Talk about jumping in with both feet and a blindfold!!!

[CowgirlUpNY]

For those of you that have taken the time to answer my questions, you know that we are small time compared to.....well, anyone.

Well, a friend of a friend has two cows that he HAS to get rid of. The pasture he kept them at was sold and he needs to get rid of them YESTERDAY. They are both pregnant, one due to drop any day and the second in a month.

Well, we bought them. Lord help us!!! LOL

They will probably be here tomorrow or the next day. We've still got the last three in our quarentine pen, so we are going to put two 10 foot gates across our run in shed and put them there with fresh bedding.

These will be our first calving cows. According to the now owner, they are proven calvers with no problems. I'm really a 'let nature take it's course' person. Are there any warning signs I should watch for to signal impending birth so that I can keep an eye on them?? Or any signals that would be cause for alarm??

LOL, it's still the maternity ward around here. I'm due to have our second child any day!! Thought for sure it was going to be last night.

edit: and I should also add that I'm a little nervous about have a cow so close to calving (any day now) without her really knowing her new 'home' or us.

 

[rockridgecattle]

good luck, and it will hopefully work out no problems
calving could go well.
However...and this is the kicker...scours or any other bug.
each farm has his or hers our brand of scours. We aren't all the same. You run the risk of introducing your brand to the ones bought and the bought ones to yours.
Introducing cattle so close to calving is risky business disease health wise.
Just some thing to watch out for.
If it's warm and dry there like here scours might not be much of a problem.
congrats' on the new incoming family member
best regards

Tammy

 

[msscamp]

Are there any warning signs I should watch for to signal impending birth so that I can keep an eye on them?? Or any signals that would be cause for alarm??

There are a boat load of them, but the ones I can think of that you really want to watch out for are sloppy-loose vulva (indicates dilation), sinking in around the tail-head, isolating, restlessness, possibly skittish, and very engorged udder and tits. This is going to sound nuts - but I would encourage you to spend as much time as possible with these new critters so they have a chance to get used to you and you have the chance to get to know them as much as possible prior to calving. It will help you to recognize off behaviour, which is also part of recognizing when they are calving. Signals that are cause for alarm in my book include kicking at/turning to look at stomach, repeated laying down and getting up in a short span of time once labor has started in earnest, no progress within an hour - an hour and half once labor has started in earnest, and the obvious things such as only one foot or the soles of the feet pointing at the sky, rather than the ground.

LOL, it's still the maternity ward around here. I'm due to have our second child any day!! Thought for sure it was going to be last night.

You be careful! Please?

edit: and I should also add that I'm a little nervous about have a cow so close to calving (any day now) without her really knowing her new 'home' or us.

I believe it was dun who once said - to get an animal used to you, sit out there and read to them. Dun, if that wasn't you, I apologize. :lol:

 

[CowgirlUpNY]

I'm hoping that everyone will be far enough apart for the time being to not have to worry about any type of cross-contamination.

The 3 we have in the quarantine are fine health wise. I'm just dealing with a case of lice on them, and the bull needs to be steered. They are pretty much still there being dealt with because of my condition, not theirs. Hubby doesn't want me out there messing with them, and well, I'm the hands on person, he's the tractor person. LOL

The others that we have will be in a seperate pasture so as to not antagonize the calving cows.

And then there's my 'fire alarm' Maddy, who is is in her very own turn out because she will be going to the butcher soon.

 

[rockridgecattle]

Sounds like our farm, I'm the hands on my husband is the tractor guy.
Good luck and keep safe

 

[CowgirlUpNY]

Are there any warning signs I should watch for to signal impending birth so that I can keep an eye on them?? Or any signals that would be cause for alarm??

