Routine after calving

kfk

Hi all,
Just wondering what routine ye follow with a cow after calving. A neighbor of mine told me today that he injects each cow with a bottle of calcium after calving and gives each one a drench with a rumen stimulant! Is this common practice. Usually, I would leave a cow do her own thing unless I spotted a problem. Also heard of injecting oxytocin after calving. What approach do ye take?

Indubitable

I leave a cow to do her own thing too until a problem is visible. The lighter cows sometimes gets some minerals. I don't see the point on giving cows anything after calving when they could be perfectly healthy. I see it as a waste of money and hassle.

haybob

I persume it's sucklers we are talking about here?? other than making sure she calves safe and the calf stands and sucks I don't do much, if the cow was light she might get minerals and a bucket of dairy nuts to make sure she had enought milk but seldom enough.

The worst bother I had this year so far was a cow that had a section last year, she wasn't enclined to take with the calf but has settled down now, no idea why

kingofthe3rdyrs wrote: »

I leave a cow to do her own thing too until a problem is visible. The lighter cows sometimes gets some minerals. I don't see the point on giving cows anything after calving when they could be perfectly healthy. I see it as a waste of money and hassle.

pakalasa

Just leave her alone!
Make sure that the calf gets colostrum as soon as possibble and get iodine on the naval. After that leave the two of them to get to know one another.

snowman707

all cows are monitored via cctv, and left to calve unaided if possible, asap after birth the calf is fed up to 4 ltrs. colostrum via a bottle and teat, and the cow is offered baled silage and good straw to encourage them to eat to avoid displaced stomachs

the calf is left with the cow until the placenta is passed.

the cow would have access to precalver minerals for about 4 to 6 weeks.

so far calving is going ok this spring, we have 45 live calves from 45 cows, only slight problem was at 3.am this morning with a very large lm heifer calf coming tail first, thought I was going to fracture her ribs but kept jacking as high as possible and she is fine.

whelan1

tag calf , iodine , halocur , if calf not drinking with in a few hours i stomach tube calf as all cows have rotavec i normally leave calf on cow for a week .. dont do anything different with cow

dar31

iodine, tag, as soon as they are up and sucked they are into calf shed.

any big milky cows we would give a calcium drench as a precaution( over 1600+ gls), any thing that need a quick pick me up would get a New Zealand drench, then out the door to the lovely brown grass;)

whelan1

what is a new zealand drench?

dar31

whelan1 wrote: »

what is a new zealand drench?

its a concoction of sorts that you mix and drench any thing that needs any extra bit of a boost, usually after calving
it contains molasses glycerin megalac, and a few more
will check it up in morning, have it wrote up in parlour.

kfk

dar31 wrote: »

its a concoction of sorts that you mix and drench any thing that needs any extra bit of a boost, usually after calving
it contains molasses glycerin megalac, and a few more
will check it up in morning, have it wrote up in parlour.

Did you get a chance to see what is in that new zealand drench?

whelan1

also where do you get the megalac

sundrez

Oxytocin can be used as an artificial stimulant to encourage milk letdown. Could be used where milk letdown is slow to occur but generally you shouldnt have to use it.. Also make sure the calf has a dry area to lay on, we have a creep area for the calves and works well!!

whelan1

had a set of friesian bull twins last week and the cow died this morning , had vet to her yesterday too:( i hate twins

Dickie10

should you give calves (sucklers ) a shot of Alamycin when born to keep scour away? i heard some people at tis

The man in red and black

kfk wrote: »

A neighbor of mine told me today that he injects each cow with a bottle of calcium after calving and gives each one a drench with a rumen stimulant! Is this common practice. Usually, I would leave a cow do her own thing unless I spotted a problem. Also heard of injecting oxytocin after calving. What approach do ye take?

I wouldn't agree with calcium in the vein or under the skin in cows that do not have milk fever. Too much calcium injected can cause high calcium which can shut down the body's calcium regulation and actually cause milk fever which then is harder to get to respond. If there is a problem with milk fever on a farm then consider Bovi-Kalc boluses orally. The cow will only absorb what calcium she needs from the GI tract and excrete the rest. http://www.bi-vetmedica.com/species/cattle/products/Bovikalc.html Has anyone used these in Ireland? Perhaps they are not launched there yet?

