First calf heifer rough deliver
- Thread starter RICHARDL
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CKC1586
Well-known member
Put some food coloring in teat dip and dip her teats....RICHARDL":3c3973xz said:
CKC1586
Well-known member
Yup, I took her suggestion and have used it past few years, takes the guess work out of it! Works great.dun":3oswdxmt said:
Farmgirl
Well-known member
Sounds like the heifer wants to mother the calf but I agree sounds like her teats are sore. If you can restrain her and milk her some then put a little milk on the teats that will help the soreness. Then give the milk to the calf then shove him on the teat. Leave the cow and calf in a small pen. Did the cow ever lick the calf? I've always heard if she ever licks the calf, she will accept it.
Good luck,
Farmgirl
Good luck,
Farmgirl
RICHARDL
Well-known member
Yea, she licked him. he follows her when i led him to her. Most of the time i have to, because he wants to follow me. Going to try the food coloring ideal. I took a good look at her yesterday, but i'm unable to tell if she is or isn't . AT first look i said yes. than i look at another cow thats been nursing. A its just hard to say if she nursing him or not :cowboy:
RICHARDL
Well-known member
HELL NO. she won't let me get that close. i can get arms length away thats it until i can get her in the chute. What i'm doing seems to be working until i can get away from work to pen her up and go thru all that. But my work comes first. Hes doing well and she seems fine to going too use the dye trick this evening. and continue what i'm doing and thats feed milk replacer 3 times per day. I'm willing to do waht it takes, except for losing my J O B ya see :cowboy:
Suzie Q
Well-known member
Yes hillbillycwo that is what we have said, don't feed the calf, put her on Mum to feed. Her teats are probably sore so she needs to be milked down a bit first. We have explained how to do it in a chute or in a small yard.
Cows don't mother their calves like some other animals do. They hide the calf and go back to it later. That is why you think she is not paying any attention. Her coming running shows she has accepted the calf. I am sure it is probably because of sore teats that she is not letting the calf to drink. You are starting to push her drying up and not having milk for the calf if you haven't done anything with her yet. That is if she hasn't gotten mastitis. You are also teaching the calf not to try to drink from Mum.
If you start feeding this calf instead of helping Mum to feed the calf. Then the calf should be fed twice a day. The best feed for him is milk from Mum and feed him that. The easiest way is to get her to accept him and let him out with the herd. The next easiest if she won't accept him means that you have to stand with her for half an hour twice a day while she feeds the calf with the methods above I have said. The third is to milk the cow and feed him with a bottle. Other substitutes will be expensive. Others will say that you can do it for only a short while. Me - I think it is better to do it for 6 months.
That is 6 months that you cannot go and stay anywhere. 6 months that you have to be home night and morning.
If you had put the calf on the cow when we first said, in the crush like we first said it probably would have been all over in half an hour and you wouldn't have done all the work you have been doing now, you wouldn't have a whole heap of work in front of you. You wouldn't have had to sell her and most probably the second time she calved she wouldn't have had a problem. JMHO.
Cows don't mother their calves like some other animals do. They hide the calf and go back to it later. That is why you think she is not paying any attention. Her coming running shows she has accepted the calf. I am sure it is probably because of sore teats that she is not letting the calf to drink. You are starting to push her drying up and not having milk for the calf if you haven't done anything with her yet. That is if she hasn't gotten mastitis. You are also teaching the calf not to try to drink from Mum.
If you start feeding this calf instead of helping Mum to feed the calf. Then the calf should be fed twice a day. The best feed for him is milk from Mum and feed him that. The easiest way is to get her to accept him and let him out with the herd. The next easiest if she won't accept him means that you have to stand with her for half an hour twice a day while she feeds the calf with the methods above I have said. The third is to milk the cow and feed him with a bottle. Other substitutes will be expensive. Others will say that you can do it for only a short while. Me - I think it is better to do it for 6 months.
That is 6 months that you cannot go and stay anywhere. 6 months that you have to be home night and morning.
If you had put the calf on the cow when we first said, in the crush like we first said it probably would have been all over in half an hour and you wouldn't have done all the work you have been doing now, you wouldn't have a whole heap of work in front of you. You wouldn't have had to sell her and most probably the second time she calved she wouldn't have had a problem. JMHO.
RICHARDL
Well-known member
Don't get all crazy on me now, i'm trying. i asked for advice and got it. I'm keeping him alive while i do these things. I can't just throw my hands in the air and quit, than he dies, than what?? Right now both are find, i sprayed coloring on her teats yesterday i will know the outcome this afternoon. doing my best :cowboy:
Suzie Q
Well-known member
All you can do is try and do your best. We don't expect any more than that.
All I am saying is that it would take about half an hour as she already accepts the calf and time is of the essence. It should have been done on the first day. Once she has dried up it is too late and you have to wait until she calves again, which will be next year with a lot of work from you in the mean time or the loss of your heifer if you sell her.
