LM Springing heifer with tongue out/rolling constantly?

Bodacious

Hi there! First thread been waiting to ask this question for ages!:)

I bought a PBNR lim heifer , due to calf down at three in March but hope someone can tell me why she is constantly sticking her tongue out full length and licking the face (3months now at it).


Read somewhere that it may be a sign of a calcium deficiency so i threw out the pre calving buckets early but still no let up! They outwintered and getting good quality round bale silage.

Any suggestions or anyone seen this before,

many thanks

Bizzum

Was she treated recently for lice?

whelan1

what type of mineral buckets are you using , some of them are pretty crap, is she drooling ?

Nutcase

ive a limousine heifer and whenever you start to scratch her back or neck she starts sticking here tongue out rolling it around and licking up above here nose its funny to watch!!

Bodacious

Bizzum wrote: »

Was she treated recently for lice?

Hi Bizzum,

Yep she done for lice twice, covered her with youngs Pour on when i got her as the redwater tick is present in our area (vaccinated her for redwater too) since then she has been done with ivomec with the others. None of them licking, good coats on them and she only licking this one spot to the left of her mouth not any other area of the body

Bodacious

whelan1 wrote: »

what type of mineral buckets are you using , some of them are pretty crap, is she drooling ?

Hi whelan,

Im using them lifeline pre calver buckets and yep she does let out a bit of saliva when at this licking crack but not lots of drool.

She healthy otherwise looks grand and in good condition, im half thinking i might run her up the crush and see would it be a tooth/teeth problem as she would be puttin up teeth still (born March 08). she only seems to start it when she has enough silage ate but its constant and its as if she is trying to get at the left side of her face!

Did you ever hear it could be a sign of calcium deficency ? She came from great land in Carlow and im on West Coast so it could be a possibilty

Bodacious

Nutcase wrote: »

ive a limousine heifer and whenever you start to scratch her back or neck she starts sticking here tongue out rolling it around and licking up above here nose its funny to watch!!

Some of them like a good scratch alright, keep the gloves on while doing it though you never know what you would be unlucky enough to catch off of them... i got a bad eye infection last october and am convinced it was a rub/residue of the pour on that i used on them must have got on my hand and rubbed my eye, like you i've a quiet one that will walk up alongside quad and turn her arse to ya looking for a scratch:P

Nutcase

Bodacious wrote: »

Some of them like a good scratch alright, keep the gloves on while doing it though you never know what you would be unlucky enough to catch off of them... i got a bad eye infection last october and am convinced it was a rub/residue of the pour on that i used on them must have got on my hand and rubbed my eye, like you i've a quiet one that will walk up alongside quad and turn her arse to ya looking for a scratch:P

haha yeah its animals like that that make farming all the more enjoyable.. Its nice walkin out into a field with good quiet animals and not have them running away from ye into every corner of the field.. Best of luck with your heifer what ever is wrong with her!
Ive heard a story of a cow licking her own piss, was some defiency cant remember which one tho

Bizzum

I don't know what to tell you so except the Ca content in the Lifeline is not as high as in the VitaPhos lick. If I was worried about Ca I'd maybe try a Vitaphos bucket.

If it aint bothering her too much I'd be inclined to leave her until she calves before I'd go handling her.... bar I had to.

charityboy

Nutcase wrote: »

haha yeah its animals like that that make farming all the more enjoyable.. Its nice walkin out into a field with good quiet animals and not have them running away from ye into every corner of the field.. Best of luck with your heifer what ever is wrong with her!
Ive heard a story of a cow licking her own piss, was some defiency cant remember which one tho

sodium defiency

charityboy

Bizzum wrote: »

I don't know what to tell you so except the Ca content in the Lifeline is not as high as in the VitaPhos lick. If I was worried about Ca I'd maybe try a Vitaphos bucket.

If it aint bothering her too much I'd be inclined to leave her until she calves before I'd go handling her.... bar I had to.

you should not be worried about calcium pre calving that is why lifeline and any other good mineral manufacturers have very little if any calcium in there mix calcium pre calving causes milk fever

Bizzum

charityboy wrote: »

calcium pre calving causes milk fever

Even in suckler cows?

pakalasa

My father used to always say that a cow licking stuff was a sign that she was lacking in something. Cattle nowadays, dont have access to all the different shrubs like ivy leaves etc, which are a great source for these minerals.

Bodacious

Bizzum wrote: »

I don't know what to tell you so except the Ca content in the Lifeline is not as high as in the VitaPhos lick. If I was worried about Ca I'd maybe try a Vitaphos bucket.

If it aint bothering her too much I'd be inclined to leave her until she calves before I'd go handling her.... bar I had to.

That is true, she is an absolute header and hence is the reason i haven't put here into the cattle crush to check out the inside of mouth/teeth also! I thought maybe she might have got a prod or a thorn that is discomforting her as area of blackthorn/furze in field.

Thanks though Bizzum and i might try that Viaphos bucket if i can get it on my travels, other than that so long as she doen't lose condition i'll have bolus waiting for her when she calves!!

Bodacious

pakalasa wrote: »

My father used to always say that a cow licking stuff was a sign that she was lacking in something. Cattle nowadays, dont have access to all the different shrubs like ivy leaves etc, which are a great source for these minerals.

He's right. I threw out a fresh bucket today and this heifer that is licking her face was the first one over to it others not bothered with it straight away.

We've an area of untouched woodland with old stone walls/yard and its gas the different type of plants/shrubs they go after but they absolutely climb the walls for ivy

charityboy

Bizzum wrote: »

Even in suckler cows?

www.onlime.co.nz/animal-health.aspx take a look at this site especially the piece about calcium pre calving

charityboy

Minerals
Grass and grass silage are reasonably well-balanced for the major minerals apart from magnesium during the high risk periods for grass tetany. Deficiencies of trace elements such as copper, iodine and selenium are common in forage. Cereals and roots are not well-balanced for major minerals. Cereals with cereal by-products are low in calcium. Roots, pulps and molasses are low in phosphorus.
It is good practice to give a 'pre-calver' or dry cow mineral to suckler cows in the final four to six weeks of pregnancy. The pre-calver mineral mix has a low level or no calcium, but it has adequate phosphorus and magnesium.
Trace element deficiencies, especially copper, iodine and selenium have been variously associated with stillbirths, peri-natal mortality, retained placentas and a reduced resistance to scours, pneumonia, navel and joint problems. Cows that are not getting concentrates can get 100 grammes per day of loose pre-calver minerals, sprinkled on the silage

Bizzum

charityboy wrote: »

Minerals
Grass and grass silage are reasonably well-balanced for the major minerals apart from magnesium during the high risk periods for grass tetany. Deficiencies of trace elements such as copper, iodine and selenium are common in forage. Cereals and roots are not well-balanced for major minerals. Cereals with cereal by-products are low in calcium. Roots, pulps and molasses are low in phosphorus.
It is good practice to give a 'pre-calver' or dry cow mineral to suckler cows in the final four to six weeks of pregnancy. The pre-calver mineral mix has a low level or no calcium, but it has adequate phosphorus and magnesium.
Trace element deficiencies, especially copper, iodine and selenium have been variously associated with stillbirths, peri-natal mortality, retained placentas and a reduced resistance to scours, pneumonia, navel and joint problems. Cows that are not getting concentrates can get 100 grammes per day of loose pre-calver minerals, sprinkled on the silage

Thanks for that.
Farming Indo 5th Feb 2008. I will continue to go on my own experience.
The boys in Grange aint always right!