Calving 2018 - Advise and Help thread

High bike

Who2 wrote: »

It’s unlikely calving outside was the cause of crypto.

i didn’t mean it caused it I’m just making the point that any problems I had this year were with calves born outside

Mac Taylor

Mac Taylor wrote: »

Thanks greysides, appreciate the advice.

Quick update......vet coming tomorrow to loosen the stich, should solve the problem hopefully.

Mac Taylor

Quick question, have a heifer calf born on the 25th. This evening I noticed a bit of blood on her naval so I handled her and she has a small in diameter long lump going into the stomach don’t think it’s a hernia. Any ideas!!!!

Lady Haywire

Mac Taylor wrote: »

Quick question, have a heifer calf born on the 25th. This evening I noticed a bit of blood on her naval so I handled her and she has a small in diameter long lump going into the stomach don’t think it’s a hernia. Any ideas!!!!

Would she have had a navel infection which burst?

Fecking flies in this weather, you'd want to watch it like a hawk!

Mac Taylor

I put some tar on it for now, will get the vet to look at it. There’s always something

Angus2018

squinn2912 wrote: »

Meant to reply to this. That's an awful lot of night time calvings. I didn't make a list but we only had 3-4. I suppose you tend to forget it happened at night if you go down the next morning and the lady has the work done for you! We usually kept the feed away from them during the day and fed them mostly last thing at night. Would you try that out? Might be no truth in it but I always heard that doing that would put them off calving during the night. 
It's lovely now going out to change an electric fence and watching the calves sprinting about after all the hardship in the snow!

It is but as you said I'm keeping records and doing night time checks with the cameras. Our hereford bull has big calves so I need to be there in case of a complication or help standing. We feed ad-lib in feed barriers so can't really change to night time feeding when there's no fixed feeding time.

squinn2912

Ah you’re doing the right thing measuring and recording everything. We’re ad lib until cows come close to calving then they’re penned off and on a regime. Happy enough with how that works

squinn2912

Got acwee cow that was operated on some time ago. The wound had been healing ok and scabbing but I saw this last few days flies are at her and it’s opened a bit again. I put her in and washed it, spray and spot on dose but flies still about her. She’s feeding fine. Any advice?

charolais0153

squinn2912 wrote: »

Got acwee cow that was operated on some time ago. The wound had been healing ok and scabbing but I saw this last few days flies are at her and it’s opened a bit again. I put her in and washed it, spray and spot on dose but flies still about her. She’s feeding fine. Any advice?

Any sheep men near....clik should keep flies away

squinn2912

What’s clik? There’s a couple of men keep a few sheep not many in this country

Angus2018

Had a cow with a wound from an abscess, I used ectospec and it worked wonders. I put it on all the cows and bull now.

squinn2912

I thought the spot on would have worked? Bitch licked the spray off it on me. Thinking of washing it out again, spray and leave her in the crush for 20 mins to let it dry. Is it nothing to panic about?

charolais0153

squinn2912 wrote: »

What’s clik? There’s a couple of men keep a few sheep not many in this country

Its a spray type liquid that keeps flies away and theredore maggots. Very effective but would be exceptionally dear for one cpw

squinn2912

Might call into the vet and he’ll give me something I’m not at ease with it

whelan2

Stockholm tar

squinn2912

Well I washed her out again. There was a bit of blood and seeping coming out but fewer flies about. I put plenty of spray and let her stand for 40 mins it dried a bit and she didn’t lick it off so I’ll see how she goes at that will check her in a while.

Lady Haywire

Last planned calf here, another bull which makes 7 in a row. EBY this time.

whelan2

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Last planned calf here, another bull which makes 7 in a row. EBY this time.

Are there unplanned ones on the horizon?

Lady Haywire

whelan2 wrote: »

Are there unplanned ones on the horizon?

One in August, our own young bull got her and figured she'd be strong enough to have it. Looking big but on the same bare ground with this white one.

KingNerolives

It's remarkable how many cows will calve on me at 2am and generally on weekends. Mine are 90% night calving. Bit annoying like...

Angus2018

^Mine love calving on weekend nights, especially saturdays.

Calves born in this weather must be up like a rocket. They can get ice cold in minutes in the shed.

Lady Haywire

Angus2018 wrote: »

^Mine love calving on weekend nights, especially saturdays.

Calves born in this weather must be up like a rocket. They can get ice cold in minutes in the shed.

Well I looked at her at 7, tail out from her, no water bag so decided to look again at 8. Headed down about 10 to 8 and heard nothing, no lowing etc, looked in the gap, cow lying chewing her cud. Thought she had me codded again til I walked over a bit and seen the calf well licked at her back. Started to attempt getting up then so was out a good while. She must have just coughed and he flew out

Just on calving, she calved during the day last year too, have noticed that with some cows this year, calved during the day and did the same last year.

RobinBanks

What method of administering minerals are people planning on using this year. Bolus, Powder on top of feed, tablet in drinker or lick bucket?

Lady Haywire

I'm injecting all with copper before they go into the shed, noticed a few slow to lose hair this year & hard to catch in heat. Then powder on the silage every few days & about a fortnight before calving starts iodine in the drinkers.
Really noticed a massive difference with calf vitality when I started the iodine.

tanko

Powder on top of silage same as every other year. They can all eat at barrier together so you know theyre all getting it.

patsy_mccabe

Are these pre-calvng minerals ye're on about? If so, sprinkle bagged minerals on silage.

Limestone Cowboy

RobinBanks wrote: »

What method of administering minerals are people planning on using this year. Bolus, Powder on top of feed, tablet in drinker or lick bucket?

Alltrace bolus for me anyway. Did all the cows pre breeding and noticed that very few repeated compared to other years. Going to scan in the next week or two to confirm. Will do them all again in January and that should cover them for calving.

charolais0153

RobinBanks wrote: »

What method of administering minerals are people planning on using this year. Bolus, Powder on top of feed, tablet in drinker or lick bucket?

Bolus ,drench, powder on silage and injection of vitesel too.

RobinBanks

charolais0153 wrote: »

Bolus ,drench, powder on silage and injection of vitesel too.

Do you give all above to the same animal? I thought it would be one or the other?

charolais0153

RobinBanks wrote: »

Do you give all above to the same animal? I thought it would be one or the other?

Yep