On calf watch

[Carnivore]

2 yr old heifer, been with the new bull for 9 months now, and bull was active/interested in her as soon as he arrived last April. So, have the calving pen ready, the window is open at night to listen for loud mooing, and checking her 3-4 times a day. As soon as she bags up, she will go in the pen to go on easy cow duty, (alfalfa hay, straw for the calf, etc).

Wish me luck, last time one of my cows calved, it didn't turn out too good.

 

[Gale Seddon]

I will certainly cross all my fingers for you cause I know how it is waiting and watching...and I am known to wake up in the middle of the night, pull on jeans and a jacket and go out with a flashlight only to have the cow looking at me like "go away!"

Isn't it a little chilly to keep the window open?

Will be waiting for a happy announcement and wishing you and your heifer lots of good luck!

 

[Alice]

I will certainly cross all my fingers for you cause I know how it is waiting and watching...and I am known to wake up in the middle of the night, pull on jeans and a jacket and go out with a flashlight only to have the cow looking at me like "go away!"

Isn't it a little chilly to keep the window open?

Will be waiting for a happy announcement and wishing you and your heifer lots of good luck!

Ditto! Hope all goes well.

Alice

 

[Beefy]

good luck Carni.

 

[JHH]

I know how you feel. Good luck

I have 3 heifers to calve this time in march so I will be getting up and not sleeping to good till they calve.

I love it when you get up and go out and they are just looking at you. You know they are thinking what is he doing out this time of night. JHH

 

[mitchwi]

Good luck to you.... I have 13 heifers to calve, they aren't due til the end of April, and already I wake with a start in the middle of the night... lord I have a long road ahead!

Michele

 

[swampbillies]

I can certainly relate. This year was our first calving. We had two nice little heifers born the past couple of weeks, and everything seemed to go pretty good. I am not sure who was more relieved. The cows, I am sure are glad it is over. My husband and I, who have not gotten any sleep and have been afraid to leave the house for more than an hour at a time. Or my friends and family, who are sick to death of hearing me talk about how worried and excited we were. I hope everything goes smoothly for you and yours.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Good Luck! Had our first 07 calf born last night. First calf heifer had a solid red heifer!! Love those girls!!!
On the issue of "listening" to your cows. Years ago, I purchases Radio Shack audio monitors. If your barn & house is on the same electric system/meter, than they will work.
I turn the monitor on in the barn & can hear all the barn noises. Very distinct HMMMM sounds means you got one coming or on the ground. When cow starts labor, they usually start banging the gates - wanting out, so that usually wakes me right up.

 

[Hasbeen]

I'm glad I'm not the only one sweating it out waiting on first calves. All the decisions I was comfortable with a couple of months ago, I'm second-guessing now. Did I use the right bull? Will the late Jan, early Feb weather be OK for new calves? Will these first time mamas protect their calves from coyotes? Are my facilities as good as I thought? Losing that first one (stillborn six weeks premature and had to be pulled), has really got me doubting. Good luck to everyone.

 

[just learnin]

I know what you mean.

Good luck to you.

 

[swampbillies]

We had two first calf heifers this year give us 2 baby heifers. Their first calves and ours also. After reading Jeannes post about the solid red heifers it made me wonder if it was unusual. While I am letting my rookiness hang out, I wanted to ask you about the new babies. I would like to keep them since they are both heifers. Is it too early to tell if they are keepers? Any opinions would be appreciated. The lighter one is 2 weeks old and the red is about 9 hours in these pics.

 

[Joy in Texas]

I have 3 cows due anytime. 1 is here at the house the other 2 are a mile down the road.With it freezing at nites I get up a couple of times a nite. I really don't worry about the 2 ,but the one here is 15 yrs old.
My heifers start Feb/Mar hopefully it warms up then.
I know how nerve racking it can be with heifers, I hope all goes well for you.

 

[CWT Angus]

We too are in the same boat as a lot of you. Starting tonight will be the checks every 2-3 hours. The barometer is going to drop starting Thursday- maybe that will help them come sooner rather than later? I know if I try & predict it I will loose the little bit of sleep that I can get. Good luck to you all.

 

[Hasbeen]

I've been told by some of the locals that I shouldn't keep any of the calves born to first timers, that the following calves will all be much better. Is this true?

 

[Frankie]

I've been told by some of the locals that I shouldn't keep any of the calves born to first timers, that the following calves will all be much better. Is this true?

Calving ease bulls tend to be lighter muscled than some other bulls, at least in Angus. That may be why people say not to keep heifers out of first calvers. We try to use bulls on first calf heifers that have other good qualities, like carcass. Heifers just raise smaller calves because they don't milk as well as they will later in life.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Frankie's right. Many, many years ago, most noone kept heifers out of 1st calf heifers, because they were bred to super easy calving sires & the offspring were dinks.
Now, I don't agree. The first calf heifers should be your BEST genetics in your herd if you are doing a good job breeding your cattle, and their first calf should be your next best. There are MANY bulls out there that are easy calving with great growth & all the other traits needed to be productive cows for your herd.
As to the two babies, I think they look really stout & thick for 2 weeks & less than a day :shock: . Look real good to me. What breed are they? How much did they weigh?

 

[Gale Seddon]

....and already I wake with a start in the middle of the night... lord I have a long road ahead!

Michele

Yup...wake up and can't get back to sleep for worrying that something might go wrong...so I go out and check...then can't get back to sleep cause then I'm wide awake from going outside. Can't win.

 

[Carnivore]

Bag isn't getting any bigger, nothing new. Since I am not sure when she was bred, this might take a while, (like a whole month). That would be okay, as the weather here in WA is pretty crappy at the moment. Perhaps I'll go out tomorrow and take a pic. of the girl.

 

[swampbillies]

As to the two babies, I think they look really stout & thick for 2 weeks & less than a day :shock: . Look real good to me. What breed are they? How much did they weigh?

The babies are a Brangus/Limo mix. I thought they looked huge also, but I don't have enough experience to say for sure. I appreciate your input, I thought maybe I was just being prejudiced. The red one that is just a day old is as big as the 2 week old calf. And I thought it was pretty good size when it was born. I was so proud of my first time heifers. :) I don't know how much they weigh though. I was just telling my husband that we need to figure out a way to weigh the calves. How is it normally done?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

There are a few ways to weigh them. Beginners will use a bathroom scale. Place the scale on a solid floor or board. Pick up the calf & weigh yourself & calf, than subtract your weight.
There are special scales for weighing calves. They generally go up to 200#. It has a hook on the top & one on the bottom.
We use a pole about 8' long with a ring about 1' from the top. Hook the scale to the ring & use the pole as a fulcrum (sp?)
We have a "basket" that we made out of canvas or you can use some real heavy drape material. We sewed a piece of a broomstick on each side for support & tied rope to each ends of the broomstick with a ring centered on the rope (both sides). This is a sling to put under the bellie of the calf. Hook the bottom hook of the scale on the two rings on the sling & use the pole to pick the calf off the ground - read the weight. Our sling weighs 2# so we deduct the 2# from the weight.
The sling can be purchased also along with the calf scales.
Some people have cattle platform scales in the barn & they bring the calf to the barn to weigh it.
Your heifers must be pretty good size for them to spit those calves out without difficulty.