Poor mothering heifer, second chance or ship?

[M.Magis]

Had a first time heifer calve last night. Noticed she looked thin this morning and she seemed to be hunting for something. Found the calf laying by the hay ring, fairly muddy but reasonably healthy, although very small. It got up and ran away when I got too close. Caught it and put it and the heifer in the barn so it could be out of the mud. She was way more worried about getting out with the other cows than taking care of the calf. She would perk up and look when the calf bawled, but every time it tried to nurse she kicked it down. Its too little to take much of that so I fed it a bottle of colostrum replacement and brought it up to the house. It will just be my younger sons 4H feeder, assuming it makes it. It's possible with more time and effort the heifer would have warmed up to her calf, but I'm not sure and it's way too muddy to be driving back and forth to the barn several times per day. My first thought is to haul the heifer to the sale once it freezes. Too hasty? I've never bothered with heifers before so not sure if she's likely to do better the second time around. Her dam is one of the best cows I've owned so I was looking forward to seeing how she turned out. But I hate the thought of her doing this again next year.

 

[faster horses]

You have a 50-50 chance she will do that next year. If she doesn't raise this calf the odds go down.

 

[Lazy M]

The smart move would be to sell her..I don't always make the smart moves and have a tendancy to give heifers a second chance if I like them.

 

[GoWyo]

Put her in the chute and get the calf to nursing. Let her raise it because bottle calves suck, literally. Calving in bad conditions can mess up even a good heifer. If she doesn't do a good job after a trip through the chute send her on.

 

[SBMF 2015]

If you try to help the calf nurse and it still doesn't work or if your set on raising a bottle calf. . . Cut her head off. No second chances on being stupid.
Used to calve a bunch of heifers. Some get confused and can get straighten out with a little help. So just don't want to be a momma.

 

[bird dog]

Another animal in the barn with her might make her more comfortable staying there. Feed the calf enough to keep it strong, she will catch on....sometimes.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

Had a first time heifer calve last night. Noticed she looked thin this morning and she seemed to be hunting for something. Found the calf laying by the hay ring, fairly muddy but reasonably healthy, although very small. It got up and ran away when I got too close. Caught it and put it and the heifer in the barn so it could be out of the mud. She was way more worried about getting out with the other cows than taking care of the calf. She would perk up and look when the calf bawled, but every time it tried to nurse she kicked it down. Its too little to take much of that so I fed it a bottle of colostrum replacement and brought it up to the house. It will just be my younger sons 4H feeder, assuming it makes it. It's possible with more time and effort the heifer would have warmed up to her calf, but I'm not sure and it's way too muddy to be driving back and forth to the barn several times per day. My first thought is to haul the heifer to the sale once it freezes. Too hasty? I've never bothered with heifers before so not sure if she's likely to do better the second time around. Her dam is one of the best cows I've owned so I was looking forward to seeing how she turned out. But I hate the thought of her doing this again next year.

I think you are asking a question to which you already know the answer.

 

[TCRanch]

I'm all about getting her in the chute & the calf latched on - for a while. A lot of people will try & force the love for as long as it takes, but I don't have the time or desire for that kind of nonsense. Sometimes they just need a little encouragement (heifers are the equivalent of teenage girls) and their mothering instinct kicks in once that calf nurses. But not always, in which case she earns a ride on the trailer.

There are all sorts of tips & tricks: give her a shot of oxy, Orphan No More, put a dog in with them, rub the calfs urine or afterbirth on the dams nose, slather on Vics Vapor Rub . . . . . Some work some don't BUT only if she wants to be a mom in the first place.

 

[coachg]

What goWyo said .

 

[moses388]

I think it's too late for a happy reunion. The heifer has no clue the calf belongs to her. Something happened in the night during parturition. Hard to say what if no one was there. If the heifer was springing maybe she could have been penned by herself? My concern is why the calf is very small.

Short story -
Cows were laying together behind the barn one night. In the night one cow gives birth. That morning I find one calf being claimed by 2 cows, but it wasn't the newborn. The newborn was nursing on a pine tree. It had gone under the hot wire and in the grove. The newborn became a bottle calf. I moved momma to another farm. That was 2+ years ago. During that time momma has birthed and raised 2 bull calves without problem. She just needed a change of scenery.

