what to do with mom or me??

[Anonymous]

I just had a heifer calf yesterday. She calved perfectly. The calf stood up in about two hours and was walking around in the woods. Checked on them this morning in the woods and the mom was standing a good bit away from her calf and it was lying down freezing. It got down in the twenties last night. The calve I guess just didn't eat nothing. I tried to save it with some calf starter and injected her with a couple of things the vet gave me to give her some energy. As soon as I put the tube down her throat and drained some calf starter down about five minutes later she quit breathing (What happened?). Anyway what do you think I should do with the mom? Will she be good enough to keep for another calf or not? It seemed that she gave up on this calf. But I guess it could have been me. Any advise.

 

[Anonymous]

hard for me to know whether you should keep the cow or not... if it was in the 20's the calf may have been a little cold, but still ok... that's a call probably only you can make. there are other things... like, could the calf get up this morning? did it have any strength? its a hard call sometimes when to let mother nature handle and when to get involved..

you will probably get answers both ways on whether to keep her... some will tell you to try her again, some wont...

about what happened when you tubed the calf... you may have got it into its lungs... i have found that as i put the tube down the throat, if i make sure i can feel the tube just under the skin, that it is ok. if i cant feel it i pull it out and go down again..

sorry about your loss, those kind hurt... good luck.

gene

> I just had a heifer calf
> yesterday. She calved perfectly.
> The calf stood up in about two
> hours and was walking around in
> the woods. Checked on them this
> morning in the woods and the mom
> was standing a good bit away from
> her calf and it was lying down
> freezing. It got down in the
> twenties last night. The calve I
> guess just didn't eat nothing. I
> tried to save it with some calf
> starter and injected her with a
> couple of things the vet gave me
> to give her some energy. As soon
> as I put the tube down her throat
> and drained some calf starter down
> about five minutes later she quit
> breathing (What happened?). Anyway
> what do you think I should do with
> the mom? Will she be good enough
> to keep for another calf or not?
> It seemed that she gave up on this
> calf. But I guess it could have
> been me. Any advise.

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