When's calving starting 2023

tanko · 25-03-2023 11:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120400316#Comment_120400316

Forecast not looking good for second half of next week at the moment.

squinn2912 · 26-03-2023 12:57am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120401330#Comment_120401330

That’s not good news. I’ll have to keep an eye on it. Could change!

Base price · 26-03-2023 1:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120401313#Comment_120401313

The few sucklers are here for me as aside to whatever else goes on. We feed/finish cow & heifers and I was tired of not having any permanent stock about the place. This is only the bulls full second crop of calves so its early days yet. I sold some weanling heifers last year privately and got really good money for roan ones. Bulls are more difficult to sell judging by what I see in the marts but we were always going to keep them to finish anyway. The one thing about shorthorns is that they are very easy to manage/maintain and most importantly for me they are very docile and I like the look of them. We also buy and rear calves and sell off milk or as weanlings. And deal in hay and straw.

emaherx · 27-03-2023 11:04am

Think I might get out of the sucklers myself this year, down to the last 3 cows to calve now. I think the farm is just too disjointed for AI and good bulls are getting expensive. The 2 young lads (14) want to be involved in everything now and I think I'd feel better with them around lighter stock.

Anto_Meath · 27-03-2023 11:18am

SH are lovely cattle to work with, good milkers, beef handy enough, quite to work with and then there is a factory bonus on them too, I actually find them better than AAx as they carry heavier weights. The one thing I notice about the cows I have is I think they are more spoilt than other cows, they tend to bawl more than other cows, put they are usually placid at calving which is a good advantage.

squinn2912 · 27-03-2023 1:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405520#Comment_120405520

Aye we have only one and she is very quiet second calver. She had an all red heifer calf this year and there’s a wee bit of black round the mouth you;’d know she wasnt all lim. I was disappointed not getting a wee bit of roan. For bawling I never knew anything like the blue cattle they never quit. I’d put up with it just about ok but my father would sell one over bawling without a second thought. At first I was mad at him, now it amuses me!

Base price · 27-03-2023 1:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405520#Comment_120405520

Agree with you about the cows been vocal. The majority of ours will stand at the feed barrier moaning at you looking for better silage. The closer they are to purebred the more difficult I find to keep condition off them in Winter. In autumn/winter they come in pig fat and if they get a sniff of good silage they tend to stay too fat for calving.

Limestone Cowboy · 27-03-2023 9:04pm

Have a cow here now put out the waterbag this morning. Hadn't really sprung down fully to calve and her bones hadn't dropped either. Not acting sick to calf. Handled her in the middle of the day, and her cervix was just about open enough to get my hand through. Got a shot of oxytocin from the vet to see if it would help things along a bit aswell and she seems to be a bit more restless and sick in herself after getting it. Wonder how long I can leave her before the calf is at risk. I think myself she'll open but could be another 4 or 5 hours. Must have got a puck around the feeder or something, would have thought there was the most of a week left in her.

whelan2 · 27-03-2023 9:16pm

Could be a twist or something, had one similar a few months ago. Vet untwisted her and said to leave her to open up for an hour. I jacked the calf out then, was ok

cute geoge · 27-03-2023 9:21pm

,Slip on a binder twine on the crubs when you handle her nest ,tricky the way you just slip them on when tight ,make a similar type knor as calving jack rope .put a strong pull on these maybe even just one at the time and then just slip calving jack rope on when you get a bit more room .Dont panic and you will get there ,pull one leg first and push back when calving rope is on and then 2nd leg .Hope you comprehend what I am on about

Limestone Cowboy · 27-03-2023 9:49pm

No I've handled plenty with twists and she definitely doesn't have one. There's no hope of pulling him the way she is at the moment anyway, I wouldn't even attempt it. You wouldn't have a calf or a cow.

patsy_mccabe · 27-03-2023 11:08pm

i would have thought a twisted uterus too. Will the oxytocin induce her? It drives me mad seeing heavy in-calf cows pucking each other around the feeder.