Oxytocin can help to get the womb to shrink down and pass the cleaning so not a bad idea once after calving, especially after a hard calving. Again the calf sucking should stimulate natural oxytocin release but an injection is not a bad idea after hard pulls.

Dickie10 wrote: »

should you give calves (sucklers ) a shot of Alamycin when born to keep scour away? i heard some people at tis

That is poor use of antibiotics. A calf with good quality colostrum in the right volume in the right time frame and a warm dry bed free from draughts should have few problems. Antibiotics are not a substitute for good management and would only every be recommended as a last ditch measure in a severe disease outbreak but even then I would be extremely reluctant to blanket treat all calves. Hygiene and colostrum management are the keys to good healthy calves. Have those too in place and you off to a great start.

Lizard_Moon

Bovicalc are here but I use the Norbrook Calcitrace-the vitamin D aids calcium absorbtion

Sacrolyte

Tea and Toast.

charolais0153

What do ye do regards cleaning of calving pens.wud ye put more straw on top of the old stuff or do ye powerwash between calvings

patsy_mccabe

Sacrolyte wrote: »

Tea and Toast.

For yourself or the cow?

Miname

Calve the cow, usually a splash of water in its ear, spray of iodine and off to defrost beastings if I reckon the ratchet strap and gates won't hold the cow for me to milk.
By the time I'm back the calf is usually standing or trying to but il still throw the 2 litres into it. Then cart it out the field and let the cow do the work, it's an extremely bad day weather wise that they would be kept in.

Jb1989

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

For yourself or the cow?

Tea for me,
And a toast..to the cow

mattP

Iodine on the navel, bit of water down the calf's ear. If she isn't really licking the calf I empty some salt over him, that really gets her interested :P
She also gets a bucket of warm water, its very good to help clear her out and just generally perk her up a bit

Mad4simmental

If it was a hard calving about 70cc of pen&strip either side of the tail to aid in recovery.

greysides

Mad4simmental wrote: »

If it was a hard calving about 70cc of pen&strip either side of the tail to aid in recovery.

I agree with the idea but do you have your dosage right?

A course of antibiotics rather than a huge single dose of a one-day antibiotic is going to be better.

Long-acting antibiotics are made in such a way they are effective for the timespan declared.


A shot of oxytocin immediately after calving will help the cleaning exit. If that happens a major source of food for nasty bugs is gone and the way is open for the cow to drain properly.

J.O. Farmer

Dickie10 wrote: »

should you give calves (sucklers ) a shot of Alamycin when born to keep scour away? i heard some people at tis

Ironically enough could this cause a scour. There is such a thing as antibiotic associated diahorrea where a course of antibiotics given for something not gastrointestinal kill off the good bacteria in the gut allowing bad stuff to take over resulting in scour.
Now I haven't heard of this being a problem in livestock but I wouldn't recommend using an antibiotic as a preventative for scour.

kowtow

I'm relieved to note nobody has come up with:

"put the jeep back in the garage"

greysides

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

Now I haven't heard of this being a problem in livestock but I wouldn't recommend using an antibiotic as a preventative for scour.

IMO, it will happen more with a long course or with older cattle. However, AHI don't recommend routine antibiotic treatment. There's several good reasons not the least of which is that the majority of causes, and huge majority of cases, of neonatal scour simply won't be affected by using them. They're a waste of money.

Sacrolyte

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

For yourself or the cow?

For the Mrs.

Deepsouthwest

Dickie10 wrote: »

should you give calves (sucklers ) a shot of Alamycin when born to keep scour away? i heard some people at tis

Sounds absolutely crazy, is this not ruining the calves immunity before it even gets going.

greysides

Deepsouthwest wrote: »

Sounds absolutely crazy, is this not ruining the calves immunity before it even gets going.

Can't see how it ruins their immunity but it IS building up antibiotic resistance.

