Dead twins

[Dave]

Looked at a cow late yesterday that looked to be calving soon. Sometime after 8:00 this morning she had a set of dead twins. That little whimpy calf that never had any energy died Tuesday. The very first calf here this year I think had the sack over its head. Dead. 8 cows have calved so far. I have 5 life calves. How am I doing so far? And the cow who went down right out of the chute..... I gave her 17 days and she never would stand. I put an end to that story. The coyotes here are wintering very well this year.

 

[farmerjan]

We had 2 calve about 2 weeks ago... both had dead calves, 2 days apart... Not great way to start either... but we had 3 live calves on cows since then... and a heifer just had a live calf... So far ALL have been bull calves... 3 different sires... cows from 3 different summer pastures...
Our "spring calving season" officially starts in 2 weeks... these were out of sync... 3 cows held over.. 1 bought cow... and the heifer must've been short bred from the easy calving bull they got moved in with the bull with some bred cows, for a couple weeks as we got some other cattle moved out... and then we put her with the group of heifers to get bred.. That's fine, she has a nice bull calf and is mothering it good... but a bit of an early surprise...Let's hope we got most of the problems ironed out early.

 

[gcreekrch]

Looked at a cow late yesterday that looked to be calving soon. Sometime after 8:00 this morning she had a set of dead twins. That little whimpy calf that never had any energy died Tuesday. The very first calf here this year I think had the sack over its head. Dead. 8 cows have calved so far. I have 5 life calves. How am I doing so far? And the cow who went down right out of the chute..... I gave her 17 days and she never would stand. I put an end to that story. The coyotes here are wintering very well this year.

No matter how hard you try, you can't kill them all.

 

[coachg]

Never a good feeling and with these prices it really hurts .

 

[Dave]

I had called B to tell him about the twins. I said the coyotes were getting fed well. He said his coyotes preferred fresh meat. Said there is plenty of things in the bone yard but this morning he had 7 coyotes in the first feed row he pulled into. We could really stand to get the helicopter and gunner to fly this area.

 

[Travlr]

I had called B to tell him about the twins. I said the coyotes were getting fed well. He said his coyotes preferred fresh meat. Said there is plenty of things in the bone yard but this morning he had 7 coyotes in the first feed row he pulled into. We could really stand to get the helicopter and gunner to fly this area.

How is that guy with the belties doing? Between the fire and winter, and him not living anywhere close, I bet he's ready to bale out.
If the cattle are still there, are they calving?

 

[Dave]

How is that guy with the belties doing? Between the fire and winter, and him not living anywhere close, I bet he's ready to bale out.
If the cattle are still there, are they calving?

They are Galloways but not the belted variety. Solid black. Sometime in mid December he finally moved them off the irrigated ground. Put them on some bare ground. He puts several days worth of hay into round bale rings and comes back several days later to do it again. The fire missed him. It went by just to the south of his little bit of range land (120 ac). He never did use that ground last year. Just 24/7 on that 35 acres +/- for 11 months. He did get a Galloway bull last spring but I don't remember when he put him in with the cows. He has to take the freeway to get here. There has been a few occasions when it got closed down but not for more than 10-12 hours at a time. The only other route would be over twice as long and not real friendly this time of the year.

 

[moses388]

Hasn't been all roses for me either. I've had a couple saves, but there have been just as many losses. Heifer calved unassisted in the fall. She looked skinny so I went looking for the calf. It was dead. This winter I bred her back to Bieber Deep End B597 RAA#1694338.
I'm new to calf jackets. Guidelines or tips? I received a couple calf jackets from a retired dairy. I put the jacket on after the newborn calf has been licked off. I leave it on for 1-week and take it off. When a new calf is wearing the jacket, it may take time, but a cow does figure out their calf isn't the one with the jacket anymore. I have been washing the jackets by hand in a Tek-Trol solution. The rear straps drag and the calf can catch them while trying to walk.

 

[kenny thomas]

Found a dead one today with the sack over its head. Another cow to market.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Not much more gut wrenching than finding one with a sac covering it's face. I know that feeling. Or finding a heifer down and plumb worn out with a dead calf halfway out.

 

[Dave]

This one was born the day before which was the coldest day this winter. When I first saw him that morning the cow was laying down and he was butting her on the side. Get up mom I want some of that warm milk. This morning when I went out to feed the cows had all been laying down. The cows came to the hay. He was bawling up a storm. Where you at mom I want my breakfast

 

[sunnyblueskies]

I'm not a fan of twins to begin with. But an even more maddening situation happened to us a few days ago. Discovered one of the heifers open, older cow fought with her for most of the day, jumped on her and all that, oh and let the heifer suck (2 year old heifer sucking???) . At the end of the day that older cow aborted a set of twins which were clearly not ready to be out of the oven. So so maddening.

 

[coachg]

Lost a 300 lb heifer calf , found her all droopy and feeling bad . A round of antibiotics and B complex vitamins. Then couldn't catch her to give her a bottle of electrolytes. . Vet thinks she must have eat some poisonous plant/ weed or mom did and passed it through her milk ? Bad enough to lose new borns but this size hurts !

