much feed the cattle have been eating.

 

[CG1]

With today's Dairy market it is not uncommon to breed many of the cows to a beef breed, just because the calves are worth much more than a straight dairy calf. Some breed just their top cows to Dairy using sexed semen and the rest to beef. It's possible she was bred beef because of genetic issues, but there is no way to know.

A cow usually won't come back into heat for at least a few weeks after calving and is likely to be infertile on the first heat and even longer when there were calving issues. It seems odd she is in heat only days after calving. I don't remember ever seeing that, but maybe the bull is just confused by the hormones from calving.

I just looked back at those pictures and I agree, that something just wasn't right with its head. I really believe it died before she went into labor. if you want to give her another chance, go ahead. The odds are in your favor. I'd give her and the others a shot of multimin and keep a good mineral out. I don't feed anything extra when the grass is good and plentiful. Cows really don't need grain in most situations. Some cattle feed is designed to be fed for short duration to cattle with the intention they are to be harvested in 90 days. Those feeds can actually be bad for an animal when fed as a main food source over a longer period of time. If you have not already done so, discuss with your vet or someone knowledgeable in cattle nutrition about what type and how much feed the cattle have been eating.

I should have my feed in order now. Ive added the mineral program and hopefully this should do the trick. But you're right i believe the calf was dead on arrival as well. Thing is thinking back that cow was acting weird for months. A good 3 months every day i said, god she looks like shes about to calf. She is also one of my 6 cows that all got pregnant at the same time. And i know it could of just been a timing thing but none of my other cows have calved yet. I also believe that calf was a bit early. Its feet were weird. So light in colour in some places it was like they were almost clear.

 

[greybeard]

"Its feet were weird. So light in colour in some places it was like they were almost clear"
That part of it's not all that unusual.

 

[CG1]

"Its feet were weird. So light in colour in some places it was like they were almost clear"
That part of it's not all that unusual.

That's normal in a calf?

I never get up to the calves this early. I always let my girls calf in the field and come out a few hours after. By that time they are up and running around. So I dont know whats "normal" when they are fresh like this.

 

[Katpau]

When a calf is still in the womb, each of its toes is capped by a jelly like substance. I believe it protects the cow from damage during delivery. Perhaps that is what you are describing. When the calf is born and rises to his feet, those jellies begin to break away and a normal hoof appears. When we find a newborn dead calf, we can often tell whether or not it ever got up, or at least tried to, by looking at the feet to see if the soft covering is missing or damaged.