Basically, the pattern of resistance to antibiotics mirrors the relative amount of their use. The more you use it, the more resistance builds up. Using it when there's no need is building up resistance for when it is needed.

Given a culture in European circles that is highly against antibiotic use in animals this kind of use is only going to hasten the faithful day when we 'go back to the future'.

The Cuban

Once cow is calved if shes loose then let her lick the calf then catch her in the headlock if not already. Give her a bucket of Meal while I then put on the kick bar, get a bucket of water and clean all the ****e off her udder from the slats. Get the calf over to her and get him to suck, put iodine on his navel.
Clean out after them and move to dry straw bedded pen for a Day or so until calf is mobile enough at which stage the cow goes back into the slats.

J.O. Farmer

greysides wrote: »

IMO, it will happen more with a long course or with older cattle. However, AHI don't recommend routine antibiotic treatment. There's several good reasons not the least of which is that the majority of causes, and huge majority of cases, of neonatal scour simply won't be affected by using them. They're a waste of money.

Yeah I was probably taking it to the extreme with a single shot causing it a longer course would be more likely to reduce the gut microflora to a sufficiently low level for pathogenic bacteria to colonise. It was mostly the irony of someone doing something as a preventative and really they are doing more harm than good. The increase in resistance would be the bigger risk.

patsy_mccabe

Well the last heifer that calved in our place, it was - keep stabbing her in the head with the dung fork, reverse, reverse and then climb over the barb wire backwards.:D
Oh they can be such dotes, those red limousins.

Bullocks

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Well the last heifer that calved in our place, it was - keep stabbing her in the head with the dung fork, reverse, reverse and then climb over the barb wire backwards.:D
Oh they can be such dotes, those red limousins.

Absolutely wonderful character to them !

Kovu

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Well the last heifer that calved in our place, it was - keep stabbing her in the head with the dung fork, reverse, reverse and then climb over the barb wire backwards.:D
Oh they can be such dotes, those red limousins.

I never ever trust a heifer, they are so unpredictable with new mother hormones zipping around their brains.
Have about 3/4 of the herd where we can walk in and pull the calf, help them to suck with no need for a crush.
The other quarter it's usually ''RUN AWAY OR OUTRUN THE OTHER PERSON WITH YOU''

blue5000

Sucklers here. Calve in a paddock near the yard.
1.Tag the calf, then see if M/F
2. look to see what bull the cow was with,
3. write it down.
4. Then out to grass ASAP. I like to keep it simple.

Busy times: post samples and reg once a week.
Not so busy: every 3 weeks(or therabouts;))

Bullocks

blue5000 wrote: »

Sucklers here. Calve in a paddock near the yard.
1.Tag the calf, then see if M/F
2. look to see what bull the cow was with,
3. write it down.
4. Then out to grass ASAP. I like to keep it simple.

Busy times: post samples and reg once a week.
Not so busy: every 3 weeks(or therabouts;))

I like your style Blue , I don't do alot with them after calving unless I notice something amiss

Limestone Cowboy

Intervene only when neccecary is my routine, I'd much rather see the cow calf and the calf to suck of their own accord and I give them every chance to do so. Would put a few squirts of iodine on the rare calf born inside in the shed but that's it. Think I'm going to have to do the cows with rotavec corona this year though because every calf in the place got a scour in me this spring. Was gone demented trying to cure them.

Dickie10

whats rotavec corona?? scour is the one thing that causes me a lot of problems each year, the cows are quite milky , white heads and simmentals

Limestone Cowboy

Dickie10 wrote: »

whats rotavec corona?? scour is the one thing that causes me a lot of problems each year, the cows are quite milky , white heads and simmentals

Scour vaccine that covers rotavirus. I know a few lads that used it and they said it reduced the amount of scour they got an awful lot. Expensive though at something around 10e a head.

mattP

Kovu wrote:

I never ever trust a heifer, they are so unpredictable with new mother hormones zipping around their brains. Have about 3/4 of the herd where we can walk in and pull the calf, help them to suck with no need for a crush. The other quarter it's usually ''RUN AWAY OR OUTRUN THE OTHER PERSON WITH YOU''