There are a boat load of them, but the ones I can think of that you really want to watch out for are sloppy-loose vulva (indicates dilation), sinking in around the tail-head, isolating, restlessness, possibly skittish, and very engorged udder and tits. This is going to sound nuts - but I would encourage you to spend as much time as possible with these new critters so they have a chance to get used to you and you have the chance to get to know them as much as possible prior to calving. It will help you to recognize off behaviour, which is also part of recognizing when they are calving. Signals that are cause for alarm in my book include kicking at/turning to look at stomach, repeated laying down and getting up in a short span of time once labor has started in earnest, no progress within an hour - an hour and half once labor has started in earnest, and the obvious things such as only one foot or the soles of the feet pointing at the sky, rather than the ground.

LOL, it's still the maternity ward around here. I'm due to have our second child any day!! Thought for sure it was going to be last night.

You be careful! Please?

edit: and I should also add that I'm a little nervous about have a cow so close to calving (any day now) without her really knowing her new 'home' or us.

I believe it was dun who once said - to get an animal used to you, sit out there and read to them. Dun, if that wasn't you, I apologize. :lol:

I do try to spend as much time as possible with all new animals that we bring to our place. And time willing, I will spend as much time with these two as well.

I'm not completely oblivious to birthing (history working at a horse vet clinic and have seen and watched and helped horses) plus we have been kidding goats out for a few years. So I'm thankful that I have that limited knowledge. I'm nervous about having to pull anything as we've not had that experience.

 

[CWT Angus]

I would suggest you check the local feed store or go online & buy "Storey's guide to raising beef cattle". Read it cover to cover many times over. It has great information as well as pictures especially regarding calving. Can't say enough good things about it.

 

[msscamp]

Are there any warning signs I should watch for to signal impending birth so that I can keep an eye on them?? Or any signals that would be cause for alarm??

There are a boat load of them, but the ones I can think of that you really want to watch out for are sloppy-loose vulva (indicates dilation), sinking in around the tail-head, isolating, restlessness, possibly skittish, and very engorged udder and tits. This is going to sound nuts - but I would encourage you to spend as much time as possible with these new critters so they have a chance to get used to you and you have the chance to get to know them as much as possible prior to calving. It will help you to recognize off behaviour, which is also part of recognizing when they are calving. Signals that are cause for alarm in my book include kicking at/turning to look at stomach, repeated laying down and getting up in a short span of time once labor has started in earnest, no progress within an hour - an hour and half once labor has started in earnest, and the obvious things such as only one foot or the soles of the feet pointing at the sky, rather than the ground.

LOL, it's still the maternity ward around here. I'm due to have our second child any day!! Thought for sure it was going to be last night.

You be careful! Please?

edit: and I should also add that I'm a little nervous about have a cow so close to calving (any day now) without her really knowing her new 'home' or us.

I believe it was dun who once said - to get an animal used to you, sit out there and read to them. Dun, if that wasn't you, I apologize. :lol:

I do try to spend as much time as possible with all new animals that we bring to our place. And time willing, I will spend as much time with these two as well.

I'm not completely oblivious to birthing (history working at a horse vet clinic and have seen and watched and helped horses) plus we have been kidding goats out for a few years. So I'm thankful that I have that limited knowledge. I'm nervous about having to pull anything as we've not had that experience.

Sorry about the misunderstanding. From what I've read of your posts - you will be fine. Hopefully the seller knew what he was talking about when he said they were proven. If not, do a half hitch over each foot above the fetlock joint, and another one below the fetlock joint then maintain steady pressure utilizing the mother's contractions to help you get the calf out. Don't jerk, don't pull too hard, just assist. Does that make sense? In the event the calf gets 'stuck' at the shoulders, you can get him 'unstuck' a lot of times by 'walking' him out - that is pulling on one leg, then the other, then the first, etc. Should he get stuck at the hips, try bringing him towards his mothers stomach. If that doesn't work a quarter turn will unlock him a lot of times. I don't know why I'm typing all of this out - everything will probably work out fine! :lol:

 

[CowgirlUpNY]

I would suggest you check the local feed store or go online & buy "Storey's guide to raising beef cattle". Read it cover to cover many times over. It has great information as well as pictures especially regarding calving. Can't say enough good things about it.