 

[Spot & Bubby]

In 60 days or less, from 354 cows, we've had:

• abandoned bull calf from 9 yo. cow
• hours old heifer twin attacked by dog(s), tail chewed off, massive infection, euthanized
• attacked heifer's heifer twin head turned back and over in birth canal. Three hours and a vet outcall to pull: DOA
• heifer dead: dam Stole calf from another cow
• at least 3 cows raising calves they didn't birth
• bull dead
• bred heifer calved bull 5 hours before Thunderstorm with SUSTAINED 70 mph winds: lost calf in storm, stole calf from another cow, matched with her calf and rejected him, now co-parenting stolen calf with bio mom
• my. First personal first-calf heifer calved twin bulls unassisted. Second born, larger calf died at 10 days old. Cause: unknown
• heifer calf found with neurological issues. Day one could barely stand, turned circles while standing. Continues circling behavior, but improved. With her mom at the nursery.
• Prolapse com with calf at nursery. Dam's hair falling out.
• day old bull calf run over in pasture
• bull calf born with one ear
• Jersey x Holestein nurse cow: mastitis
• cow not making milk; calf taken to nursery with frostbit ears and snout (including tongue. barely able to latch nurse cows could not latch bottle)
• dwarf calf
• multiple calves with abnormal legs, two severe
• 12mo. old Mushrush bull arrived injured
• bull calf 2 weeks old or more swollen lumps on face, limp cough = 9 abscesses on face, massive abscess on foot at hairline, and pneumonia onset
• Mastitis x3
• Two I3 mo heifers calved from unintended exposure to bun calf born early in their set. (all healthy, though)
• AND (my favorite...) first calf of one of the sets = dam and calf were seen within an hour of calving, one time.. Neither have been seen again. No fence damage hot wire was hot, no tracks of anything coming in or going out

... So far... Our 60 day calving window closed yesterday. There are some stragglers.

Seems like a lot of us are having challenges.

 

[coachg]

In 60 days or less, from 354 cows, we've had:

• abandoned bull calf from 9 yo. cow
• hours old heifer twin attacked by dog(s), tail chewed off, massive infection, euthanized
• attacked heifer's heifer twin head turned back and over in birth canal. Three hours and a vet outcall to pull: DOA
• heifer dead: dam Stole calf from another cow
• at least 3 cows raising calves they didn't birth
• bull dead
• bred heifer calved bull 5 hours before Thunderstorm with SUSTAINED 70 mph winds: lost calf in storm, stole calf from another cow, matched with her calf and rejected him, now co-parenting stolen calf with bio mom
• my. First personal first-calf heifer calved twin bulls unassisted. Second born, larger calf died at 10 days old. Cause: unknown
• heifer calf found with neurological issues. Day one could barely stand, turned circles while standing. Continues circling behavior, but improved. With her mom at the nursery.
• Prolapse com with calf at nursery. Dam's hair falling out.
• day old bull calf run over in pasture
• bull calf born with one ear
• Jersey x Holestein nurse cow: mastitis
• cow not making milk; calf taken to nursery with frostbit ears and snout (including tongue. barely able to latch nurse cows could not latch bottle)
• dwarf calf
• multiple calves with abnormal legs, two severe
• 12mo. old Mushrush bull arrived injured
• bull calf 2 weeks old or more swollen lumps on face, limp cough = 9 abscesses on face, massive abscess on foot at hairline, and pneumonia onset
• Mastitis x3
• Two I3 mo heifers calved from unintended exposure to bun calf born early in their set. (all healthy, though)
• AND (my favorite...) first calf of one of the sets = dam and calf were seen within an hour of calving, one time.. Neither have been seen again. No fence damage hot wire was hot, no tracks of anything coming in or going out

... So far... Our 60 day calving window closed yesterday. There are some stragglers.

Seems like a lot of us are having challenges.

Dang !

 

[Spot & Bubby]

Dang !

I know! And I thought I was living right.

 

[She]

In 60 days or less, from 354 cows, we've had:

• abandoned bull calf from 9 yo. cow
• hours old heifer twin attacked by dog(s), tail chewed off, massive infection, euthanized
• attacked heifer's heifer twin head turned back and over in birth canal. Three hours and a vet outcall to pull: DOA
• heifer dead: dam Stole calf from another cow
• at least 3 cows raising calves they didn't birth
• bull dead
• bred heifer calved bull 5 hours before Thunderstorm with SUSTAINED 70 mph winds: lost calf in storm, stole calf from another cow, matched with her calf and rejected him, now co-parenting stolen calf with bio mom
• my. First personal first-calf heifer calved twin bulls unassisted. Second born, larger calf died at 10 days old. Cause: unknown
• heifer calf found with neurological issues. Day one could barely stand, turned circles while standing. Continues circling behavior, but improved. With her mom at the nursery.
• Prolapse com with calf at nursery. Dam's hair falling out.
• day old bull calf run over in pasture
• bull calf born with one ear
• Jersey x Holestein nurse cow: mastitis
• cow not making milk; calf taken to nursery with frostbit ears and snout (including tongue. barely able to latch nurse cows could not latch bottle)
• dwarf calf
• multiple calves with abnormal legs, two severe
• 12mo. old Mushrush bull arrived injured
• bull calf 2 weeks old or more swollen lumps on face, limp cough = 9 abscesses on face, massive abscess on foot at hairline, and pneumonia onset
• Mastitis x3
• Two I3 mo heifers calved from unintended exposure to bun calf born early in their set. (all healthy, though)
• AND (my favorite...) first calf of one of the sets = dam and calf were seen within an hour of calving, one time.. Neither have been seen again. No fence damage hot wire was hot, no tracks of anything coming in or going out

... So far... Our 60 day calving window closed yesterday. There are some stragglers.

Seems like a lot of us are having challenges.

I am so sorry! That is heartbreaking

 

[Spot & Bubby]

I am so sorry! That is heartbreaking

It truly is. Yesterday we treated a calf for scours and a favorite cow who is "retiring" this year lost her calf.