+1
We had a lovely auld Angus heifer, pure pet, you could go up to her and scratch her head in the field and shed only be loving it
...after she calved she charged a gate to knock me

whelan2

Dickie10 wrote: »

whats rotavec corona?? scour is the one thing that causes me a lot of problems each year, the cows are quite milky , white heads and simmentals

https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAAahUKEwiPn9eki8_IAhWBkA0KHc5UD18&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.msd-animal-health.ie%2FBinaries%2FR10-024_Rotavec_Corona__A4_brochure_Dec_2010_tcm102-94048.pdf&usg=AFQjCNFHmnVPueEoidQ_drCmWc0Qx7MwqA&sig2=0fwRWS-UFurNOm1Kwvnn-g&bvm=bv.105454873,d.bGg use it here great job

Bullocks

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Intervene only when neccecary is my routine, I'd much rather see the cow calf and the calf to suck of their own accord and I give them every chance to do so. Would put a few squirts of iodine on the rare calf born inside in the shed but that's it. Think I'm going to have to do the cows with rotavec corona this year though because every calf in the place got a scour in me this spring. Was gone demented trying to cure them.

I noticed that in about 10 spring born calves aswell but I never treated them and they got out without any loss that I could see . I put it down to wet miserable weather for so long at the time

Limestone Cowboy

Bullocks wrote: »

I noticed that in about 10 spring born calves aswell but I never treated them and they got out without any loss that I could see . I put it down to wet miserable weather for so long at the time

Mine were definitely getting sick with it. Had to get a couple of them dripped and was going with lectate's and bimistat every day. Didn't lose any but a lot of hassle I could have done without and you could lose one handy enough too. Prevention is better than cure I think.

Mad4simmental

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Think I'm going to have to do the cows with rotavec corona this year though because every calf in the place got a scour in me this spring. Was gone demented trying to cure them.

It's Good stuff LC, it's really worth it. Calvs really get a good chance with it.

The man in red and black

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Intervene only when neccecary is my routine, I'd much rather see the cow calf and the calf to suck of their own accord and I give them every chance to do so. Would put a few squirts of iodine on the rare calf born inside in the shed but that's it. Think I'm going to have to do the cows with rotavec corona this year though because every calf in the place got a scour in me this spring. Was gone demented trying to cure them.

Just make sure the calves get plenty of colostrum as per normal routine as soon as possible so they are getting the antibodies the vaccine produced in the mother. The vaccine is good but can't do much if a calf doesn't get the appropriate colostrum. Another tip is that if you are freezing colostrum be sure that it is one of the cows vaccinated(for people out there only vaccinating certain groups etc).

Bullocks

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Mine were definitely getting sick with it. Had to get a couple of them dripped and was going with lectate's and bimistat every day. Didn't lose any but a lot of hassle I could have done without and you could lose one handy enough too. Prevention is better than cure I think.

Ah yeah mine weren't that bad alright thankfully

whelan2

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Mine were definitely getting sick with it. Had to get a couple of them dripped and was going with lectate's and bimistat every day. Didn't lose any but a lot of hassle I could have done without and you could lose one handy enough too. Prevention is better than cure I think.

lectade/life aid are gone off the market

stretch film

whelan2 wrote: »

lectade/life aid are gone off the market

Why ?

whelan2

stretch film wrote: »

Why ?

vet said there wasnt eniugh in them to cure a calf?????? have used them here for years, now use effydral

Dickie10

and is rotavirus the main scour threat? mine got a milky white scour last year nd took a lot of labour hours up. i calve down in a straw beded shed , plenty of straw and the calves have their own lie back area behind an electric fence where they go under but cows cant, this is given copius amounts of bedding , i do the knee test, u know where u kneel doen on the straw and if ure knees are wet it needs better bedding. so i think im fairly good for hygeyne, power wash out the shed ever spring with water then another go of water and disenfectant and let two doors open for drying all summer. a vet told me that an airy shed with loads of wind throough it will kill all disease in a shed