Calving 2018 - Advise and Help thread

patsy_mccabe

What I find great is to go in with a gloove and plenty of lubricant and rub all around the cervix and pelvic opening. As soon as you do that, the cow will start pushing. But I'm sure you know that anyway. I'm just wondering would it work on a cow that isnt pushing at all. It always seems to work for me.

Limestone Cowboy

The man in red and black wrote: »

I don't know.

I was trying to do everything right at home(Practice what you preach sort of job :P )

I don't think I would have pulled him then based on the 2 hr rule from when the bag comes out. But then I wasn't checking her every hour so the timing could have been off. I don't like pulling too early and don't like to be too jack happy but the thing that put me off with this cow was she never went about calving herself, never gave a push or put out a foot at all. As far as I was concerned at 3.30AM the bag had recently burst and I confirmed everything was lined up in the canal with enough space. In an ideal world I probably should have stayed watching her or checked her again in an hour now 2.5 hours though. 99% of cows would have made a good effort to push him out though when you had gone to the bother of checking there was no head or leg back. Some cows are 'too posh to push'

Edit: I reconsidered and I overcomplicated my answer. If I had the same calving tonight I would do the very same as 99% of the time it's right. I will make a note on this cow though and if it were her calving again next year I would jack sooner as I'd be wary she wouldn't progress again. Much simpler

I don't think it's that uncommon at all that a cow is too posh to push. Have seen it plenty of times when it was easy enough to bring the calf with a small bit of assistance after and you'd be scratching your had looking at them wondering why the calf seems a bit worse for wear after the whole ordeal when there was no obvious obstruction.

anthony500_1

Limestone Cowboy wrote:

I don't think it's that uncommon at all that a cow is too posh to push. Have seen it plenty of times when it was easy enough to bring the calf with a small bit of assistance after and you'd be scratching your had looking at them wondering why the calf seems a bit worse for wear after the whole ordeal when there was no obvious obstruction.

No it's not, I've one lady here who I think will be getting the road this year that is on her 3rd calf, she just puts her tail and and will look at you as if to say come on now I've all I'm going to do done, get it out now if yea like. You would hardly have to put ropes on her to pull the calf, yet she is simply to posh to push.

Angus2018

It drives me crazy when a cow won't lay down to push, instead they just endlessly circle around the pen, then when you think they are finally going to do it, they lay down for 4 seconds and then jump back up and do another 50 laps of the pen.

Note - this is often an indicator of a full backwards calf so always stick a hand in to make sure the calf is coming normal.

bogman_bass

LAst cow putting out the water Bag now. We're at the finish line!

squinn2912

whelan2 wrote: »

squinn2912 wrote: »

Just bk up from the yard after a bad news story. Cow lying heeled up with tetany. Only saw her this evening but she could have been gone from morning. Gutted she was one of the last my grand uncle owned. Access to silage and a lick bucket and getting meal with mag every day.

Had a cow this morning was bloated -angus- she was standing up and sitting down. I brought her into the yard and left her there for the day. Let her out there now and she's half the size she was this morning. There is not much grass where they are grazing. She is calved since August and in calf again with twins

What do you think would cause that?

squinn2912

Dunedin wrote: »

squinn2912 wrote: »

Just bk up from the yard after a bad news story. Cow lying heeled up with tetany. Only saw her this evening but she could have been gone from morning. Gutted she was one of the last my grand uncle owned. Access to silage and a lick bucket and getting meal with mag every day.

Not meaning to question your know-how but are you sure it was tetany?

If getting silage, lick bucket (persume mag bucket?) and hi mag nuts, and still get tetany, then every cow I’d have would be in bother.

No you’re ok. You’d think that would keep her right anyhow. She got no meal that morning I was for feeding them in the evening, my father did it the morning before and she was running about no bother. I still think tetany but of course it could be something else. Same result unfortunately.
Calf home now after a couple of days and the roads are starting now, he must have been getting a wee rob suck God love him. He’s better now lying with a few calves I bought in on meal

Angus2018

Heifer last year had a monstrous hereford calf, just barely managed to jack it out, new stock bull ended up having massive calves so it couldn't walk. Under a heat lamp and stomach tubes for 2 days, bottled for a week and spent that time trying to get it walking since it was too weak. Eventually got it going.

This morning she popped out an Angus calf all by herself, standing in 20 mins, suckling in 40.

Some difference.

charolais0153

Angus2018 wrote: »

Heifer last year had a monstrous hereford calf, just barely managed to jack it out, new stock bull ended up having massive calves so it couldn't walk. Under a heat lamp and stomach tubes for 2 days, bottled for a week and spent that time trying to get it walking since it was too weak. Eventually got it going.

This morning she popped out an Angus calf all by herself, standing in 20 mins, suckling in 40.

Some difference.

2 live calves ,the only differwnce that matters

TwoOldBoots

The man in red and black wrote: »

I don't know.

I was trying to do everything right at home(Practice what you preach sort of job :P )

I don't think I would have pulled him then based on the 2 hr rule from when the bag comes out. But then I wasn't checking her every hour so the timing could have been off. I don't like pulling too early and don't like to be too jack happy but the thing that put me off with this cow was she never went about calving herself, never gave a push or put out a foot at all. As far as I was concerned at 3.30AM the bag had recently burst and I confirmed everything was lined up in the canal with enough space. In an ideal world I probably should have stayed watching her or checked her again in an hour now 2.5 hours though. 99% of cows would have made a good effort to push him out though when you had gone to the bother of checking there was no head or leg back. Some cows are 'too posh to push'

Edit: I reconsidered and I overcomplicated my answer. If I had the same calving tonight I would do the very same as 99% of the time it's right. I will make a note on this cow though and if it were her calving again next year I would jack sooner as I'd be wary she wouldn't progress again. Much simpler

good thinking,
I have similar cows that just are lazy calvers. I don't know the cause but I suspect it to be a touch of Milk fever. Plus this year the cows seem in poorer condition. But once you know its going to reoccur its half the battle

Angus2018

Heifer calved over the weekend, up all night since she was having a bit of trouble, pulled it out with straps, trouble with the head since her mother was a hereford and hips since she has a bit of Belgian Blue ancestry too. Lovely calf but very long and couldn't stand so needed help, barely drank a bottle of colostart but wouldn't suckle the mother or drink anymore bottles. Eventually got the idea a good 9 hours later. Had this many times before, you just need patience that the calf will eventually suckle and persistence on your end to keep getting the calf up and tucking it under the mother.

