New Calf

[SPJ]

My cow had a calf early Monday morning. When I saw her it was still dark, had to work late Monday, so when I got home it was dark. Tuesday the same thing. So when I got off today, I went to check on her and it did not look like she made it. I went up to her and put my hand on her and to my surprise she raised her head, but when I pinched her hide it did not feel very elastic. She ended up getting up and went over to her mother but never did drink any milk. Her mother had one teat that was huge, so I put her in the squeeze chute and milked her and it finally started producing milk. Is there something I should be doing? Thanks in advance, Phil

 

[Isomade]

More than likely you should leave them alone.

 

[ThreeCrossBuckaroo]

Ya I seconded that,that calf needs the colostrum in the first 24hrs before the stomach wall hardens up. By milking her out and busting the wax plug you run the risk of loosing that lucky the calf probably got the colostrum from the other tits but still.

 

[bird dog]

Sounds like the calf is dehydrated. I would watch to see if the calf was nursing no matter how long it takes

 

[George]

Yes there is something you can do,if you don't want to look after your cattle any better then that.Sell them!!

 

[ThreeCrossBuckaroo]

Yes there is something you can do,if you don't want to look after your cattle any better then that.Sell them!!

I'll bite,pampered cattle tend to not do so well in tough times, if that cow cannot raise a healthy calf then ship her. Heifer or not if she's not mothering the snot out of that calf and she's wondering off and not sticking around so it can nurse and get milk she should be reevaluated not saying that's what she's doing but it's something to think about. If your wanting to do something give it 5cc of la300 it has a longer re vac then 200 if it's got a small fever one hit should do it.

 

[chippie]

I'll bite,pampered cattle tend to not do so well in tough times, if that cow cannot raise a healthy calf then ship her. Heifer or not if she's not mothering the snot out of that calf and she's wondering off and not sticking around so it can nurse and get milk she should be reevaluated not saying that's what she's doing but it's something to think about. If your wanting to do something give it 5cc of la300 it has a longer re vac then 200 if it's got a small fever one hit should do it.

It is not a matter of pampering cattle, but being a good cowman by checking your cattle and if one needs help, give it to it.

If a calf needs to be pulled, do you consider it "pampering" the cow to get the calf out? A live animal is worth more than a dead one.

 

[Isomade]

Sounds to me like the calf was resting and the OP was concerned because of one blown teet. You are going to have blown teets, a newborn won't suck from all quarters in the early stages anyway. Not everyone checks their cattle every day, it's just not fees able for everyone who works in town. If anything the OP was over attentive in milking the cow because of one blown teet. #blownoutOfproportion

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Dang it, Isom i think you might be right. One thing you can bet on it ain't all rosy with cattle. You do what you can when you can.

 

[angie1]

If your wanting to do something give it 5cc of la300 it has a longer re vac then 200 if it's got a small fever one hit should do it.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record (I know how much CT loves repetition) but for the sake of newbies, don't just assume an animal needs antibiotics ~ especially a young calf like this. If there is no fever, antibiotics will do no good and will actually be harmful to the calf. Take a temp first.

 

[salebarn junkie]

Yes there is something you can do,if you don't want to look after your cattle any better then that.Sell them!!

A few weeks ago somebody on the board said there cattle not KIDS. When there calving i try to check twice a day but sometimes that doesn't work out. The cows work for me, i don't work for the cows. If it's on the ground i expect the cow to do her job, that doesn't mean i wont help if can. In this case it sounds like he's doing the best he can under the circumstances. The calf should have nursed on the other three teats and if it didn't its probably to late, when they get stronger they usually nurse the bottleteat on there own.

 

[SPJ]

Yes there is something you can do,if you don't want to look after your cattle any better then that.Sell them!!

There is only one person that walked this earth that knew everything and we killed him. There are a few Einsteins out there, but most people are just like me, you do not know anything until you are taught. That is why I asked for help on this forum.

 

[Beefy]

did you check the other three?

 

[ga.prime]

I'd do nothing in that situation remedy wise. If the calf died, I'd sell the cow. If the calf lived I'd keep the cow.

 

[George]

Yes there is something you can do,if you don't want to look after your cattle any better then that.Sell them!!

There is only one person that walked this earth that knew everything and we killed him. There are a few Einsteins out there, but most people are just like me, you do not know anything until you are taught. That is why I asked for help on this forum.

Use every excuse you want,and there is nothing wrong with asking for advice.I'll even give acreage people advice if they ask for it,or go pull a calf for them in the middle of the night and not complain 1 bit about it.BUT if they find a cow in the middle of night having calving troubles,and they tell me in the morning because they didn't want to wake me.And i go over there and pull a dead calf out,there getting a serious A$$ chewing from me.Do you get my point?

 

[cross_7]

Yes there is something you can do,if you don't want to look after your cattle any better then that.Sell them!!

I'll bite,pampered cattle tend to not do so well in tough times, if that cow cannot raise a healthy calf then ship her. Heifer or not if she's not mothering the snot out of that calf and she's wondering off and not sticking around so it can nurse and get milk she should be reevaluated not saying that's what she's doing but it's something to think about. If your wanting to do something give it 5cc of la300 it has a longer re vac then 200 if it's got a small fever one hit should do it.

I agree 100%
I want one that when she sees me coming she runs over and stands guard over the calf.
My job is to take care of the cow.
Her job it to take care of that calf.
If either of us doesn't do our job we are in jeopardy

 

[SPJ]

Two cows: one calved on Sunday, one calved on Monday. I have them pinned up so I can check on them easier. I give them water, hay and cubes every morning and every night. The Sunday calf was up and running right from the start. The Monday calf was just the opposite. When I checked on the Monday calf that night, she was just a slow poke. I did check the pen and found yellow poop in it. So I thought she was just a slow starter. So Tuesday when I checked on them the same thing. More poop in the pen but still slow getting around. So Wednesday when I checked on her is when I touched her and she did not feel right. So that is when I saw how large the mother's teat was. So I checked all four teats. Three of them a couple of squeezes and milk so I stopped. The huge one I did squeeze until I got milk. I thought I was helping her. Tonight when I checked on them, both calves are up and running but the cows teat is getting bigger and yes I left them alone. Thanks, Phil

 

[jerry27150]

you are doing fine, like the old guy told his neighbor (we are the only two people i know that are perfect & sometimes i am not so sure about you)

 

[ThreeCrossBuckaroo]

That's for sure I could loose track of how many calves we've saved by doing a mid night check. Something to ponder is the time you feed,we feed just before dark because a cow with a full belly is more likely to calves during the day light hours. There is a name for the study on that I'll have to dig it up for you.

 

[cow pollinater]

Yes there is something you can do,if you don't want to look after your cattle any better then that.Sell them!!

Come on out here and show me how it's done. Mine don't get calving help at all. Somehow I've managed to squeek by and even grow. :?