Momma leaving baby

[cah]

Hi.. quick question... we are really new at calving. This is only our second season. We had a heifer deliver yesterday late afternoon. Everything went well, the baby was up and nursing within twenty min. Got up this morning and the neighbor called and said the baby calve was laying down in the waterway. I got the 4 wheeler and went and checked sure enough the baby was in the waterway and it was pouring down rain. Checked and found the mother in the next field eating.... I went ahead and got the baby out and took it up to her.... she will not let it nurse now... she does not want anything to do with it... she goes out in the field where she left the plancenta and guards it like it is the baby???? Weird I know. She now has left that alone and came back up to eat the baby is belling for her ... I watched it try to nurse and she just kicks her little head out of the way. Should I go ahead and try to bring them in and make them be together? I don't understand why she would have let it nurse at first and not now. Any help would be great.... The think about getting them in is we have had so much rain you can hardly wall in the fields... WHERE IS SPRING??

Thanks

 

[cah]

Stupid cow. Make her take the calf. Hobble her back legs, get her in the head gate, and make her take it. If she dont send her packing and make it a bottle calf. You could try and rub the afterbirth on the calf and see if that helps. Also, often times if a cow senses something is wrong with the calf whether it is obvious to you or

That is what I told my husband... that the cow is STUPID!!!! I was so glad to see everything okay yesterday and now this.... I am dreading going out in the mud!!!! I may try the afterbirth trick if it is not all gone.... What a dumb momma this is....

Thanks

 

[dyates]

I wouldn't be so tough on the cow. If it was raining hard and the calf stumbled into another field and was separtated from her for a while, she probably doesn't even recognize it as hers. You can try to graft it back, but may have to bottle feed. I had this happen once when a new calf stumbled through a creep gate during its first few hours of life. Started to cull the cow, but now I am glad I didn't. She turned out to be the best cow we have.

 

[1982vett]

If the afterbirth trick doesn't work and you can get them up in a stall and can milk a little milk out of her, squirt some of the milk on the face of the calf. I have heard that helps the cow accept a grafted calf. Don't know if it works but worth a try.

 

[jcarkie]

the heifers udder is also swelled and tender and they sometimes don't know the stinging pain will go away. if the calf is not aggressive enough to keep on going. the calf only nurses a little and the other quarters get full and sore. i have seen alot of heifers kick at the baby the first couple of days. put her up and make her let him nurse or the calf will get weaker and weaker. heifers are stupid when they have the first one.

 

[cah]

Thanks for all your info.. I tryed the afterbirth trick.. NO luck... she stands where the afterbirth was and bells out for the calve. We went ahead and brought the calve in for the night because it is going to get down to 20-30 degrees here tonight... I tried to give her a bottle but she will not take it. We tried to get the heifer in but we have had so much rain it is almost impossible to get her in. I will try a bottle again in a little bit and work on getting the heifer in the barn in the morning. I am on a mission now! Thanks again for the infor... I'll keep working on it.

 

[Wisteria Farms]

Atleast it got to nurse right after birth (colostrum) but I've heard to hold your hand cupped over their eyes to simulate being up to the udder and to rub their rearend with with a warm damp towel to similate momma licking (which encourages nursing). My bottle baby was a chow-hound so I haven't had that fight yet... good luck

 

[msscamp]

Weird I know.

It's not a bit weird - this is a first calf heifer who does not have a clue about what is going on, and is unsure of what she has just been through. All she knows is that she delivered a calf, the calf nursed, and now the calf is gone. Of course she will instinctively return to the place where she gave birth trying to find the calf - that is probably the last place she saw him. You might want to consider confining first calvers in a smaller, more escape proof pasture/pen to prevent this type of thing from happening again. First calf heifers are generally not stupid, but they are inexperienced and they have a tendency to become confused more easily than a veteran cow who has been through delivery before.

She now has left that alone and came back up to eat the baby is belling for her ... I watched it try to nurse and she just kicks her little head out of the way. Should I go ahead and try to bring them in and make them be together? I don't understand why she would have let it nurse at first and not now.

Because she knew it was her calf following delivery, and now the calf has been seperated from her long enough that she is no longer sure it is her calf. Put her in the chute, help the calf nurse - you might have to do this for a few days (or possibly longer) - once her milk scent is more pronounced on the calf, she will probably accept him.

