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Breeding / Calving Issues
What do I need for heifer who will calve in end Feb
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<blockquote data-quote="msscamp" data-source="post: 812014" data-attributes="member: 539"><p>Sure, I can tell you how we handled calving. Our cows and heifers were on pasture. Considering the climate in Wyoming, they were fed in the corral each morning and, after feeding, we checked each and every one to see who was dilated, discharging and what kind of discharge, restless, just nibbling as opposed to really eating, and how strutted their udder was. Heifers were sorted off and penned depending on what we observed with regard to the aforementioned criteria. We also did a head count and, if we came up short, we saddled a horse and went looking. Cattle that are fixing to calve are usually restless, may be off feed, don't act quite right, may be skittish, nervous or aggressive, or will otherwise just be "off" somehow. If you know how your cattle act under normal circumstances, you will know when something is wrong. Some will be vocal, others won't. I can't put it any better than that. A lot of times you will know when she is going to calve long before she does IF you know them. Listen to your instincts. I know that sounds stupid, but it's true. We checked penned heifers every 2 or 3 hours - especially at night. Up here it can get brutally cold at night, we have a lot of wind, and checking them on a regular basis can mean the difference between a live, nursing calf or a dead calf. Another reason to check them regularly is it is very difficult to pull a calf from an exhausted heifer, and a hard labor will cause the calf's head to swell and interfere with his ability to nurse. Both of which can and do lead to dead, or dummy calves that take a long time to figure out how to nurse. Tubing calves should only be done when absolutely necessary, because it tends to cause sore throats that make a calf not want to swallow and also leads to problems with nursing. </p><p></p><p>Once labor was apparent, we checked them at 30 minute intervals or so - depending on where she was in the labor process - being careful to not disturb her any more than absolutely necessary, until it was clear that the calf was up and sucking. If you look at your animals, you will notice that the appearance of their tits changes from a dull sheen to a shiny appearance when their udder becomes strutted, and are usually obviously engorged(strutted) right before calving. Don't depend on the strutted appearance, however, because some heifers don't strut until they are/have calved. After the calf has sucked one or more tits - usually the front ones - will look different. They will be less shiny and less engorged, and the hair on their udder will change from laying flat and looking kind of wispy, to becoming curly, matted, damp looking, and visually disturbed. Once the calf is up and sucking, check him again in an hour or so to make sure he is okay, and life is good. </p><p></p><p>In the event that the calf was born in a snowstorm, or on a particularly cold night and was a bit slow to get up and suck, we jump-started him with a 16 ounce bottle of warmed up store-bought milk in a bottle with a sheep nipple. It just started a bit of a fire in his belly, warmed him up a bit from the inside, and gave him the strength to get up and nurse. We never calved in a barn, and very rarely in a shed, although we did put out old, crappy hay for bedding when the corrals became sloppy or had a lot of snow in them. That's how we did it, and I hope this helps you. </p><p></p><p>PS. I probably should also mention that our pens were constructed out of pipe and guard rail, and they provided a good bit of protection against the wind.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="msscamp, post: 812014, member: 539"] Sure, I can tell you how we handled calving. Our cows and heifers were on pasture. Considering the climate in Wyoming, they were fed in the corral each morning and, after feeding, we checked each and every one to see who was dilated, discharging and what kind of discharge, restless, just nibbling as opposed to really eating, and how strutted their udder was. Heifers were sorted off and penned depending on what we observed with regard to the aforementioned criteria. We also did a head count and, if we came up short, we saddled a horse and went looking. Cattle that are fixing to calve are usually restless, may be off feed, don't act quite right, may be skittish, nervous or aggressive, or will otherwise just be "off" somehow. If you know how your cattle act under normal circumstances, you will know when something is wrong. Some will be vocal, others won't. I can't put it any better than that. A lot of times you will know when she is going to calve long before she does IF you know them. Listen to your instincts. I know that sounds stupid, but it's true. We checked penned heifers every 2 or 3 hours - especially at night. Up here it can get brutally cold at night, we have a lot of wind, and checking them on a regular basis can mean the difference between a live, nursing calf or a dead calf. Another reason to check them regularly is it is very difficult to pull a calf from an exhausted heifer, and a hard labor will cause the calf's head to swell and interfere with his ability to nurse. Both of which can and do lead to dead, or dummy calves that take a long time to figure out how to nurse. Tubing calves should only be done when absolutely necessary, because it tends to cause sore throats that make a calf not want to swallow and also leads to problems with nursing. Once labor was apparent, we checked them at 30 minute intervals or so - depending on where she was in the labor process - being careful to not disturb her any more than absolutely necessary, until it was clear that the calf was up and sucking. If you look at your animals, you will notice that the appearance of their tits changes from a dull sheen to a shiny appearance when their udder becomes strutted, and are usually obviously engorged(strutted) right before calving. Don't depend on the strutted appearance, however, because some heifers don't strut until they are/have calved. After the calf has sucked one or more tits - usually the front ones - will look different. They will be less shiny and less engorged, and the hair on their udder will change from laying flat and looking kind of wispy, to becoming curly, matted, damp looking, and visually disturbed. Once the calf is up and sucking, check him again in an hour or so to make sure he is okay, and life is good. In the event that the calf was born in a snowstorm, or on a particularly cold night and was a bit slow to get up and suck, we jump-started him with a 16 ounce bottle of warmed up store-bought milk in a bottle with a sheep nipple. It just started a bit of a fire in his belly, warmed him up a bit from the inside, and gave him the strength to get up and nurse. We never calved in a barn, and very rarely in a shed, although we did put out old, crappy hay for bedding when the corrals became sloppy or had a lot of snow in them. That's how we did it, and I hope this helps you. PS. I probably should also mention that our pens were constructed out of pipe and guard rail, and they provided a good bit of protection against the wind. [/QUOTE]
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