Placenta and first time heifer

[colleen]

We have a first time heifer who gave birth Friday morning. Here it is Sunday, so 2 days now and she just passed another piece of her placenta. I guess it is the placenta. Thick stringy long piece. She has been real slow cleaning out. Sorta resembles the mucous that leaks out the last month of pregnancy only denser and not clear. Is she retaining her placenta?? She seems fine. Baby came a week early by my books and is really tiny but full of energy.

Thanks for any advice!
Colleen

 

[Anonymous]

She just cleaning out still. It's normal

 

[colleen]

Ok. Just worried her first time. She did well. Kicked at it a little when it tried to nurse first time but some feed helped!! Tiniest little heifer I've ever seen! Some huge hawks(I guess they were hawks). Landed close by it yesterday and I had to run out there and scare them off. Well thank you Hooknline, just seemed a little slow. Husband has gone deer hunting and knew for sure it was going to be crazy but she did great!!
thanks,
Colleen

 

[Chris H]

Ok. Just worried her first time. She did well. Kicked at it a little when it tried to nurse first time but some feed helped!! Tiniest little heifer I've ever seen! Some huge hawks(I guess they were hawks). Landed close by it yesterday and I had to run out there and scare them off. Well thank you Hooknline, just seemed a little slow. Husband has gone deer hunting and knew for sure it was going to be crazy but she did great!!
thanks,
Colleen

Those were more than likely buzzards, Mexican black buzzards. They've been known to attack new calves. They're drawn by the afterbirth. They shouldn't go after it now that it's dried off and running around.

 

[colleen]

Well you know I worried that they might be. I didn't check them out too good because I was running. lOl. I just noticed when they took off their wing span was huge. Bigger than any hawks I've seen around here. Then they flew up really high and circled above the pasture like I've seen hawks doing, but I've never seen hawks that size. I ran and got a gun but they were gone and I've not seen them again. Really worried me because my husband is out of town. He called the neighbor to help keep an eye out.

 

[greybeard]

In your area--they're buzzards--or we call 'em East Texas Eagles, and If you get close to one, you'll know it--they stink to high heaven.

 

[chippie]

Keep an eye on her and make sure that she cleans out completely. We lost a heifer that retained a bit of placenta & developed a pyometra. We couldn't get it cleared up. : (

 

[Limomike]

Hook is right.. sometimes the first time heifers take a bit more time to clean out. And it sounds like those are buzzards that are around. its sometimes how I find a new born calf.. buzzards tend to flock to where the placenta is laying, and wanna help the momma cow eat it up. Darn pests..

 

[colleen]

I think she is fine now. Keeping an eye one her. Poor thing...its the tiniest baby I've ever seen and it is running her ragged!

 

[Limomike]

Does she have enough milk for that little calf? If not, might want to pen em both up and put the feed to her.

 

[colleen]

Im feeding the momma morning and night. The calf is running around and up a lot but I am a little concerned because it is only nursing one side of the bag. She only nurses a few minutes at each feeding. Had milk on her mouth. She hits the bag quite a bit. Can it be that she only needs to nurse a few minutes because she is so small? Husband will be home tomorrow and he is talking about getting her in the chute so that we can get her on that other side to nurse if necessary. I hate to have to do that tho. If she was hungry wouldn't she try harder and maybe go after the rest of the bag. She is very active, running around a lot, following mom . Just nurses on one side and only a few minutes at a time.

 

[chippie]

the calf sounds normal.

 

[Anonymous]

Don't worry about the calf only nursing one side she's probably getting that side when no ones looking. I would leave them be and let nature be natural

 

[Limomike]

Yep.. if its hitting only one side of the bag, and is getting full, its only a matter of time before it starts on the other side. Like hook said, its probably already sucking on the other side every so often.

 

[colleen]

That's what I want to hear. Reassurance is nice! Thanks.

 

[greybeard]

Is the calf only nursing the same side all the time?
Or does it nrse left side one time then the right side other times?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

What she was passing was not the placenta. The placenta is thick membrain - not like gel or slime or discharge. She is fine.
If calf is running around - ignore her eating habits. Mom is giving more than calf can handle. She'll drink more as she grows.

 

[colleen]

She nurses the same side every time! And it is for one or 2 minutes and alot of that is hitting and pulling . She has to be getting enough tho cuz She is definitly full of energy. Runs around a lot. Poor mom was galloping (fast) this evening all over the pasture...calf was running with the tail up and hopping and bucking. Then goes and nurses for maybe 2 minutes. Then back to running and exploring. Only calf in the pasture right now. Cow is very gentle but without my husband home I don't want to mess with her alone, but tomorrow when he gets back we are gona check and see if that one teat on other side is maybe plugged. And yes it did look more like slime not like placenta. One more question...if she does not suck that teat for awhile will that quarter quit producing? Is it a replacement system?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Some calves won't get all 4 quarters for several weeks. You are better off NOT opening the quarter if the calf is not sucking it. If you want to put the cow in the chute and put the calf on the side she is not sucking and try to get her to suck it - but I would not just open it up & milk her. If you do that, and the calf doesn't suck it, she can get mastitis in that quarter/s. Sometimes they just get "one sided" and when they start getting hungry they'll go looking for more milk. This is quite common.

 

[colleen]

Ok Thank you. We will leave it alone! This is Off the subject but Jeanne, I love your website!! Beautiful countryside. Beautiful cattle. We raise Simbrahs. We are very small. Our neighbor usually buys most of our calves for the area high school FFA kids to show. We really enjoy it!! Thanks again for your advice!
Colleen fontenot