When Calving Starting

dohc turbo2

RD10 wrote: »

First calf of the season. Heifer calf by frosty!

one of my first callers calved a bull calf Christmas Eve

L1985

We had three born today all fricking calved outside-not a fun day but all three are ok. Must have been something in the water-we thought we had another couple of weeks with two of them at least! Our cows seem to like calving in the worst of the weather but hopefully this will be the last year we get caught!

whelan2

L1985 wrote: »

We had three born today all fricking calved outside-not a fun day but all three are ok. Must have been something in the water-we thought we had another couple of weeks with two of them at least! Our cows seem to like calving in the worst of the weather but hopefully this will be the last year we get caught!

make sure there navels are well disenfected

Bullocks

L1985 wrote: »

We had three born today all fricking calved outside-not a fun day but all three are ok. Must have been something in the water-we thought we had another couple of weeks with two of them at least! Our cows seem to like calving in the worst of the weather but hopefully this will be the last year we get caught!

Same as that , I've to roof a shed for fixing machinery for himself and once that's done I'm going to bed the shed he's using now with 2 foot of straw and claim it for a calving pen !

L1985

Same as!We are roofing the slatted shed (yes this weather has been so much fun with a lot of comments from my dad over how it should have been done last year!) and top priority for me is a proper calving pen-today really hammers it home! We are lucky our cows are quiet but still trying to force beastings down a calfs throat in the middle of a field in the middle of storm Frank is the height of stupiidity

td5man

Bullocks wrote: »

Same as that , I've to roof a shed for fixing machinery for himself and once that's done I'm going to bed the shed he's using now with 2 foot of straw and claim it for a calving pen !

Anything interesting being fixed atm?

Bullocks

td5man wrote: »

Anything interesting being fixed atm?

A schaef? ??? digger he bought . Lovely cab , 10 tonne with a blade .
And the wagon is still outside not even power hosed waiting to be fixed

RD10

dohc turbo2 wrote: »

one of my first callers calved a bull calf Christmas Eve

Looks a nice calf there. Is he by frosty too or your own bull?

dohc turbo2

RD10 wrote: »

Looks a nice calf there. Is he by frosty too or your own bull?

Stock bull , he is happy out since born , filling out away , nice square calf

Miname

First spring Calver calved today. It was a fair pull and ended up having to roll the cow to get the calf out.

RD10

Ive a cow here myself thats due in a few days. very heavy looking, quiet low in the belly too. Not sure if its gonna be twins or just a big calf. She always throws very big calves when its a single.
Don't know whether to restrict her feed or not!

Kovu

RD10 wrote: »

Ive a cow here myself thats due in a few days. very heavy looking, quiet low in the belly too. Not sure if its gonna be twins or just a big calf. She always throws very big calves when its a single.
Don't know whether to restrict her feed or not!

Pinch her skin just behind the top of the front leg, the tautness there should be a good judge. Plus if her hair is very dry along the back.
That's the gauge I use for twins anyway, along with calf moving on the wrong side.

frazzledhome

Planned start is 4/2 but will start earlier with short gestation Kiwi Bulls. Washing calf pens at the moment as well as putting bales in to be ready for Avalanche.

Had sheds washed but had to press some into action to accommodate weanlings that should be at grass but Frank sorted that for us.

A few light bulbs to be replaced in calving shed. Have an old bucket plant that I plan to install in calving shed for colostrum collection.

keep going

frazzledhome wrote: »

Planned start is 4/2 but will start earlier with short gestation Kiwi Bulls. Washing calf pens at the moment as well as putting bales in to be ready for Avalanche.

Had sheds washed but had to press some into action to accommodate weanlings that should be at grass but Frank sorted that for us.

A few light bulbs to be replaced in calving shed. Have an old bucket plant that I plan to install in calving shed for colostrum collection.

that bucket is the handiest thing out

Greengrass1

keep going wrote: »

that bucket is the handiest thing out

Prob only cost 200e to rig up it'll save time and make calf rearing easier

stanflt

Not due to start till 14 jan- 6 in calving box 5 heifers and 1 oji cow

Timmaay

Barely even thought about calving yet, the calving shed has had 10drycows for the last month, and will get a few more on Friday thanks to hurricane frank who is the final straw for the outwintering Paddock this year! Calf pens full also with either straw or yearling heifers. I'm off skiing until the 9th, will get stuck in when I'm back, hopefully the weather will have settled down and sent all the maiden's back out, I'll want at least a week to properly clean out both through calving and calf sheds, but wouldn't expect anything to drop until the last few days of Jan, Feb would be well soon enough 2bh. Cows straight out to grass when calved if possible, by then I'll be down to about 20cows still milking from late spring/autumn, so the lowest turnout demand we'll have ever had, should help to reduce Paddock damage etc.

