Calving 2018 - Advise and Help thread

RobinBanks

charolais0153 wrote: »

Yep

Oh right. So you give them the macro minerals through the powder and the trace elements through the bolus. Whats the drench? and why the extra selenium from the Vitesel? You sound like you are on top of your game so i suspect your forage would already have high levels of minerals. Do you blood test the cows to see what they are lacking?

Never wrestle with pigs

I give two alltrace boules to each cow going into the shed and two more on turn out.

I give 30ml topical iodine every 2 weeks when they go into the shed until they calve. Calve in late December and January. So average 3/4 times per cow.

I leave a few bags of powder minerals in a half barrel with cement on the bottom foot to stop them moving it around. usually 5/6 bags do the winter for 30 cows. They only tip away at it as they need it. I also love in a rock of salt into it to stop them drinking their piss. I'm probably not spreading enough s in fertiliser causing this??

I get a very good hardy calf and no retained cleaning bar the odd hard calving. They go back incalf very quick and no scours thank god. Other than that cows get the rota vaccine pre calving. Working for me anyway. I think mineral supplement is very underrated.

charolais0153

RobinBanks wrote: »

Oh right. So you give them the macro minerals through the powder and the trace elements through the bolus. Whats the drench? and why the extra selenium from the Vitesel? You sound like you are on top of your game so i suspect your forage would already have high levels of minerals. Do you blood test the cows to see what they are lacking?

We buy in silage thats been kept the whole summer so its not great quality. All trace bolus and just a normal precalver mineral. I dont know if its the selenium or vitamin e but it helped with less calves dead and with crooked legs. We use agrillyod as a drench,expensive enough. We blooded the cows a few years ago when we lost a few calves a day or two old but it showed up nothing.

patsy_mccabe

Suckler cow starting to calf here. Calved last year on 12 Dec and came bulling 23 days after calving. I wish they were all as fertile. She's very big and wide at the hips so a great calver. ICBF have her at 4 stars for fertility. 3/4 bred lim but doesnt breed great calves, if I'm honest.

squinn2912

How did she get on for you? We have had a few like that who calve away every year but never seem to rear much of a calf. For one reason or another they can go under the radar and take us an age to decide to cull them. Usually because they have a live calf I suppose!

patsy_mccabe

Fine bull calf. Up and sucking, no bother.

jimini0

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Fine bull calf. Up and sucking, no bother.

Congrats. We have a a pure bred Angus cow here. She is 12. 10 calves all born in early April. She goes in calf by the sound of the ai mans van pulling into yard. She Never repeated. Never needed help calving. I forgot about her last year for family reasons. Didnt even know she had calved for a week or more. The calves are at best average but she is no hassle. I'm dreading the day when the scanner man says she is not in calf.

patsy_mccabe

Cow is 3/4 limousin, so you'd think her calves would come red. 3 black calves in a row.

charolais0153

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

....

Years since we had a cow like taht at home,love the white socks. Fine big blue or cahrolais is what she wants

patsy_mccabe

charolais0153 wrote: »

Years since we had a cow like taht at home,love the white socks. Fine big blue or cahrolais is what she wants

That's what I call her 'White Socks'. White Socks calved today written into notebook. I bought her in, but her breeding is up on ICBF.

Pidae.m

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Cow is 3/4 limousin, so you'd think her calves would come red. 3 black calves in a row.

That's a right cow

Angus2018

I've the same, cow that calves the exact same time every year, no fuss, no intervening, never sick or gets up to mischief. But the factory result is always disappointing. 8th calf coming in the spring.


Also good to see this thread bumped so people see it. We encourage any questions or problems to be posted. Lots of us here willing to help!

Never wrestle with pigs

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Cow is 3/4 limousin, so you'd think her calves would come red. 3 black calves in a row.

Stick a blonde on her and you'll get a coloured calf I bet.

squinn2912

In a case like that would you think of Parthanese or Aubrac? I swore last year never again after I put a Bollide into a flighty black heifer (lim from Fr) and read up on him. She calved a gorgeous yellow heifer that has growth and muscles - very happy. Bit excitable but the mother is fairly well calmed so there might be hope for a replacement yet.

Lady Haywire

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Cow is 3/4 limousin, so you'd think her calves would come red. 3 black calves in a row.

I had a cow very similar to her about 10 years ago,calved some great blues, limousin off a brfr/sim cow.
Called her socks as well Though daft as a bag of badgers.

patsy_mccabe

Never wrestle with pigs wrote: »

Stick a blonde on her and you'll get a coloured calf I bet.

squinn2912 wrote: »

In a case like that would you think of Parthanese or Aubrac? I swore last year never again after I put a Bollide into a flighty black heifer (lim from Fr) and read up on him. She calved a gorgeous yellow heifer that has growth and muscles - very happy. Bit excitable but the mother is fairly well calmed so there might be hope for a replacement yet.

I've my own Limousin bull here, that's why she doesnt get a Char or Blue. This cow had my worst calf this year. She's not passing on any of the great shape she has herself to her calves. Poor back breeding, I suppose.

Dozer1

No offense Patsy but is she not of more value on the hook for you than rearing another calf.

you're interested in good breeding, I'd have cut my losses and moved her on this year above all others.

got rid of 3 just like her great looking cows but only average calves, if we're to make anything out of the calf he has to be a good to great calf every year not an average one, and trust me I bet my cows are still behind the quality stock you have.

tanko

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

I've my own Limousin bull here, that's why she doesnt get a Char or Blue. This cow had my worst calf this year. She's not passing on any of the great shape she has herself to her calves. Poor back breeding, I suppose.

What is the Eurostar value of that cow?

patsy_mccabe

tanko wrote: »

What is the Eurostar value of that cow?

€100 exatly, 4 stars. Her sire is known and she is Genotyped. Her dam is 50% Lm, sire unknown.

adne

Joint I'll? (I don't think so as no swelling n joints or navel) or lacking something?

Lady Haywire

adne wrote: »

Joint I'll? (I don't think so as no swelling n joints or navel) or lacking something?

Vit E/Selenium shot. It comes right with time either but it annoys me seeing them with bandy legs.

adne

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Vit E/Selenium shot. It comes right with time either but it annoys me seeing them with bandy legs.

Must get vitamin precalver dust for the rest of the herd

greysides

I'd get the pair of them outside quick. The more exercise he gets the better. I've never liked those joints being affected by contracted tendons as I reckon the fetlock joints do better.