If I was anywhere near you I would have come and shown you how to do it, because of course that is how I was taught. Alas I am probably on the other side of the world as I am in Australia.
It is soooooo easy when the mother has accepted the calf and the calf wants to suck. So hard when it is not the calf's mother and the calf doesn't want to suck. It is so easy to do with a cattle crush (squeeze chute) and I have also done it in a small yard as my cattle are quiet.
If you are not willing to give it a go by yourself then I suggest you contact a knowledgeable friend or a vet to come out and teach you, and as I said above the sooner the better. JMHO.
All I am saying is that it would take about half an hour as she already accepts the calf and time is of the essence. It should have been done on the first day. Once she has dried up it is too late and you have to wait until she calves again, which will be next year with a lot of work from you in the mean time or the loss of your heifer if you sell her.
If I was anywhere near you I would have come and shown you how to do it, because of course that is how I was taught. Alas I am probably on the other side of the world as I am in Australia.
It is soooooo easy when the mother has accepted the calf and the calf wants to suck. So hard when it is not the calf's mother and the calf doesn't want to suck. It is so easy to do with a cattle crush (squeeze chute) and I have also done it in a small yard as my cattle are quiet.
If you are not willing to give it a go by yourself then I suggest you contact a knowledgeable friend or a vet to come out and teach you, and as I said above the sooner the better. JMHO.
RICHARDL
Well-known member
thanks and yes i wish you were closer. He wants to suck. i tried yesterday evening in the corral giving her some feed and he was just about to suck on it and she head butted him to the ground. So today is the day i have time to run her in the chute tie her legs and her head and if he don't suck i will lol. He is willing. I'm willing and she will be forced to. She was lying right by him this morning so todays gotta be the day. she let me touch her utter yesterday but she didn't like it Like yall said prolly sore. If it weren't for my ninja like reflectes she woould of kick my arm. All a learning experience for me And i hope its not at the expense of the little guy. :cowboy:
You said "she won't let me".... why does this cow even have a choice in the matter???
Get a rope on her, get her between a panel and the fence, or in a squeeze chute, but three plus days of this nonsense is a little ridiculous. Restrain her, put the calf on, problem solved. If you don't intend to do it, then ship her, otherwise you need to fix her attitude. If you had time to watch this heifer and her calf and post repeated updates on the situation, there was certainly time to restrain said cow and get the calf to nurse - it doesn't and shouldn't take very long.
Get a rope on her, get her between a panel and the fence, or in a squeeze chute, but three plus days of this nonsense is a little ridiculous. Restrain her, put the calf on, problem solved. If you don't intend to do it, then ship her, otherwise you need to fix her attitude. If you had time to watch this heifer and her calf and post repeated updates on the situation, there was certainly time to restrain said cow and get the calf to nurse - it doesn't and shouldn't take very long.
RICHARDL
Well-known member
NO NEED A FOR THAT. You don't take into account i'm at work either, some of us have to work to suport the rest of the country. today i will have time today is my go home early day. No she won't have a choice TODAY. But in the mean time i have to keep the calf alive don't yall think????????? :devil2:
Suzie Q
Well-known member
When you have her in the yard, it is a small yard so she can't move back or forward. You stand in the middle. She can not head butt the calf as you are there. You have the whip and you are in between. You are there to protect the calf. Twice a day, so 12 hours a part. It is a lifestyle choice if you can not be there for your animals then question if you should have them.
With our cattle crush. The cow goes in. You can restrain her head if you wish. Then you open the bottom of the gate. She can not move forward or back. You put the calf on to suck. If he won't suck you have to put him on. Your legs behind, push forward with your legs, down on the neck, up with the head, open the mouth, put teat in mouth and milk.
If need be use a rope and tie the leg back so she can't kick, but I find if you do it gently and growl if she goes to kick and touch the udder and then gently milk you don't need the rope....and I am taking about beef cattle who are not milked usually.
If you have not milked the cow by now, you must be getting towards the day for it being too late, surely?
With our cattle crush. The cow goes in. You can restrain her head if you wish. Then you open the bottom of the gate. She can not move forward or back. You put the calf on to suck. If he won't suck you have to put him on. Your legs behind, push forward with your legs, down on the neck, up with the head, open the mouth, put teat in mouth and milk.
If need be use a rope and tie the leg back so she can't kick, but I find if you do it gently and growl if she goes to kick and touch the udder and then gently milk you don't need the rope....and I am taking about beef cattle who are not milked usually.
If you have not milked the cow by now, you must be getting towards the day for it being too late, surely?
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
Glad someone uses my "color the teat' trick. Haven't figured out a good WHITE mixture for black teats :shock:
RICHARDL
Well-known member
(It is a lifestyle choice if you can not be there for your animals then question if you should have them.) I don't know of a single person in MY area that doesn't have cattle and work. I do what it takes for all of my animals. How many other people on this board have cattle and don't have a job outside the farm????????
