heifers and first time owners

[chippie]

Sometimes I wonder why didn't you do some research and educate yourself about calving and nutrition several months before she had the calf instead of coming to a bulletin board and asking people who you don't know from Adam advice?

 

[Anonymous]

That's kinda harsh.
Bryanm61. Let nature take its course for now unless something seems way off. I'm the meantime get online and read all you can about calving.

 

[BryanM]

you may be right chippie, actually i thought i did do the research needed. To tell you the truth, I was weighing what was being said here and in books, youtube videos and friends and it seemed like everyone contridicted themselfs so when I was unsure i would ask, thought thats what these forums where for!

so sorry if I asked wrong questions, didnt mean to waste anyones time!! thanks again see ya

 

[cmf1]

Congratulations and :bday: to your calf!!
Now that it has nursed, ought to be smooth sailing.
Keep your AG guy on speed dial just in case though.

 

[chippie]

I apologize for being so blunt, but you say that the cattle are 4-H projects. There is a wealth of resources available about 4-H beef projects. You don't say where you are located, but your Club Manager, Beef Leader and Extension Agent should be able to give you one on one advice and guidance.
When you are new to something, having a mentor who can come and look at your cattle and advise is usually the best way. No one here can see your cattle, their condition and how you are keeping them.

I am happy that the heifer had an uneventful calving and hope that the others do well too.

I don't know if you have seen this link or not, but it has useful information in it.

http://animalscience.tamu.edu/academics/beef/publications/index.htm

 

[BryanM]

thanks Dun

Let me explain then I will drop this subject. When I started this thread I just wanted some of your opinions and experiences understanding in something like this their is No 100% blake and white way things happen (thought that was a given that everyone understood) I kept reporting back with my progress mainly because I hate when people start a thread like this and then you never hear the out come, so if it seemed like I drug the thread on, well thats why.
Chippie i really still dont get your point, so let me give you mine just too clearify myside. The reason I asked questions at this forum was I wanted to know what others thought, dont think for a minute that I didnt read up on this subject or ask a few local cattle guys In my area what they thought or did some kind of prep work! But just because one cattle person says one thing, well its not etched stone, so i gather differant opinions/experiences and try and apply my situation and go from their. So that being said no one made you post or comment on my thread sorry. for me being so blunt! like I said not trying to be rude, I was trying too gather info on this site. thanks again

 

[chippie]

BryanM61

When you originally posted, you never told us anything about you, who you have talked to or what you know. We can only go by what you post. I didn't know that you have received help closer to home.

I am a little sensitive right now because I know of a FFA girl who has a dead heifer and a dead calf because her dad would not call a vet when it was needed. He was timing the contractions and the heifer was having them every 12 minutes. Getting up, laying down and in distress. He wasn't worried because the contractions were so far apart. Well the calf was breech and by the time the vet was called it was too late. The heifer was in active labor for 11 hours. She was found in labor at 6 am by a student and the vet was called at 5 pm.
Who knows how long she had been trying to have the calf.

 

[Chris H]

BryanM61

When you originally posted, you never told us anything about you, who you have talked to or what you know. We can only go by what you post. I didn't know that you have received help closer to home.

I am a little sensitive right now because I know of a FFA girl who has a dead heifer and a dead calf because her dad would not call a vet when it was needed. He was timing the contractions and the heifer was having them every 12 minutes. Getting up, laying down and in distress. He wasn't worried because the contractions were so far apart. Well the calf was breech and by the time the vet was called it was too late. The heifer was in active labor for 11 hours. She was found in labor at 6 am by a student and the vet was called at 5 pm.
Who knows how long she had been trying to have the calf.

Situations like this is where things get to sounding contradictory for new folks. There's nothing like experience, and if you don't have it then you're best off finding someone in person to help fill the experience gap. I had a mature cow calve last spring with twins. I found her in the evening, getting up & down, within 5 minutes I knew something was wrong for her not to lay down and spit out the calf. I walked her back to the calving facilities, nothing short of a miracle, and examined her. It was a tail first presentation but since I'd caught her quick enough the vet came and got the calf out fairly easy, but dead. Not only was the calf tail first, it was upside down. We looked at the calf, looked back at the cow, and the vet went back in to see if there was another one. There was, and it was alive and came out healthy.
Experience says 'somethings wrong', when the books and internet forums say, 'give them some time'.

Stick with it, OP. Usually when someone sounds a bit harsh here, there's a reasonable explanation.

 

[Oldtimer]

sorry to interupt everyones super bowl, but at around 5 tonight we had our first calve! :clap: I didnt get to see the birth like I planned, but it must have happened pretty quick, I did get too see the first steps and then the heifer didnt know what to do and I didnt know what to do so we had to call the voag teacher from the high school (great guy, also ai'd the heifers). the heifer keeped throwing the calve around when it stood up and came to her too nurse. so he suggested haltering the heifer and helping the first time too nurse. he said, its just being a heifer, so it did get so milk nursed for ten minutes or soo.

This brings up an idea for a subject or topic. after the birth what are the scenerios of heifers and calves after the birth and what are you suppose to do?

sorry for babbiling, my mind is going a mile a minute, just worried she didnt get enough too eat? and she the heifer didnt act like i thought she would!!!

Thats the way I like to calve... ;-) :nod:

 

[colleen]

Guess the most important thing is to know when they are in trouble and need help.

 

[dun]

Guess the most important thing is to know when they are in trouble and need help.

And there in lies the rub. Some give no indication that anything is going on while others are pure drama queens way before they're even close to calving.

 

[colleen]

do cows close to delivery have problems sometimes with the sciatic nerve? Vet said usually during labor but not normally before. I know humans have problems before hand. Our cow is hunched up quite a bit, and limping on back left. She is not in labor but it is close. Any day now. Sciatic nerve or should we be thinking foot problem? Going to get her up in the pen and check her out this evening. Thanks!

 

[dun]

do cows close to delivery have problems sometimes with the sciatic nerve? Vet said usually during labor but not normally before. I know humans have problems before hand. Our cow is hunched up quite a bit, and limping on back left. She is not in labor but it is close. Any day now. Sciatic nerve or should we be thinking foot problem? Going to get her up in the pen and check her out this evening. Thanks!

Not unusual at all. The calf shifts around and pinches a nerve then shifts around and doesn;t pinch it. If she's just walking slow with a limp that's what I would think of, but if she satnds with no weight on the foot or on the end of the toe I start thinking foot issues.

 

[colleen]

Ok. Thanks, Dun! Just watched her walk to the back. Wasn't limping much. Cold wet and rainy so naturally that is when she is going to have it!! She is a new cow, so we don't know much about her or if she has trouble having calves.