We had a black angus hiefer calf a week ago Sunday. She was born at about 25-30 lbs, bow legged, difficulty walking, falling down constantly. Mother licked it, claimed it, etc....but calf did suck but not much. Finally by Tuesday we gave it a bottle because things weren't looking good. It did not want to suck, backed away from the bottle, Wouldn't accept the nipple, would only take 1/4 to 1/2 the bottle at a time. Started wheezing and coughing then died yesterday. All I can say is there was something "not right" about this calf from the beginning. Mother has had other calves in the past who have been fine. Bull is same one bred rest of herd and (knock on wood) those calves are all good. She had a calf to this same bull last year and no probs. We have sucessfully bottle fed other calves in the past but this one was different. Do you think this was a genetic problem? Anyone have this happen? Appreciate any feedback.
Strange calf...anybody have this happen?
- Thread starter jdreed
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mdmdogs3
Well-known member
25 - 30 lbs ????????
we have Charolais but dang that sounds little compared
we have Charolais but dang that sounds little compared
mdmdogs3 that is what i was going to say. 25 - 30 lbs sounds sort of like the calf might of been born a little premature ? Wobbly, could not stand up for long at a time, no wonder it could not take much milk while nursing.
Sounds as if it was early, 25-30 lb. is extremely small for angus
calf. even more so it being wobbly. I certainly would not think it was genetic default, being as though the cow and bull have produced good calves in past.
blk mule
calf. even more so it being wobbly. I certainly would not think it was genetic default, being as though the cow and bull have produced good calves in past.
blk mule
i had something similar. very small angus calf with twisted (bowed inward) front legs. she was nursing but not thriving so i tried to bottle her to no avail. she was so small i considered the possibility that she was a dwarf but i decided not. she died but i didnt really expect her to that night, i was planning to try the bottle again the next morning but she was a goner when i went to feed her. I found on the interenet something called twisted calf syndrome that is caused by the cows ingesting certain plants during pregnancy and also certain mineral imbalances cause this (and i decided a more likely cause). Some cows dont seem to eat minerals as well as others, Ive noticed. so theres some idears but who knows.
hillsdown
Well-known member
I had the same thing a couple of years ago but with an ET Holstein calf.It was born only five days before the suggested due date but she was only about 45lbs and very frail.The beef recip. did not even want her.So I took in the house with me and stayed up all night with her.Had the vet out the next day and he thought she must have been a premie also but that was impossible because it was an embryo.I culled the beefer because I thought maybe the calf didn't get enough nutrition from the cow.And then I thought that maybe because we sexed and froze the embryos it might have damaged them.She lived only a day and a half;she went into convulsions and stopped breathing.Broke my heart and my bank account flushing and implanting is expensive.The other embryos were born 2-5 days later and all were normal and healthy except another beef recip. would not take her calf and tried to even kill it.So I raised it.She just calved last week.
About 5 yrs ago, my first year calving polled Herefords, I had cows due from the same bull. All calves were normal and looked good, but the last was 26lbs. She was healthy and nursed fine. She weaned at about 250 to 300 if I remember right. I gave her to some friends that wanted her, they kept her for 3 years and ended up butchering her at about 800lbs. She wasn't a dwarf or a preemie, just small.
Alan
Alan
