Our smallest calf ever

[FlyingLSimmentals]

Checked the cows Monday the 29th and put out some mineral. Noticed cow #70 wasn't in the mix of the herd and I had been expecting her to calve, therefore I figured the day had came and she was off with one. Ended up finding her just above the herd in the upper corner of the pasture. As I drove the ATV up there she got up and it appeared that the water bag had just burst. I moved on away to give her some space and went and put the loose mineral in the feeder and looked the others over. I went back to seeing distance and just watched her for 30 min. or so. She would mostly just stood about, tale somewhat stiffened and lightly bawling, licking her side, and smelling the ground. Darkness was very close so I approached her to get a better look too sum up the situation. Didn't see a calf, feet, or anything at that time. I thought she might would need assistance and I wanted to let others know where I was at that I might would need some help so I left. Dad and I came back with flashlights 30 min. later and she had a little tiny calf in front of her with her licking it and its head up enjoying the cleaning. The cow looked clean, no afterbirth hanging or any around that I could see. We left for the night thinking she might have another since the calf was so small and we didn't see any afterbirth. I went back first thing the next morning to check, found her with just the one calf in front of her and her taking good care of it just down the hill 50 yards or so. I did find afterbirth up close to the area she was at the evening before. Searched around for another calf but didn't find one, plus the cow didn't act like there was another. Therefore I presume it is just a single heifer but just really tiny. I would really like to weigh it and have the cow sleeved to be totally sure she is cleaned out. But the cow is really protective and is very used to being on her own without much human interaction and we have been very busy with our fall hay crop among other things. I did ease up to the calf once while it was sleeping and cow wasn't looking and was able to pick it up slightly with just one hand and arm before I got the Dam's attention. I guessed it at 35 - 42 lbs. Dad has it guessed at 25 -35 lbs. I think it's the smallest I've ever seen alive. Maybe I can at least get a pic today sometimes.

 

[Jake]

We had one out of a heifer a couple of years ago that when I went to get it out of the ice storm I almost flipped it over my shoulder when I grabbed it it was so light. Never did amount to much but at least it was alive

 

[Nesikep]

Wow, that's tiny!.. Smallest I've had is about 50 lbs and that was from an Uh-oh, mother was only 18 months old.
Healthy and sucking is what matters... but like you, I'd like to make sure something else isn't in there. I made the mistake of not checking once after a 110 lb bull calf, next day, well, there was another 110 lb bull all flipped around.

 

[UG]

A few years ago several Angus producers across the US reported of getting extremely small calves (approximately 25 lbs). There was some thought that this may be genetic abnormality and initially several of the calves had common ancestors which made the argument that it was a breed specific genetic abnormality seem credible. However, over time, there seemed to be more and more small calves born that didn't have any ancestors in common with other small calves (often referred to as "Itty Bittys"). There also was some reports of small calves of other breeds and crosses being born, which also makes the idea of this being a breed specific abnormality not seem likely.

If this isn't a genetic abnormality, the thought by so-called experts is that this is an environmental issue.

In the past couple years I have heard less and less producers mentioning the small calf issue.

 

[Nesikep]

I have the opposite problem, suddenly our BW's went up an average of 15 lbs, and the outliers were up 40 lbs. Thankfully it hasn't caused us any grief, but from 20 cows I regularly get a couple 130ish lb bulls, and a couple 120 lb heifers. The first timers seem to keep it reasonable at about 80ish lbs thankfully. I don't know what caused it, since we've had the same feed for 25 years, it happened suddenly from the same bull that had normal sized calves before, and has continued ever since. Now when I go to another ranch and I see 70 lb calves they look sooo tiny.

 

[wacocowboy]

This spring I had a heifer give birth to a lil runt. I bought her weighing 790 lbs and she came bred. I thought I was buying an open heifer to breed to an angus bull I had. If I did the math right she either bred right before they took her to the sale or at the sale barn. This calf sure hasn't grown much was born in march I doubt he weighs 400lbs.

 

[Nesikep]

She done good!, my runt weight 240 and was born end of march!