Itryhard · 27-03-2023 11:54pm

I had one like that a couple of months ago. Making no progress all day. Gave her calcium and she opened a bit. I knew calf was dead from first handle. Gave her time and she opened then I slowly jacked the calf about 16 hours after first noticed her sick

charolais0153 · 28-03-2023 12:06am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120409115#Comment_120409115

Oxytocin and calcium can trigger contractions Doesn’t always work tho

Limestone Cowboy · 28-03-2023 3:45am

Ended up doing a section at 12 o clock, big charolais bull calf alive, didn't want to risk leaving her any longer. Definitely 100% wasn't a twist, I came across 3 of them last year alone and would come across one most years between mine or a neighbours, it's easy tell once you stick a hand in. Her cervix just wasn't opening for some reason. She definitely started to act a bit sicker about a half hour after giving her the oxytocin but never went about trying to do much either. Weird one though, always something new with them.

bogman_bass · 28-03-2023 7:56am

I had one like that that calved a live calf a full week later

Anto_Meath · 28-03-2023 8:55am

@Limestone Cowboy o every day is a school day with livestock. When I would have something like that my vet usually says its a in a million occurrence, I do remind him I am far from a million cows but I cant seem to get the the numbers in the lotto as handy.

Still you had a good out come with a live calf, in them cases something I do think the cows know the calf is to big for her so she does nothing.

Anto_Meath · 29-03-2023 6:19pm

Bad farmer category for me. Seen her this morning @ 8 and thought I ll move her a lunch time as she was on 284 days to LM4217. Went into the shed at 1pm and she was just after landing her. Lovely hardy heifer.

20230329_144054.jpg

whelan2 · 29-03-2023 6:56pm

A nice priestown Jupiter calf born here today , we bred ptj over 20 years ago, so nice to have his breeding line back. A heifer calf she was up and sucking when we checked them at lunchtime. Dam calved in May last year

IMG-20230329-WA0007.jpg

whelan2 · 31-03-2023 11:54pm

First backwards calf of the year there. Very tight with Jack. All ok

Limestone Cowboy · 01-04-2023 5:05pm

Don't know what I'd do without the drone 🙈

squinn2912 · 01-04-2023 5:16pm

That’s impressive there was me thinking Id reached the pinnacle with the cameras in the pens. Was she outwintered. We spent money on diggers and dozers takin out oul rocks and I’m not sure when it’ll ever pay us back. They were always shocking useful to outwinter a few and the health of them was incredible.

Base price · 01-04-2023 5:49pm

@Limestone Cowboy - the last pic with the white cow and redish calf is class. That cow sure knew where to go for shelter to calve.

squinn2912 · 02-04-2023 5:16pm

Pleased to say this girl and the camera calved this boy out this morning. I checked her at 5.30 nothing and at 8 he was walking about

squinn2912 · 03-04-2023 5:56am

Another one fired out there now. I’d got up and phoned the oul fella but she had her job done then. Tea and back to bed for ab hour

jfh · 04-04-2023 5:33pm

That's fantastic limestone, must be a big time saver for you, what kinda drone is it

emaherx · 08-04-2023 10:00am

A heifer calved here yesterday during the day, but without assistance thankfully.

I only copped she was in calf a little over month ago and have been watching her closely since, she's a good big heifer but very very young @ 419 days old (13 months). All is well with her and the calf, the only issue is with trying to register the calf the software is telling me she is too young to have calved (Damn computers 😁)

She must have been under 5 months old when she was served, the bull and any cows with male calves were separated from those with females last June. Her birthdate is accurate too, all calves here are tagged / registered as they hit the ground.

Limestone Cowboy · 08-04-2023 10:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120440291#Comment_120440291

It's handy have it alright. It's a dji mavic pro. Have it 4 years now, never missed a beat.

ABitofsense · 08-04-2023 1:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120453858#Comment_120453858

What breed is she? Didn't know they could go in calf that young. I'd have bull calves with heifers till they are hitting 8-9months

emaherx · 08-04-2023 4:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120454414#Comment_120454414

AA50 HE25 HO25

I'd say she's exceptionally young but I'd never risk 8-9 months with mine either or I'd definitely have a few more, I've noticed some of her siblings in heat around 6 months.

When's calving starting 2023

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