Calf is alive & well and so is momma cow along with the 5 other calves, 5 other momma cows and a bull. SO don't give me that. I should question my having them.
according to the Vet that i use, He said we did and are doing the right thing. ANd to forget about the moma cow. SO........ :cowboy:
Calf is alive & well and so is momma cow along with the 5 other calves, 5 other momma cows and a bull. SO don't give me that. I should question my having them.
according to the Vet that i use, He said we did and are doing the right thing. ANd to forget about the moma cow. SO........ :cowboy:randiliana
Well-known member
Hey, Suzie, he is feeding the calf. Personally, I agree with you, much easier and less time consuming, not to mention cheaper to get the calf sucking the cow. Wouldn't take any longer to do that, than to bottle feed the calf, but it is his choice. As long as the calf is getting fed, that is all that matters. By now, the cow is most likely dried up and he's stuck with bottle feeding, twice a day for the next 8-12 weeks at least.
Suzie Q
Well-known member
That is not what I meant RICHARDL.
He has already spent more time with the calf than if he had learned how to fix the problem in the first place. He has spent more money on the calf than if he had learned how to fix the problem in the first place.
In the beginning the calf probably would have only had to be put on once. Maybe twice a day for a day or two. Now, the calf only has to be fed twice a day. That is 12 hours apart. Most people who work are home say 6am in the morning and 6pm at night.
Even knowing he had a problem and asking for 'free advice' he did the exact opposite to what he was told. He did not sought paid advice.
He never contacted a vet or a neighbour or anyone within cooee to come and help him.
He will now or very soon have a dry cow, so will probably ship her and will lose an animal which probably would not have had a problem in the future.
He will now have to feed the calf and as I said I do it on the cow twice a day for 6 months. Others as randiliana said don't use the cow but then start them on other feed. Whatever he will still have to be fed at least once if not twice a day. That will cost both time and money.
What I said was it is a lifestyle choice. If you choose to have animals then you choose to look after them for what is best for them. Not for you. You come to the best compromise you can. Ignorance is not really an excuse. There are a lot of books and a lot of people willing to help. But you can only help people who want to be helped.
I found out how to do all this before I needed to. I had mentors who I followed their every word. They had me buy dairy cows and taught me how to put on calves that did not belong to them with their own calves, which is much harder. Later when we had a problem I had to put calves on cows that were not their own with no calf of their own. Again harder, but because I had already learned I coped, and I am just a girl who yes works, but has an open mind and learns all she can.
As I said it was my choice, so that is what I chose to do. It is up to everyone to decide if they have the animals best interest foremost. It is not the animals choice. You are the one in control and responsible.
He has already spent more time with the calf than if he had learned how to fix the problem in the first place. He has spent more money on the calf than if he had learned how to fix the problem in the first place.
In the beginning the calf probably would have only had to be put on once. Maybe twice a day for a day or two. Now, the calf only has to be fed twice a day. That is 12 hours apart. Most people who work are home say 6am in the morning and 6pm at night.
Even knowing he had a problem and asking for 'free advice' he did the exact opposite to what he was told. He did not sought paid advice.
He never contacted a vet or a neighbour or anyone within cooee to come and help him.
He will now or very soon have a dry cow, so will probably ship her and will lose an animal which probably would not have had a problem in the future.
He will now have to feed the calf and as I said I do it on the cow twice a day for 6 months. Others as randiliana said don't use the cow but then start them on other feed. Whatever he will still have to be fed at least once if not twice a day. That will cost both time and money.
What I said was it is a lifestyle choice. If you choose to have animals then you choose to look after them for what is best for them. Not for you. You come to the best compromise you can. Ignorance is not really an excuse. There are a lot of books and a lot of people willing to help. But you can only help people who want to be helped.
I found out how to do all this before I needed to. I had mentors who I followed their every word. They had me buy dairy cows and taught me how to put on calves that did not belong to them with their own calves, which is much harder. Later when we had a problem I had to put calves on cows that were not their own with no calf of their own. Again harder, but because I had already learned I coped, and I am just a girl who yes works, but has an open mind and learns all she can.
As I said it was my choice, so that is what I chose to do. It is up to everyone to decide if they have the animals best interest foremost. It is not the animals choice. You are the one in control and responsible.
RICHARDL
Well-known member
R U trying to p.o. me??? YES vet came out and like i said in a previous post. Said, we did and are doing the right thing. it happens, Happen to him. SO i guess you know more than the vet now????. I tried everyones advice but i'm not going to risk my safety or the calfs safety just to say oh that didn't work. Do you want the vet # so you can preach to him. Bet your a real nice fella in your area A ? and oh so far. its cost me $30 and yes i am home at 5 and wake up every day at 5am now i spend 3o min. max. feeding him i spend more time than that feeding dogs. Maybe you have advice on how to raise dogs too.
:cowboy:
:cowboy:
