Missing calf??

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Forget the cow and save the calf! If you have her on the bottle count your blessings and give her a name.
I went back and reviewed your first entry and you indicated she is a 1st calf (?) heifer.
What is the history on the mother? There may be some indication of the why of what happened.
As Kit Pharo would say, "Love your wife, forgive your children and do neither with a cow."
 
We've treated several with fly strike. We give a bath with iodine shampoo to kill the maggots, (may have to really scrub to get them all) and use screw worm spray after. We use plenty of corona ointment to keep the exposed flesh from drying out. There may be some maggots under the hide. It will eventually get hard and fall away. Sad thing, but we've saved quite a few. Fluids, antibiotcs and dex.
 
She is showing a little improvement. Nursing a bottle pretty good. Not been able to get her to nurse momma yet as she is so weak. Gave her antibiotics and got some maggots off. Keeping fluids in her. Time will tell.
Take Capstar (oral flea tablet for dogs), grind it up into a powder and pour it on the spots with maggots. Wait a couple minutes, rinse and repeat if there are any still in the wound. Will take many tablets to cover a calf, but will kill the maggots quickly.
 
No telling what happened to that calf. May or may not be something mama could control.
I wouldn't give up on getting her on her mother. A LOT cheaper than milk replacer. Bottle her while you need to by all means!! Then make a decision as to weather to give mother another shot.
At least shes nursing!
A hungry calf is a happy calf!!

Look forward to updates.
Got any pics. We are all curious!

And I like @Lee VanRoss advice about checking out mothers history. Unfortunately I've forgiven a cow or two, but the first calf heifers I've had that screwed up, have done excellent the next go round. If they dont, gone they are! Even when they screwed up, they still raised an orphan for me.
 
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Forget the cow and save the calf! If you have her on the bottle count your blessings and give her a name.
I went back and reviewed your first entry and you indicated she is a 1st calf (?) heifer.
What is the history on the mother? There may be some indication of the why of what happened.
As Kit Pharo would say, "Love your wife, forgive your children and do neither with a cow."
Not sure what you mean by her history. She is a heifer out of a really good cow we had. She seems ok although she another heifer calves later than they should have. Right now seems really interested in the calf trying to get it up. Calf seemed a little stronger at last check. Haven't seen any more live maggots. Cloudy eyes concern me.
 
You may have answered my question with, "She seems ok although she and another heifer calve later than they should have."
Calving late in the calving cycle is evidence of low fertility and is an inherited trait. This does not explain why the calf was missing
other than the mother lacked the desire to seek the calf out indicating a lack of mothering instinct. Fertility is recognized as the number
one criteria for profitability in the cattle business. I would find treatment for the calves eyes and as time and situation warrant consider
selling the mother and the other late heifer. If you retain your own heifers consider selecting them from cows calving in the first
thirty days of the calving period. You will like the results in a few generations. good luck,,
 
Lee VanRoss, you make a good point, however regarding the mothering instinct of the heifer, (and I say this from personal experience) she may have known exactly where the calf was all along and been tending to it when no one was around. I've seen that they tend to keep them hidden when they sense something is wrong with the calf.
One exception we had was with one of the first fly strikes we ever experienced. A new calf that never had interaction with a person literally came running up to me bawling like he was asking for help! and of course he got it :)
 
You may have answered my question with, "She seems ok although she and another heifer calve later than they should have."
Calving late in the calving cycle is evidence of low fertility and is an inherited trait. This does not explain why the calf was missing
other than the mother lacked the desire to seek the calf out indicating a lack of mothering instinct. Fertility is recognized as the number
one criteria for profitability in the cattle business. I would find treatment for the calves eyes and as time and situation warrant consider
selling the mother and the other late heifer. If you retain your own heifers consider selecting them from cows calving in the first
thirty days of the calving period. You will like the results in a few generations. good luck,,
One reason we keep the heifers we do is because their mothers are good. Both heifers that were late were from top performing cows. Not sure why they were late. I calve them at 2 years old. These would have been breeding in the hear but a sister did ok.
 
Long way to go still.
That's a good ol fat heifer right there!
I'm glad ya got em going again. Looks like theres some moisture there too. Very wet.
Have you given any antibiotics?
Hows that calfs breathing?

The reason I ask, I had a couple born last year or 2 that were born in wet, drizzly weather come down with pneumonia bad. Saved one. The other was fine one day, dead the next.
 
It is fat isn't it!?
But part of that appearance may be because of how she is postured. She appears to be in the middle of pooping out a load too.
 
That's a good ol fat heifer right there!
I'm glad ya got em going again. Looks like theres some moisture there too. Very wet.
Have you given any antibiotics?
Hows that calfs breathing?

The reason I ask, I had a couple born last year or 2 that were born in wet, drizzly weather come down with pneumonia bad. Saved one. The other was fine one day, dead the next.
Her breathing is raspy. Gave Zuprevo. It came storms the night she went missing. Rained off and on all weekend. She was more energetic this morning and standing. She acts more alert. Had better appetite also.

Heifer gets very little feed mostly grass. When I feed they only get a few pounds each and this time of the year about every week or two. Mostly to get them up if needed. She was raised on just a 2-3 pounds of feed a day after weaning until breeding.
 
Have you though of someone stealing the calf? I lost one once that way. could not catch him fast enough, and he drove away in his truck and out of a confused first calf neifer.
 
Have you though of someone stealing the calf? I lost one once that way. could not catch him fast enough, and he drove away in his truck and out of a confused first calf neifer.
We found the calf. We are off the road so theft didn't concern me much.
 

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