First calf heifer with newborn.

[bren444]

I've bred horses and show pigs for a lot of years...now learning about cattle, but very green.... thank you in advance for any insight.

Bought a first calf heifer about 3 months ago. She calved very easily about 40 hours ago with a small bull calf. 50 lbs. He took a couple of hours to get up and nursed about a half hour later. Started to scour about 12 hours later. Gave him probiotics which worked well. Gave him more this morning and he was feeling good and getting frisky.

About noon he went down for a nap and didn't get up to nurse until I got home from work about 5 when I showed up. I have a camera. Is that normal?? Doesn't seem right. I will get a stool sample in the am for the vet. Is this something to worry about?

 

[wbvs58]

Calves will lie in the one spot where their mother puts them for a lengthy period of time, they will usually get up and suckle when the mother returns from grazing. Some cows are very protective and will stay with the calf.
Do you know what vaccinations the heifer had? 50 lbs is very light even for a heifer unless she is a mini breed. Buying a bred heifer from an unknown or dicey source always sounds alarm bells for me as to the possibility of them having been exposed to BVDV during early pregnancy and the resultant calf being persistently infected or if exposed later the calf may have retarded growth and possible defects.

Ken

 

[Warren Allison]

I've bred horses and show pigs for a lot of years...now learning about cattle, but very green.... thank you in advance for any insight.

Bought a first calf heifer about 3 months ago. She calved very easily about 40 hours ago with a small bull calf. 50 lbs. He took a couple of hours to get up and nursed about a half hour later. Started to scour about 12 hours later. Gave him probiotics which worked well. Gave him more this morning and he was feeling good and getting frisky.

About noon he went down for a nap and didn't get up to nurse until I got home from work about 5 when I showed up. I have a camera. Is that normal?? Doesn't seem right. I will get a stool sample in the am for the vet. Is this something to worry about?

If you will go back into your profile, and add your location (My bad, @Travlr ..I left that part out), you will find you will get a lot more folks to respond. And the responses will be more accurate.

 

[Travlr]

I've bred horses and show pigs for a lot of years...now learning about cattle, but very green.... thank you in advance for any insight.

Bought a first calf heifer about 3 months ago. Doesn't seem right. I will get a stool sample in the am for the vet. Is this something to worry about?

If you will go back into your profile, you will find you will get a lot more folks to respond. And the responses will be more accurate.

Warren is asking you to put in your location. He's right that people like to know where you are because a lot of advice is location specific. Click on your profile, top right, scroll down to Account details, and put in a state.

Babies with a full belly can sleep a long time. But it's good to be aware.

 

[bren444]

Calves will lie in the one spot where their mother puts them for a lengthy period of time, they will usually get up and suckle when the mother returns from grazing. Some cows are very protective and will stay with the calf.
Do you know what vaccinations the heifer had? 50 lbs is very light even for a heifer unless she is a mini breed. Buying a bred heifer from an unknown or dicey source always sounds alarm bells for me as to the possibility of them having been exposed to BVDV during early pregnancy and the resultant calf being persistently infected or if exposed later the calf may have retarded growth and possible defects.

Ken

Thank you! The heifer came from a reputable person and vaccines in order. I did a few extra things and the calf is going great.

 

[bren444]

Warren is asking you to put in your location. He's right that people like to know where you are because a lot of advice is location specific. Click on your profile, top right, scroll down to Account details, and put in a state.

Babies with a full belly can sleep a long time. But it's good to be aware.

Ok I will do that. Live in California. Calf doing great.

 

[coachg]

Usually for that first few days they do a lot of sleeping. Some cows stay close to them and others will hide them and leave them . Going back a couple times a day to nurse them . It can become a game of hide and seek if you try to find them !

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations. What breed is your cow and calf?

 

[bren444]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations. What breed is your cow and calf?

Thanks! She is a Simm x Angus was bred to a Simm x Angus bull. Good first time momma, easy delivery, nice calf. Really happy with the two. I traded a heifer for her.