Any help would be great.... The think about getting them in is we have had so much rain you can hardly wall in the fields... WHERE IS SPRING??

What does spring (or summer, winter, or fall for that matter) have to do with it? Situations like this go with the territory, and every season presents different challenges. It is a known fact that all bets are off with a first-time calver. You have the options of accepting it, dealing with it, and planning accordingly - or modifying your program to not include first-time heifers. Seems pretty simple to me. ;-)

Thanks

 

[I luv herfrds]

mss is right. Get that heifer in the barn and in the chute and get the calf on her.
Had a first year heifer that would not accept her calf for any reason, not even bellow for it. Cow went down the road and the calf was sold to our friends daughter and was grafted onto one of their cows.
Sorry but even if it is muddy you need to get that cow in. I've chased cows on foot in the pouring rain, raging blizzards, so I guess I just don't see the problem with mud.

 

[cah]

Okay... took your advice and we all... (meaning our family of four) got our big ole mud boots on and got her cornered and we got her in!!!! Her baby went right to her and starting nursing... she was not thrilled but let her. I gave the heifer some yummy grain and she stood still long enough for the baby to eat away. I will keep an close eye on the two of them today. It took some walking in thick mud up to our calf muscles but we did it as a family and my two teens were great about it! Family time.. Ha.Ha... thank you for all the advice. Hopefully with a couple of days the mother will start to like the little one! :banana:

 

[1982vett]

Good job.

Fun ain't it. :roll:

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Good job. Now, watch the calf closely for scours or respiratory problems. Calf was stessed - rain, mud & not getting to suck. "Probably" going to get sick. Stay on top of it. Do not turn them out for several days. Not trying to be gloom & doom - but it'll be great luck if calf doesn't get sick.

 

[cah]

Just came in from checking on the little one... she is up eating again.... so far she is not sick but I will be keeping them in together for several days just to make sure everyone is good. It is finally nice out today so maybe we can get some of the mud dried up. We now have a little red bull calve limping around because of the mud. He is several weeks old so I am pretty sure he just pulled a muscle in the mud. Always something with them, I'll telling ya! I have to say yes... it felt good to see that baby latch on to his momma... I am pretty sure she is sore but letting her nurse and every so often kick at her. Thank you all for your help this site is great for sharing information. Hope you all have a great weekend.

 

[Central Fl Cracker]

Just 2 weeks back I had the same problem and kept finding the calf 2 pastures apart and the calf was so weak. The cows(older cow) bag was not in good shape so I gave the calf away to a little old lady that bottle feeds them. I will be shipping the momma cow next week since she can not do her job as a momma cow.

 

[Cowdirt]

Just 2 weeks back I had the same problem and kept finding the calf 2 pastures apart and the calf was so weak. The cows(older cow) bag was not in good shape so I gave the calf away to a little old lady that bottle feeds them. I will be shipping the momma cow next week since she can not do her job as a momma cow.

Cracker, that's cheating. I don't give up on a calf that easy. ;-)

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

Its good that you got that calf sucking, but if I were you, I'd give that heifer the yo-heave-ho down the road. I don't have the patience for heifers/cows that won't take their calves, even if they get 'confused' over the afterbirth. After a day, that animal shouldn't be confused anymore and should have taken her calf.

Rod

 

[cah]

update on mamma and baby:

They both are doing well... the calve looks good this morning but the momma just don't really act like she loves the little girl... She will let her nurse and will lick her face maybe once a day... I don't know if this will get better or not... I guess a wait and see thing. If she don't start showing more "motherly" instincts though I don't really know if we will keep her. Got quite a suprise this morning one of our heifers that did not get pregnant last year and was on the "to go list" gave birth to a really little bull calve this morning... I guess the clean up bull got her and we didn't think so. He is really cute! What a nice little gift! Thank you all for your advice.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Great to hear that you got her in. Hope you didn't lose your boots chasing her in. Been there.
Sometimes first year heifers are not too sure about what they are doing. Now you said that she stood by the afterbirth and bellowed for the calf, so she does have some instinct, but not alot of common sense. (husband compares them to teen age bubble heads. :roll: )
Now the fact that she is letting the calf nurse and is not kicking her is a good sign. I think she just got confused. We'd give her another chance, but that is just us.