Weighing calves

[rockroadseminole]

How long after the calf is born do you try to weigh it? My initial thought is as soon as it hits the ground and before mama gets her bearings. If you show up after the fact, does mama go Dusty Rhodes on you when you try to weigh her calf?

 

[Bigfoot]

How long after the calf is born do you try to weigh it? My initial thought is as soon as it hits the ground and before mama gets her bearings. If you show up after the fact, does mama go Dusty Rhodes on you when you try to weigh her calf?

I don't weigh calves, but I loved the Dusty Rhodes reference. I used to love to watch rasslin when I was kids.

If I was going to weigh a calf, I believe I would do it after I knew the calf had sucked, and was at least far enough along to be dry.

 

[RoppFamilyFarm]

When I find a new calf I go pick it up in the pasture and head for the barn. Mamma follows me and I put the calf right on the scale to get a weight and then put them in their own pen for a few days,to make sure everyone is doing good. But all my cows are super friendly, so not sure what to do in the case of an overprotective mamma.

 

[Supa Dexta]

Long enough for it to be dried off some and less slimy, but not long enough that they can run. I usually weigh within a couple hours, junk of plywood and a bathroom scale most times. Calves don't tend to gain or lose much in the first 24 hrs.

Have to watch the cows though, even easy going ones can turn on you when they see you handling their calves.

 

[creekdrive]

We weigh all our purebred calves (don't bother with the commercials). We always weigh within the first 24 hours but ideally we try and get the weight shortly after the calf has had it's first suck and is mostly dried off. Sometimes depending on what else is going on and when the calf is born it's not quite as fresh. The longer you wait the harder they are to catch though (if you were calving in a corral that's probably not so much of a problem). Most of our mama cows don't get too worked up, but it's best to have two people there just in case. I find that after the cow has had a chance to clean her calf off and it's sucked she is usually a lot calmer than if you try and touch that calf right off the bat.

 

[creekdrive]

One other thing - if that calf lets out a beller while you are trying to weigh it, things can get pretty interesting. Not only do you have one angry mama cow upset, you have the rest of the herd there in a matter of seconds... That's when I usually abandon ship and say we'll try again later!

 

[Nesikep]

I know that holler the calf makes really well.. usually goes along with the ear tag! I don't know what it is, but I have some tame cows I don't trust at all at calving time.. there's just something 'off' about them. I will still pick up their calf and they'll follow me into the next corral (the maternity ward) and they have never shown any bad behavior. I do have a couple cows that totally loose their marbles when they have a calf, and I go from the hand that feeds to some kind of werewolf in their eyes..

I try and weigh them at birth, if I weigh them at all.. I can usually estimate pretty closely how heavy they are, and weigh a few once in a while to 'recalibrate' myself

 

[branguscowgirl]

I weigh at birth with a bathroom scale and a spotter to watch the cow. I treat the cord and give Nasogen (Inforce 3) and Calf Guard along with Multimin at the same time. The hoof tape is pretty accurate also, and I have used that. Usually a pan of grain distracts the cow for a few minutes, but I have to work quick! And I always have the 4 wheeler close up in case I need a shield.
Just 12 hrs later, I probably can't catch that calf in the pasture any longer!

 

[dun]

We run them through the regular scale right behind momma. Tried that weighing in the field crap, not strong enough or quick enough anymore.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Try and catch them as soon after birth as possible. Much easier to catch them when they aren't running around at 50mph.

 

[randiliana]

Within 24 hours usually. When we tag, band and process them, which is done with the cow watching from the other side of the barn gate. Safer that way. And our cows are all quiet and used to being handled, but better safe than sorry.

 

[SPH]

Within 24 hours. Like to give the cow some time to lick the calf off and have it up and nursing before doing that - that is more of a priority to make sure cow and calf are both doing what they should be doing first than trying to get a weight before the calf is even dry. Most of the time though if the calf is born in the evening or night will usually wait to weigh it in the morning, if it's born in the morning then usually will weigh it during evening chores.

 

[backhoeboogie]

One of the places I bought had a very old set of balance beam platform scales in a chute. They are surprisingly accurate. I occasionally weigh one just out of curiosity. I occasionally weigh some of the older calves out of curiosity as well. Just to see gain etc.

 

[TCRanch]

I weigh at birth with a bathroom scale and a spotter to watch the cow. I treat the cord and give Nasogen (Inforce 3) and Calf Guard along with Multimin at the same time. The hoof tape is pretty accurate also, and I have used that. Usually a pan of grain distracts the cow for a few minutes, but I have to work quick! And I always have the 4 wheeler close up in case I need a shield.
Just 12 hrs later, I probably can't catch that calf in the pasture any longer!

The Hoofometer Birthweight Tape! As long as I'm sitting on the calf, it's so easy & takes just a few minutes. And we're on the calves within the first 12 hours (but dang, some of those babies can still throw me off!).