Is this heifer a cull?

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mcdowedd

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We had a heifer calve early this morning - the calf had to be pulled. About 80 lbs. Heifer can't get up - vet thinks the calf was in the birth canal so long that it pinched the heifer's nerves. The heifer is down and won't own the calf. We are trying to get colostrum (we had it frozen) into the calf with a bottle. Question is: is this heifer an animal that should be culled, or do heifers get a break since it's their first time?
 
Depnds. Is it a well bred heifer that you know the gentics of, was she well grown out, is the calf shaped for easy delivery, will she ultimatly claim the calf, will she raise the calf to an acceptable size? Those wou;ld be the questions that go through my mind as to culling or not.
 
cowboyup216":b3uda98g said:
Dun is right on that but my philosophy is. Any heifer that can have an 80 pound calf needs to hit the road cuz 80 pounds in my opinion is nearly perfect size for a heifer to have.

That was why the calf shape was included in the decision making. A short chunky square shouldered calf is a lot harder birthing then a longer bodied slope shouldered one.

dun
 
I would give her a second chance. If she gets back up. 80 lbs is an ideal weight, but a lot also depends on the shape of the calf. A big head, square shoulders, or a blocky calf can cause problems even with smaller birthweights.

As for her not wanting to have anything to do with the calf, that happens a lot when you have to assist a heifer. Usually we will leave them alone for a couple hours and the heifer will have changed her mind. However, in this case, I wouldn't worry about it too much, she had a pretty traumatic time of it and it may take some work on your part to get her to accept the calf. For now I would worry about getting colostrum in the calf, and getting the cow up. Once you get her up the calf will win her over, after all she will be pretty unsteady, and if the calf is agressive at all it will win (As long as she doesn't fall on it). Good luck, and keep an eye on her next year. If she gives you problems then, then cull her.
 
Unless there was soemthing we dont know I would give her another chance. Im pretty much in line with Dun's logic.

As far as her accepting the calf. I wouldnt worry about it to much right this second. Give her a chance to recover some.
 
is the heifer able to get up and walk ?? Lots of times they will never get up and recover from this kinda birth. I would worry about getting her up and mobile instead of if to keep her or not at this point.
 
It has now been 24 hours since we pulled the calf - the heifer still is not up. Our vet is optimistic that she will get up in the next day or say or so. However, the calf also isn't getting up - it's front legs won't support it very well. Our vet said that like the heifer, the calf has nerve damage from the birth canal that will improve in the next few days. Does this sound right? If and when both are up, can anyone predict what the chances are of the heifer wanting the calf? When the calf is put next to her, she makes no move to lick it or touch it - she has made a few low "mothering" noises towards it.
 
I would probably give her about 10 to 12 cc of Banamine;
wait a couple of hours and then bring in a dog on a leash
to the pen where she and the calf is staying. If she
doesn't even try to get up and "save" the calf, then
she's probably a goner.
 
I have never heard of the calf having difficulty with nerve damage from being in the birth canal too long - not saying it couldn't happen. More likely there is nerve damage from the pull. Either too much pressure pulling for too long at one time or possibly the chains were not double hitched above and below the dew claws.
Did you get the colostrum into the calf?
Did the vet tell you to roll the heifer over from side to side several times a day? You need to get the pressure off of one side every so many hours.
Vitamin B-12 should be given for nerve damage.
Will the calf stand if you pick it up? If so, try to do that several times a day. Also, try to have it up when you feed the calf. Is it sucking?? or did you tube feed it?
 
The calf got the frozen colostrum and sucked it from the bottle...today has been sucking also. She will stand if we stand her up, when she tries to take a step, her knees don't bend.

Yea, the vet told us to turn the heifer onto each side often. This morning, the heifer is really trying to get up...those back legs are wobbly but holding her better.
 
i had one the head swelled and the tendons drew up at the ankles, but only for a few hours. it would try to nurse and fall over.
 
mcdowedd":1utgqdd9 said:
When the calf is put next to her, she makes no move to lick it or touch it - she has made a few low "mothering" noises towards it.

The fact that she is 'talking' to her calf greatly increases the chances that she will ultimately accept it - assuming, of course, she is able to get up fairly soon.

PS I agree with Dun as to whether this heifer is a cull or not. We tended to be a little more lenient (to a degree) where the heifers were concerned, simply because it was their first time out - add a traumatic birth, and injury to the heifer to that equation, and it's easy to see why she would be reluctant to accept her calf.
 
It's a good morning at the barn! The heifer is up - the calf is standing by herself. (not walking yet). When we put the calf in with the heifer, she began licking it from head to tail while talking to it! Calf hasnt eaten from the heifer yet - she can't take any steps without falling, but I am optimistic. Looks like everything is going to work out ok. I appreciate all of the responses this week!
 
If the calf can't stand on it's own to suck try setting it on top of a square bale. About the right height for him to reach lunch.
 

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