Getting Cow to take calf

case5130

Looking for advice (as normal) have a cow that I bought in and calf tested Bvd positive so have get a calf in her place so far I'm standing beside her with few nuts to let the calf suck
Just wondering what ye do to get cow to take to calf

Capercaillie

case5130 wrote: »

Looking for advice (as normal) have a cow that I bought in and calf tested Bvd positive so have get a calf in her place so far I'm standing beside her with few nuts to let the calf suck
Just wondering what ye do to get cow to take to calf

Skin the BVD calf and put it on new calf (if possible).

Bullocks

case5130 wrote: »

Looking for advice (as normal) have a cow that I bought in and calf tested Bvd positive so have get a calf in her place so far I'm standing beside her with few nuts to let the calf suck
Just wondering what ye do to get cow to take to calf

If she is letting the new calf suck while she is eating she will probably be alright . We usually tie them in for a few days to let the calf suck without her bothering it or walking off

greysides

Capercaillie wrote: »

Skin the BVD calf and put it on new calf (if possible).

The skin of the calf which is highly contagious.................?

I think you need to think that through.:)

smokey-fitz

greysides wrote: »

The skin of the calf which is highly contagious.................?

I think you need to think that through.:)

Totally agree. I got bvd this year, bought it in last year and it really devastated the place. Cows not going in calf, slipping calves, bvd positives.

Bit of advice to op, vacinate all cows for bvd before breeding if its not to late and keep that cow and calf well away from any other stock for a month at least.

williemakeit

A simple way of getting her to take with calf is to cut back on her feed slightly, when you let the calf to her give her nuts/meal in a bucket with 2 or 3 stones the size of your fist in the bucket.she ll spend that much time trying to get the feed she ll forget about the calf...then gradually increase the amount of times you let the calf to her. It's a slow process but works

case5130

smokey-fitz wrote: »

Totally agree. I got bvd this year, bought it in last year and it really devastated the place. Cows not going in calf, slipping calves, bvd positives.

Bit of advice to op, vacinate all cows for bvd before breeding if its not to late and keep that cow and calf well away from any other stock for a month at least.

How soon dose the vaccinate work ... Soon as I got positive result had her and calf in a different shed and was able to kick all the others out to grass
Got cow tested she's clear and the positive calf gone

onyerbikepat

williemakeit wrote: »

......then gradually increase the amount of times you let the calf to her. It's a slow process but works

Do you mean decrease?

greysides

case5130 wrote: »

How soon dose the vaccinate work ... Soon as I got positive result had her and calf in a different shed and was able to kick all the others out to grass
Got cow tested she's clear and the positive calf gone

From the Bovidec datasheet:

A small number of individuals may fail to respond to vaccination as a result of immunological incompetence or for
some other reason. Satisfactory immune responses will only be attained in healthy animals. Vaccination in the presence
of maternally derived antibodies may reduce the efficacy of the vaccine. When pregnant animals are vaccinated, it
should be remembered that the calves they are carrying may have already been exposed to virus if the dam was naïve in
the earlier stages of pregnancy. The primary vaccination course must be completed before service/ insemination, as an
aid in the protection of the foetus from the time of conception

Primary Vaccination:
Animals should receive 2 doses of vaccine separated by a 3 week interval. For adult breeding cattle the vaccination
programme should be completed not less than 7 days prior to service.

That would include temporary immune incompetence due to transient infection with circulating virus.