 

[Ky hills]

I've not had a whole lot of success stories getting a heifer to claim a calf if she doesn't right away. Sometimes they can claim the calf but be sensitive around their udder and kick the calf off. If that's the case then getting them in a chute and check the udder, and try to get the calf to nurse. Sometimes that will solve that, but if she just ignores the calf and is trying to get out of the barn then I would sell her if it were mine.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Ah yes. The heifer dance!

I've made a few come around. Spent 3 weeks chuting/working with the cow/heifer.

Get her in the chute and get that calf a sucking her!! Make sure the calf is good and hungry b4 hand.

Muddy conditions suck. Pen needs bedding/hay. I've found that once the calf nurses a few times while mama is in the chute, usually she will allow it to nurse while she is eating feed. I feed em twice a day.


That being said, I'm about to the point I won't do that anymore. I've got a couple mothers who love any calf!

The one who doesn't, goes to the sale.




Edited....
My instant other thought is this!
If the calf is tiny, I would dang sure be checking for a twin somewhere. That would explain the cows behavior as well. She may have well laid claim to the other calf and that's why she's confused too.

 

[TCRanch]

@MurraysMutts, notice I didn't call you out on the 3+ weeks? You're welcome. And good call on a possible twin or claiming another calf!

 

[MurraysMutts]

@MurraysMutts, notice I didn't call you out on the 3+ weeks? You're welcome. And good call on a possible twin or claiming another calf!

Only done that a time or three.....

It goes MUCH easier when the calf actually belongs to the mother.

The first one was the toughest! But she gave in. And that makes me, "the winner"

 

[Brute 23]

Bounce her first chance you get.

 

[MurraysMutts]

And for what it's worth regarding the original question....

ALL the ones I've worked with, did fantastic the next year!

Ymmv..


Here's a success story..

Here we go again...

Yeah... she did that when I had em penned. Idk how she tore it like that. Her poor ear ain't been right since... all droopy n stuff. I dont like it! Is it infected?

www.cattletoday.com

 

[HDRider]

Bounce her first chance you get.

I agree. Why not?

 

[HDRider]

And for what it's worth regarding the original question....

ALL the ones I've worked with, did fantastic the next year!

Ymmv..

I started with 33 heifers. I have all but one. I gave it a second chance that did not work. It just could not make milk. Other second chancers worked out well. I have had maybe four second chancers.

Everyone told me how stupid I was starting with heifers. I am pretty stupid, but I am more stubborn.

Heifers worked well for me. I am six years in now.

 

[M.Magis]

Appreciate all the thoughts. Its a mud hole here now so I have time to figure it out. Unfortunately my chute is somewhere else or that was the first thing I was going to try. Good idea on the twin possibility. The idea crossed my mind when she was trying to get out of the barn, but I completely forgot as we were trying to get the calf on the 4 wheeler and didn't think about it again until you mentioned it. I was also wrong thinking she had cleaned the calf, what I thought was mud was just dried mucus and such. Calf is all crusty but at least its dry with a full belly. Doesn't have near the pep it had this morning, but it drank another half quart of colostrum replacement. Looks a lot more full than it did when we found it, hopefully we can keep it alive. As much as I hate having another bottle calf, I hate dead calves more. And my 11 year old is pretty excited to raise it for his 4H calf, probably more excited than he should be at this point. Thanks again.

 

[ClinchValley86]

I started with 33 heifers. I have all but one. I gave it a second chance that did not work. It just could not make milk. Other second chancers worked out well. I have had maybe four second chancers.

Everyone told me how stupid I was starting with heifers. I am pretty stupid, but I am more stubborn.

Heifers worked well for me. I am six years in now.

I remember when you started. We started about the same time. I'm glad they have worked so well for you. Must have been good stock.

I've given a couple second chances. I have none of them. I am pretty dang tired of hiccups. I just don't have time for them.. So developed a zero tolerance policy.

I've hung on to the simmental cattle I bought from the family friend who sold out. Buying those was a good move. Have gotten quite a few good heifers out of them.