Got it! There are so many pages dog earred already. :lol: :lol:

 

[CowgirlUpNY]

Are there any warning signs I should watch for to signal impending birth so that I can keep an eye on them?? Or any signals that would be cause for alarm??

There are a boat load of them, but the ones I can think of that you really want to watch out for are sloppy-loose vulva (indicates dilation), sinking in around the tail-head, isolating, restlessness, possibly skittish, and very engorged udder and tits. This is going to sound nuts - but I would encourage you to spend as much time as possible with these new critters so they have a chance to get used to you and you have the chance to get to know them as much as possible prior to calving. It will help you to recognize off behaviour, which is also part of recognizing when they are calving. Signals that are cause for alarm in my book include kicking at/turning to look at stomach, repeated laying down and getting up in a short span of time once labor has started in earnest, no progress within an hour - an hour and half once labor has started in earnest, and the obvious things such as only one foot or the soles of the feet pointing at the sky, rather than the ground.

LOL, it's still the maternity ward around here. I'm due to have our second child any day!! Thought for sure it was going to be last night.

You be careful! Please?

edit: and I should also add that I'm a little nervous about have a cow so close to calving (any day now) without her really knowing her new 'home' or us.

I believe it was dun who once said - to get an animal used to you, sit out there and read to them. Dun, if that wasn't you, I apologize. :lol:

I do try to spend as much time as possible with all new animals that we bring to our place. And time willing, I will spend as much time with these two as well.

I'm not completely oblivious to birthing (history working at a horse vet clinic and have seen and watched and helped horses) plus we have been kidding goats out for a few years. So I'm thankful that I have that limited knowledge. I'm nervous about having to pull anything as we've not had that experience.

Sorry about the misunderstanding. From what I've read of your posts - you will be fine. Hopefully the seller knew what he was talking about when he said they were proven. If not, do a half hitch over each foot above the fetlock joint, and another one below the fetlock joint then maintain steady pressure utilizing the mother's contractions to help you get the calf out. Don't jerk, don't pull too hard, just assist. Does that make sense? In the event the calf gets 'stuck' at the shoulders, you can get him 'unstuck' a lot of times by 'walking' him out - that is pulling on one leg, then the other, then the first, etc. Should he get stuck at the hips, try bringing him towards his mothers stomach. If that doesn't work a quarter turn will unlock him a lot of times. I don't know why I'm typing all of this out - everything will probably work out fine! :lol:

No misunderstanding! You gave me exactly what I asked for. I will take all the advice I can get from anyone willing to share their knowledge/experience over and over again. Repetition is one of the best learning tools, so I believe anyway.

Thank you, thank you for sharing your time and wisdom. It comes very much appreciated!

 

[msscamp]

Are there any warning signs I should watch for to signal impending birth so that I can keep an eye on them?? Or any signals that would be cause for alarm??

There are a boat load of them, but the ones I can think of that you really want to watch out for are sloppy-loose vulva (indicates dilation), sinking in around the tail-head, isolating, restlessness, possibly skittish, and very engorged udder and tits. This is going to sound nuts - but I would encourage you to spend as much time as possible with these new critters so they have a chance to get used to you and you have the chance to get to know them as much as possible prior to calving. It will help you to recognize off behaviour, which is also part of recognizing when they are calving. Signals that are cause for alarm in my book include kicking at/turning to look at stomach, repeated laying down and getting up in a short span of time once labor has started in earnest, no progress within an hour - an hour and half once labor has started in earnest, and the obvious things such as only one foot or the soles of the feet pointing at the sky, rather than the ground.

LOL, it's still the maternity ward around here. I'm due to have our second child any day!! Thought for sure it was going to be last night.

You be careful! Please?

edit: and I should also add that I'm a little nervous about have a cow so close to calving (any day now) without her really knowing her new 'home' or us.

