Richnm
Well-known member
Where do I get it ?
Heifer mauling new born calves ? Injured new born
- Thread starter Richnm
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Richnm
Well-known member
The injured calf is nursing fine now. The crazy heifer allows her calf to nurse while she is in the chute. I am having shoulder surgery in 3 weeks. I am thinking it will be easier to bottle feed the rejected heifer than to be moving the cow in and out of the chute in a sling . Should I start the bottle right away ? Or nurse the calf on the chute til I have surgery ? How much milk replacer do I give her ?
From your vet
GoWyo
Well-known member
Is she even interested in the calf? Usually the aggression goes out of them after the calf nurses a time or two. If she is still knocking the calf around after a couple of days then it probably isn't just a hormone overload.
Lannie
Well-known member
This from a starry-eyed animal lover who bends over backward to give an animal a second chance, so take with a grain of salt.
It's been two days this cow has been trying to kill her calf? I understand that heifers sometimes are surprised when they see their first calf. In my experience, the most they'll do is keep circling to keep the calf in front of their nose, and they have trouble latching on to a teat. But I've never had one ram or otherwise try to kill her calf. And the surprised circling behavior lasts minutes to a maximum of a couple hours, not days.
If you're going to bottle feed the calf, start now. The longer she stays on her mom, the less chance she'll be willing to take a bottle later. So just switch now, and get rid of the mom. Did I say that out loud? Why, yes, I did. I wouldn't keep a cow like that. Way too much extra work involved with supervised nursings (even if you weren't having shoulder surgery), and then what if she does it again with her next calf? You'd have to do all this baloney all over again, and will definitely want to get rid of the cow then. If she was some special pedigreed something that you really wanted calves out of, that would be different. If she's "just another herd member," man, I'd get rid of her.
I have a different situation than most of you here, with just one or two milk cows, so I can do things that would just be a pain in the butt for someone trying to manage a big herd, but seriously, even I wouldn't keep a cow that tried to kill her own calf.
Richnm
Well-known member
Yes. So far the calf has nursed 3 times. Then I put the calf with mom and watched closely. The behavior was the same.
Richnm
Well-known member
Now I need to know how much milk ? Or milk replacer ? I can only feed mornings and evenings. Which replacer is best ? I only have a TSC locally.
aprille218
Well-known member
Look at the tags of the milk replacer. Get one that is all milk no soy. Feed what's recommended on the directions for now. I usually end up increasing it to more than it says but not until the calf is older. It is expensive bottle feeding a calf. Like the others said I would keep trying with mom at least a couple more times.
Nick Wagner
Well-known member
Lannie, as a breeder of registered cattle, I have to protest. I have heard the statement, she's too good to sell. BS. I would argue the opposite, we should be more critical of the registered stock. Richnm, don't buy milk replacer on price, get the good stuff.
I would give her about 3days to settle down. If she doesn't love her calf after that she would have a 1way trip to town. Heifers are stupid and I don't think they know what the calf is sometimes, but after a few days of the calf nursing she should have a clue and no longer be trying to kill it.
Spot on.
If you are making seedstock, standards are higher. The only thing worse than having a crazy cow is selling a crazy cow to your unsuspecting neighbor that trusts you.
Bestoutwest
Well-known member
Did you sell the mom yet? I'd have canned her rear end after the first go round.
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
The one tsc carries is dumor ultra 20/20
ALL MILK PROTEINS.
STAY AWAY FROM ANYTHING WITH SOY OR SOY BLEND PROTEINS
Works good .
All I do is twice a day as well. About 12 hrs apart. Roughly
ALL MILK PROTEINS.
STAY AWAY FROM ANYTHING WITH SOY OR SOY BLEND PROTEINS
Works good .
All I do is twice a day as well. About 12 hrs apart. Roughly
hurleyjd
Well-known member
The last orphan I raised I let the calf out with the herd after the calf was taking the bottle good. After the turnout I would go to the herd and the calf would come to me, after the calf got older she would pal up with other calves and when they nursed she would to. Only had to feed for about two weeks.
Travlr
Well-known member
Something people should always remember in life. Be critical of your own organizations rather than those you have no control over.
Nesikep
Well-known member
I had an orphan that I grafted onto his sister... He was a smart guy, by the end of the summer he had about 5 mommas, he'd scan the field for which calves were nursing and run up there to steal some, then onto the next cow.. couldn't tell he was an orphan in the fall
Richnm
Well-known member
The dam of the injured calf is letting the "rejected" calf nurse. I also caught her licking the orphan. The injured calf is also standing and nursing. The injured calf is a Scale Crusher x Resource and Blackcap May 1808 :-(
faster horses
Well-known member
Lannie said: ". If she was some special pedigreed something that you really wanted calves out of, that would be different. If she's "just another herd member," man, I'd get rid of her."
I disagree. Those cattle should be culled, same as on any operation.
Why would a purebred producer who was selling registered offspring to others,
knowingly keep something that could very well be a genetic fault?
The ones I know would NOT do this.
And it can be genetic. Don't ask me how I know.
While I'm on the subject, when you are sorting off your replacement heifers as calves, watch their attitude. You can tell then how they are going to be as momma cows. Not 100% but enough to pass on some you would like to keep. Culling can start early.
I disagree. Those cattle should be culled, same as on any operation.
Why would a purebred producer who was selling registered offspring to others,
knowingly keep something that could very well be a genetic fault?
The ones I know would NOT do this.
And it can be genetic. Don't ask me how I know.
While I'm on the subject, when you are sorting off your replacement heifers as calves, watch their attitude. You can tell then how they are going to be as momma cows. Not 100% but enough to pass on some you would like to keep. Culling can start early.
Richnm
Well-known member
She is already at the sale barn
