First time heifer has twins

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devonian

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Had a first time heifer have twins yesterday she had abandoned one calf so I gave it some colostrum late evening and fed it this morning the other calf was feeding ok from the mother yesterday. However today the calf that wasn't abandoned is no where to be seen I've checked all four hedges of the field, the ditches, neighbouring fields and combed the field they are in and I can't find it anywhere.

I'm in England, theres no predators that will take a calf is there? A fox or badger couldn't kill and take a calf away could they?

Also any advice on what to do with the abandoned calf would be good the mother is more interested in it now that its the only calf, originally I was hoping to bottle feed it for a bit and hope that it stole milk of other some of the other cows with good mother instincts, but maybe the mother will allow it to nurse after all.
 
One of my cows had calved, came in each day for hay with a black calf. Two weeks later she comes walking in for hay and there are two black calves with her. She had had twins, but it was two weeks before I realized that. I never knew if it was the same calf that came with her each morning as they were both black. She was obviously taking care of both of them, but one seemed to just keep to itself, I think. They both did fine and after about 3 weeks were both always with her. :)
 
If she comes up to a pen to get some feed, then keep her in for several hours and then when she goes out, follow/watch her until she goes to where she has hidden the calf.
Don't let her have the "abandoned calf" until she has revealed the place she has hidden her other calf.
First time heifers are trying to figure things out just being a new mother... having 2 just does not "compute" in their brain right off the bat. I would pen the 2 calves together when you get her to reveal the other calf's hiding place, and bring her in to the calves a couple times a day.... she might just take them both once she gets the hang of having 2.
 
Its ok eventually another family member found the hidden calf way across the field in some long grass away from the herd and we brought both calves into the barn with the cow and penned them up and they both fed no problems, blimey they don't half make it hard for you sometimes. :LOL: The mother did seem a a bit confused and seemingly not overly bothered by the whole thing hopefully both calves will be ok now.
 

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