Lady Haywire

Next door neighbour here had a huge calf born over a month ago, think he was off that hard calving new charolais- Doon Just the Job. Smasher of a calf but couldn't stand and knees kept knuckling. But 3 times a day he put the cow up the crush and milked her and bottle fed the calf. He'd finally managed to get the calf sucking two spins only for it to keel over and die after a feed the other day.
Really felt sorry for him, patience of a saint and then for that to happen. Just rotten bad luck.

One thing to take from it though- the calf never played. Same as our calf that died from a heart murmur, just moped about, never much spark to it. Ours died after a feed as well. Just a bit of interesting info i thought.

charolais0153

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Next door neighbour here had a huge calf born over a month ago, think he was off that hard calving new charolais- Doon Just the Job. Smasher of a calf but couldn't stand and knees kept knuckling. But 3 times a day he put the cow up the crush and milked her and bottle fed the calf. He'd finally managed to get the calf sucking two spins only for it to keel over and die after a feed the other day.
Really felt sorry for him, patience of a saint and then for that to happen. Just rotten bad luck.

One thing to take from it though- the calf never played. Same as our calf that died from a heart murmur, just moped about, never much spark to it. Ours died after a feed as well. Just a bit of interesting info i thought.

Have you seen other calves by him

Lady Haywire

charolais0153 wrote: »

Have you seen other calves by him

No, I actually wasn't that gone on him in the book. Just didn't catch my eye iykwim. You seen any?
I only think it was DoonJTJ, he mentioned the calf was off new hard calving ch that was on a flyer last year and he matches that so assume it's him. Will find out for sure though.

charolais0153

Lady Haywire wrote: »

No, I actually wasn't that gone on him in the book. Just didn't catch my eye iykwim. You seen any?
I only think it was DoonJTJ, he mentioned the calf was off new hard calving ch that was on a flyer last year and he matches that so assume it's him. Will find out for sure though.

Checked him there. Used on 18 first calvers,6% scored 3 or 4. Used on 12 2nd calvers,33% scored 3 or 4

Lady Haywire

charolais0153 wrote: »

Checked him there. Used on 18 first calvers,6% scored 3 or 4. Used on 12 2nd calvers,33% scored 3 or 4

Mmm, he's down as 17%. Don't think i'll be using him anyway!

Hard Knocks

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Mmm, he's down as 17%. Don't think i'll be using him anyway!

A good wide Limo should have no problem
Allot of the time it’s the gestation that does the harm

charolais0153

Hard Knocks wrote: »

A good wide Limo should have no problem
Allot of the time it’s the gestation that does the harm

Used him on 4 cows, dodnt want to use csq and he had no ecolo so picked him instead

Hard Knocks

charolais0153 wrote: »

Used him on 4 cows, dodnt want to use csq and he had no ecolo so picked him instead

When are they due

Lady Haywire

Hard Knocks wrote: »

A good wide Limo should have no problem
Allot of the time it’s the gestation that does the harm

Oh it's not the calving that's putting me off him,just didn't particularly like the look of him. Looking at his new photo now he looks better but think there was another one of him on a sheet with a few others and he looked very plain.
Do like the look of Lisnanean Milo (CH4418) and Knockmoyle10 Loki (CH4159) though, might try them this year.

Am currently waiting on two that's overdue (THZ lm & Ulsan for a first calver) and then it'll be culard time!

charolais0153

Hard Knocks wrote: »

When are they due

November time

Hard Knocks

charolais0153 wrote: »

November time

Ideal time for hay & oats 6 weeks prior

charolais0153

Hard Knocks wrote: »

Ideal time for hay & oats 6 weeks prior

Silage is cheaper. Calf will be taken off 6 weeks prior

Hard Knocks

charolais0153 wrote: »

Silage is cheaper. Calf will be taken off 6 weeks prior

Would that be long enough?

Never wrestle with pigs

Anyone have just the job calves? Really like the look of him but the cd would scare me slightly. Was he put on to many heifers to start?

charolais0153

Never wrestle with pigs wrote: »

Anyone have just the job calves? Really like the look of him but the cd would scare me slightly. Was he put on to many heifers to start?

charolais0153 wrote: »

Checked him there. Used on 18 first calvers,6% scored 3 or 4. Used on 12 2nd calvers,33% scored 3 or 4

.

whelan2

2 calved this morning , 2 left now

Angus2018

2 here the last 2 days. Small pull needed with one since she wouldn't have calved on her own. Both on their feet sucking quick. Had big headaches with them last year so nice to have it easy this year.

1 left but she could be 10-14 days away, heat dates can get messy near the end with calves mimicking the bull and jumping on the heifers.

Dozer1

spring calving 2018 is done!
last one calved there a nice red LM heifer,

have 2 really bad with a scour I can't seem to cure so there'll be casualties yet

Timmaay

whelan2 wrote: »

2 calved this morning , 2 left now

Had nothing for like the last 10days then 6 in the last 2days,4 today! The cows must know the days of having may calving cows here are numbered ha. And 11 left.