 

[warpaint]

all mine are born around 35 to 40 lbs. but grow quickly. But then I do raise the evil cattle. LOl

 

[Taurus]

This spring I had a heifer give birth to a lil runt. I bought her weighing 790 lbs and she came bred. I thought I was buying an open heifer to breed to an angus bull I had. If I did the math right she either bred right before they took her to the sale or at the sale barn. This calf sure hasn't grown much was born in march I doubt he weighs 400lbs.

Better than 125 or 200lbs! I had a calf that is weaned at six months and she weighted 125lbs......

 

[wacocowboy]

yeah nothing wrong with the cow if I was to bet she got bred to some sorry bull calf at the sale barn.

 

[Taurus]

yeah nothing wrong with the cow if I was to bet she got bred to some sorry bull calf at the sale barn.

Yup that 125lbs runt calf's dam do way better with her second calf next year when we bred her to a different bull.

 

[Nesikep]

My dink is twice as big as Taurus's dink!.. (Just couldn't resist that one)

I'm expecting a better performance from the momma as well or she'll be growing wheels too

 

[Taurus]

My dink is twice as big as Taurus's dink!.. (Just couldn't resist that one)

I'm expecting a better performance from the momma as well or she'll be growing wheels too

she's already bigger than your dink as she just turned 12 years old last June. You can see her current calf (the fall calf) in beltie calves 2014 thread.

 

[FlyingLSimmentals]

Sorry for not updating sooner but I've been swamped, the pics here are when the calf was 2 days old. Bad pics but the only ones I had time to get.

 

[FlyingLSimmentals]

This is the dam's last calf here mainly because of her large oversize nipples. Really had thought we had lost this calf. The calf had got around really well for 2 days with the cow. I couldn't tell if the calf had nursed and wasn't daring enough to go and catch it, she looked as though she would get you. The calf appeared to move really well and follow the cow never appearing to be hungry. Finally got the pair in a lot on day 2 late. I took some replacement milk down there just to see if the calf was hungry, she drank half a bottle. I then went to town and got a bag of colostrum and gave it half of it that night. Calf took the bottle really well, went the next morning to finish the bag of colostrum and the calf was sick looking bad laying not moving. I decided to load the calf up in the bed of the truck and go see the vet, he's less than 4 miles away to just see what he thought. Even though it looked like it might be to late. It ended up that Thursday was his day off, therefore I thought what the heck the calf is in the truck I'll go to the other vet that we use the next county over. Got there the vet examined it, he said it had some pneumonia and was running a fever and guessed it didn't get enough colostrum early enough. He also thought it might have been premature. He said he could tube it and give it some medicine if I wanted him to do so. He said if I was asking his opinion whether or not to do so that he wouldn't spend the money to do so. That the calf had a 10% chance or less of making it even after giving it the meds and tubing it. Therefore, I ended up letting him give it a appetite shot and he gave me some electrolyte's at no charge and told me to try and force feed it that and to give it a dose of LA300 when I got home and to try and keep it warm. I felt bad enough that she even got to ride up in the cab in the passenger seat, not to many animals ever see my cab. I got back gave it the LA300 and tried force feeding it some electrolytes. I think it swallowed 3 or 4 times before I gave up on her. Took her back to the dam and sat her out of the wind where I thought nature would take its course. Ended up going back late that evening and the next morning to rid of the corpse we thought we would find but each time she was still alive. It got holding its head up and I got bottle feeding again and then later we were able to get the cow in the chute and help the calf nurse the dam. The chute didn't work real well and we figured out it was easier outside while she ate feed, problem there was the feed would run out quicker than the calf could nurse and she would then move off. Granted the cow wasn't nearly as bad as we thought, never trying to get us just positioning herself where we all had a hard time. Calf is now nursing the front 2 really well and 1 back one somewhat on her own and loves the hell out of me. She meets me every time I'm down there rubbing up against me and bucking around me, even still tries to suck my fingers. I'll still help it from time to time to get the nipples in its mouth, maybe it'll get the fourth one soon. She has already learned her name Bitty Betty.

 

[Nesikep]

Well, good to hear she's on the mend, Looking at the pictures of the dam I figured them nipples were a heck of a mouthful for a small calf. Hope she continues to do well

 

[Williamsv]

She will soon get the others. She 's a pretty little thing. Hope she does well.

 

[branguscowgirl]

Awe, good luck to Bitty Betty! I hope that she does well now!