Resilent calves

[dun]

Now will be the test to see just how tough calves are. Oldest was a week and a half, youngest was a day. For 36 hours they were exposed to continuous rain (6.11 inches) and temps ranging from 35-68 degrees. Laying up in what few trees were available, most of the time bedded down out in the open, but wet all of the time.

 

[cfpinz]

Same thing here not too long ago, except for the 6" of rain! Had the wife bring home a new bottle of Baytril, never cracked the seal. If I didn't do that every one of them would be sick, cheap insurance policy.

 

[dun]

Same thing here not too long ago, except for the 6" of rain! Had the wife bring home a new bottle of Baytril, never cracked the seal. If I didn't do that every one of them would be sick, cheap insurance policy.

The vet called lstnight to BS a bit and I asked him what to expect. He feels that with the condition of our cows and calves the only thing we may have is some scour problems. We shall see. It just can;t be all that good for the little buggers to be soaked to the skin for that long with the low temps.

 

[bandit80]

Now will be the test to see just how tough calves are. Oldest was a week and a half, youngest was a day. For 36 hours they were exposed to continuous rain (6.11 inches) and temps ranging from 35-68 degrees. Laying up in what few trees were available, most of the time bedded down out in the open, but wet all of the time.

I see you are in the MO Ozarks. Beautiful country, and you guys have been getting hammered here the last couple of days. New station out of Kansas City reported some places in southern MO had 10-12 inches of rain!! The worst are obviously those rains when it is 35 degrees. That is hard on the momma and the baby.

Seems when we get a period of rain that lasts more than an hour or two, I will notice a few cases of scours in calves that are about 7-14 days old. I would also watch for any calves acting sluggish or labored breathing. Might have a case of pneumonia here or there, but judging from the posts I've seen from you, you probably knew that.

 

[Cowdirt]

I agree with that bandit. I'd rather have dun watching over my calves than most vets.

 

[pauline]

The rain is the topic that I have been thinking about for the past few weeks. I have little babies out there, youngest a week old, sleeping in the rain all day long for the past weeks. I am thinking if I can make some kind of makeshift shelters for them in areas where there are few trees. Light weight, easy to move, can be folded and put away..., and calves will know to use it for shelter.

 

[dun]

The rain is the topic that I have been thinking about for the past few weeks. I have little babies out there, youngest a week old, sleeping in the rain all day long for the past weeks. I am thinking if I can make some kind of makeshift shelters for them in areas where there are few trees. Light weight, easy to move, can be folded and put away..., and calves will know to use it for shelter.

They may use it, but ours prefer to sleep out in the rain in the open. If they have high ground that's a little dryer, that would help.

 

[Beefy]

no worries about scours problems, i got them all this year.

 

[Cowdirt]

Light weight, easy to move, can be folded and put away..., and calves will know to use it for shelter.

Pauline, the livestock will move it, fold it; I don't know about putting it away. This time of yr. my cattle are rubbing seriously on any thing they can find. Save your time and money unless you build something sustantial. Also as someone said, they seldom stay long in a shelter unless they are locked in.

 

[novatech]

Now will be the test to see just how tough calves are. Oldest was a week and a half, youngest was a day. For 36 hours they were exposed to continuous rain (6.11 inches) and temps ranging from 35-68 degrees. Laying up in what few trees were available, most of the time bedded down out in the open, but wet all of the time.

Really doesn't seem like that long ago that someone on here was knocked completely off the boards for a few weeks because of an ice storm. We need to count our blessings. Seems like a couple of years ago someone posted a pic of a calf completely enveloped in ice. I always wondered if it made it.
Would feeding the momma cows a high energy feed help? Seems like they would pass it to the calf as butterfat.
If my hot blooded Brahmans can make it, your calves have nothing to worry about.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Now will be the test to see just how tough calves are. Oldest was a week and a half, youngest was a day. For 36 hours they were exposed to continuous rain (6.11 inches) and temps ranging from 35-68 degrees. Laying up in what few trees were available, most of the time bedded down out in the open, but wet all of the time.

Sounds like our typical weather here, heck here they are born with web feet and quack .

 

[tom4018]

Now will be the test to see just how tough calves are. Oldest was a week and a half, youngest was a day. For 36 hours they were exposed to continuous rain (6.11 inches) and temps ranging from 35-68 degrees. Laying up in what few trees were available, most of the time bedded down out in the open, but wet all of the time.

Sounds like our typical weather here, heck here they are born with web feet and quack .

Send some of your genectics my way. Mud almost goes over the top of you boots here, almost need hip waders. Been having to use neighbors 4wd tractor just to get hay out. We had a calf get down in the mud/rain a couple weeks ago, nursed him back to the point I thought he was doing better. Rained 3 inches one night and found him dead that morning? :dunce: Guess I should have l put him in the barn, :cry2: can't sell that one.

 

[Caustic Burno]

We deal with 60" a year remember one Jan rained 28 days out of the month. Year before last we had 90" that year. My cows would freeze to death in your country, all of the pastures have drainage systems.

 

[jbar]

dun,i had 3 born in the twelve inchs of rain. i am watching them close but today they where bucking and jumping around in the sun shine. what a wonderful site after seeing water over most everything.my wifes ducks where swiming up and down the county road we live on.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Dun "is" the member that was off line for a few weeks because of the ice storm.
Been watching all the rain on the news for Missouri. Glad you're HIGH!
We're mud - mud and now we're having 50 mh wind with 20 degrees & snowing. The mud is NOT frozen. Not nice on those babies! Do have shelter for the babies IF they will use it.
Already have a 3 week old that we're treating - keeping her & mom in barn for now.

So, Dun, how are they doing now? any relief in the weather?

 

[dun]

So, Dun, how are they doing now? any relief in the weather?

Warm and sunny yesterday and today. Calves are unaware that there may have been a concern. I'll just keep an eye on them for another couple of days. Supposed to snow tomorrow night. I'm gonna shoot a groundhog!

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Man I sure would like to complain about mud. Been close to 20 years.
I'm tired of complaining about dust. Need a change.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

We got 11 or 12 inches of rain out the mess that Dun. I still can't cross the creek to get to town. Cows here at home are fine didn't see them for two days they went to the mountian and the cedar breaks, finaly showed up when it quit raining. Was 4 days before i could get to cattle on other place lost 3 calves there.I guess they got caught in high water and washed away can't find them. Was lucky to only lose 3 calves. Got enough fence to rebuild to keep me busy for a month.

 

[dun]

We got 11 or 12 inches of rain out the mess that Dun. I still can't cross the creek to get to town. Cows here at home are fine didn't see them for two days they went to the mountian and the cedar breaks, finaly showed up when it quit raining. Was 4 days before i could get to cattle on other place lost 3 calves there.I guess they got caught in high water and washed away can't find them. Was lucky to only lose 3 calves. Got enough fence to rebuild to keep me busy for a month.

Our 6 inches was more then plenty for us. We're on the top of a ridge and the pastures slope away from the dige top. Cows and calves spent most of the time on the top but there isn;t much shelter up here, it's all down in the lower parts. Thursday they finally got the roads open aorund us so we could get to town, or the nieghbors for that matter, if we needed to. River near us is only up about 3-4 feet above normal flow now, most of the run off creeks are dry on the famr or only have a little trickle down the bottom. I just hope they;re wrong about the rain and snow for tonight. If it doesn;t rain for a week we should be able to actually drive in the pastures, right now it's like walking on a sponge.
Seems like the calves that was concerned about handled the rain better then I did.