RD10

Kovu wrote: »

Pinch her skin just behind the top of the front leg, the tautness there should be a good judge. Plus if her hair is very dry along the back.
That's the gauge I use for twins anyway, along with calf moving on the wrong side.

Thats good to know, thanks. Never heard of that trick behind the leg before, i must try it out.
I'm kind of thinking it will be twins, Hard to know with this one because she has a big belly on her all year round anyway! she's had twins before but i've seen the size if her single calves too and am always amazed she was able calf them herself. Will try get a pic up in a while, looking here and there dosn't seem to be anywhere i can upload the picture now. Anyone know why?

tanko

RD10 wrote: »

Thats good to know, thanks. Never heard of that trick behind the leg before, i must try it out.
I'm kind of thinking it will be twins, Hard to know with this one because she has a big belly on her all year round anyway! she's had twins before but i've seen the size if her single calves too and am always amazed she was able calf them herself. Will try get a pic up in a while, looking here and there dosn't seem to be anywhere i can upload the picture now. Anyone know why?

Do you need to have 50 posts to put up pictures?

RD10

tanko wrote: »

Do you need to have 50 posts to put up pictures?

Maybe so. I've one pic posted a day or two ago.. maybe i need to be up to 50 posts to be able to post a second. I'm all new to this. Only joined about a month ago!

Kovu

RD10 wrote: »

Maybe so. I've one pic posted a day or two ago.. maybe i need to be up to 50 posts to be able to post a second. I'm all new to this. Only joined about a month ago!

I think it's 25 posts. I find every so often that the 'Add attachment' link at the bottom of the posting box disappears
I just leave it an hour or two and try again and it has usually reappeared. Get one from standing behind her if you can.
This was our girl who had twins in Spring.

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/439561/340143.jpg

simx

Calving meant to start in circa 10/15 days, may go wash and disinfect the calving house ha

RD10

Kovu wrote: »

I think it's 25 posts. I find every so often that the 'Add attachment' link at the bottom of the posting box disappears
I just leave it an hour or two and try again and it has usually reappeared. Get one from standing behind her if you can.
This was our girl who had twins in Spring.

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/439561/340143.jpg

Ya that 'add attatchment' link is missing. Still not there so il send the pic i have whenever im able to again. She looks like she'll go earlier than i taught so need to keep a close eye.
Did yours calf long after that pic was taken?

Kovu

RD10 wrote: »

Ya that 'add attatchment' link is missing. Still not there so il send the pic i have whenever im able to again. She looks like she'll go earlier than i taught so need to keep a close eye.
Did yours calf long after that pic was taken?

About two weeks after, if yours is lying a lot it's a good indicator as well as eating everything in sight

RD10

Here we go. Bad pic i know but will try get a proper one tomorrow.

trixi2011

has anyone a open bedded shed that they calve down cows in ? im looking for ideas for hanging a calving gate that would make calving a cow and maybe drafting cows a one man operation . Anyone any ideas

tanko

RD10 wrote: »

Here we go. Bad pic i know but will try get a proper one tomorrow.

That's a big belly alrite, what's she in calf to?

This cow had Simmental twins ten days after this was taken, was her fourth set of twins in a row.

Kovu

tanko wrote: »

That's a big belly alrite, what's she in calf to?

This cow had Simmental twins ten days after this was taken, was her fourth set of twins in a row.

Jesus she's tight enough in the belly for one who had four sets of twins (and carrying a pair!:eek:)
Some of ours look like that now.....and they're not due til March :pac:

RD, how old is she? If she was young enough I'd say twins but ye know yourself, everything goes a bit saggy if there's age to it!

RD10

Ha true! She was born 2009. First calf in '12 twins in '13 and two big bull calves this and last year. She's in calf to an easy calving charlaois. Im hoping its twins now and not a big charlaois bull calf!!

RD10

tanko wrote: »

That's a big belly alrite, what's she in calf to?

This cow had Simmental twins ten days after this was taken, was her fourth set of twins in a row.

God i'd never have guessed ur lady was carrying twins! Just goes to show u cant really tell just by looking.