I believe it was dun who once said - to get an animal used to you, sit out there and read to them. Dun, if that wasn't you, I apologize. :lol:

I do try to spend as much time as possible with all new animals that we bring to our place. And time willing, I will spend as much time with these two as well.

I'm not completely oblivious to birthing (history working at a horse vet clinic and have seen and watched and helped horses) plus we have been kidding goats out for a few years. So I'm thankful that I have that limited knowledge. I'm nervous about having to pull anything as we've not had that experience.

Sorry about the misunderstanding. From what I've read of your posts - you will be fine. Hopefully the seller knew what he was talking about when he said they were proven. If not, do a half hitch over each foot above the fetlock joint, and another one below the fetlock joint then maintain steady pressure utilizing the mother's contractions to help you get the calf out. Don't jerk, don't pull too hard, just assist. Does that make sense? In the event the calf gets 'stuck' at the shoulders, you can get him 'unstuck' a lot of times by 'walking' him out - that is pulling on one leg, then the other, then the first, etc. Should he get stuck at the hips, try bringing him towards his mothers stomach. If that doesn't work a quarter turn will unlock him a lot of times. I don't know why I'm typing all of this out - everything will probably work out fine! :lol:

No misunderstanding! You gave me exactly what I asked for. I will take all the advice I can get from anyone willing to share their knowledge/experience over and over again. Repetition is one of the best learning tools, so I believe anyway.

Thank you, thank you for sharing your time and wisdom. It comes very much appreciated!

There are a lot of things I don't know, but I'm more than willing to share what I do know. Congratulations on your new Mama's to be, and I wish you the best!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

You are probably aware of the fact that all of NY is Selenium deficient. You should pick up a bottle of BoSe from your vet, also a bottle of A&D Vitamins. We give 4cc BoSe/100#BW SQ and 1 cc A&D IM, in the neck.
You should also have some 7% iodine to dip the naval. Other than that, hopefully you can sit back and grin.
But, be sure to check them at 24 hours old. That's when E-coli scours may hit. Having healthy cattle already on your farm is great, but, as reported earlier, all cattle have different "bugs" that they get their immunity from Mom's colostrum. Your Moms do not have the immunities for the "bugs" on your farm. Watch carefully for scours for next few weeks.
Also, as you probably know, be sure the calves get their colostrum within first few hours (preferably within an hour of birth).

 

[CowgirlUpNY]

Jeanne - do you give those injections as soon as they are born?

 

[rockridgecattle]

good tip Jeannie!
You could aslo give 4 cc/100# LA200 at birth or when you do the E/Sel (what we call it here)and A&D. It would be a preventative measure to help prevent scours. We've done it whe scours was going through the herd to protect the new calves. As well, there is a vaccine you can give the calf orally as soon as poosible after birth efore the first suck called Scour Guard. Canadian name. This will help tremendously
Tammy

 

[CowgirlUpNY]

Well, the 'girls' came home yesterday. Because the one was due to drop any day, I wasn't comfortable just turning them into the field without them getting to know us or home. So we concocted a 'maternity pen'.

Off-loaded them, spent as much time as we could with them.

Got up this morning with my daughter, looked out the window up into the pasture and what do I see??? A calf!!! I had a feeling she would calve today, with the move yesterday and the cool temperatures last night, it just seemed right. Well the more I looked it didn't look like he was in the pen with Mom. Went and grabbed the binoculars and sure enough he was outside the pen. Threw on some clothes and trotted out to the pasture. Husband wasn't home from work yet so I knew I was taking a huge chance not knowing how this Mom would react to a 'stranger' handling her calf.

Well, I maneuvered him back into the pen with Mom and she went right to guiding him to her udder. He seemed to have a little trouble getting the teat and I called Husband to see how much longer it was going to be before he got home because I wasn't going into the pen alone.

It wasn't long and we helped guide him to the teat and hopefully all is well now. He's been navel dipped and taken care of.

He was clean and dry when I found him this morning so I can't say just how long (or HOW) he was outside of the pen.

So one down and one to go.

 

[msscamp]

Congratulations!