Calving 2025

Lime Tree Farm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123455081#Comment_123455081

Lovely. 'Stone walls and the grass is green'.

limo_100

Have a Lm cow suppose to be carrying twins she's currently roughly 275days gone and doesn't have any appearance of calving yet. What's the longest gestation people have seen cows with twins go? I would have though 280 would have tightened her so surprised she's not further along. carrying to a rented ch bull. I would be thinking at this stage she is probably only carrying a single calf although she is bigish

tanko

9 months plus 6-10 days for twins i find, about a week or so on average shorter gestation than a single calf.

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123467991#Comment_123467991

Thats what I was thinking but no appearance of her going to calf this week, suppose patience and all will reveal itself in time

Sugarbowl

I had a CH cow last month carry 283 days with Angus twins. I didn’t know she was having them.

tellmeabit

My last for a few months now..

golodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123467495#Comment_123467495

286 days was the longest with twins here.

RD10

Have had two different cows carry twins 2 weeks and also 2 and a half weeks past their due dates.

They don't always calf earlier with twins, especially with carrying to a charlaois I find.

Diarmuid B

11 years calving cows and this was the best year yet, all calved well and lovely big strong calves.

Went out this morning to find a 9 year old cow (very first calf I ever calved myself) had blood trickling from her belly. Brought her in and treated it, stopped the bleeding and all seemed fine. Ate the full bucket of meal so no issues there… girlfriend checked her at 2 o clock today and cow was sitting pretty in the field chewing away… I came home at 17:30 and there she is dead in the field. Vet came and said it was a ruptured milk vein. Sickening stuff. Where you’ve livestock you’ve dead stock and all that, but it’s some kick in the teeth at the same time.
800kg beast, her twin calves looking for a drink, and her the quietest cow you could find- she’d let any calf suck off her she had that much milk.
F*** it anyway.
thankfully she’s left me some great memories and some super offspring that’ll keep the bloodline going. Her daughter is currently letting the twins suck now so she’s carrying the burden of feeding 3 calves.

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123501367#Comment_123501367

Hard luck lad. You done all you could do. Hope you get twins sorted with her daughter or whatever else. Chin up lad 👍🏿

Pie Man

What's the earliest you debud calves? He'll be 10 days next weekend and was hoping to do him then, we normally wait till there over 2 weeks and use local anastic. Big LM calf has strong buds already.

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123501367#Comment_123501367

no getting away from it, stuff like that is a hard blow. Once you get the calves going, you’ll forget about it too.

Once it stays outside…….

minerleague

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123501367#Comment_123501367

Not trying to worry you but any concern any daughters of hers would be prone to same thing. Sounds like a weakness that was going to happen sometime. As if there isn't enough things to worry about

Diarmuid B

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123502291#Comment_123502291

according to vet it was a freak accident, nicked it on something sharp. Ironic thing is there’s only maybe 100m of barbed wire fencing on the farm, so it was either that or she got a kick or a feckin whitethorn from the hedges after they were cut

Butcher Boy

Had cows down by the bank of the river a few years ago ,the same thing happened. The vet taught it might be a nick from a mink.

ABitofsense

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123501904#Comment_123501904

Once I can get the burner on them. I find with LM they could be anything from 2-7weeks old before you can get them. I'll be doing some myself tomorrow.

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123501904#Comment_123501904

I have done limo calves as young as 2 days old. Average here would be 4-5 days. Once you can feel any bit of the bud coming, you can belt away.

patsy_mccabe

I always found that 4 weeks for a bull calf and 5 weeks for a heifer was the ideal time to dehorn them. I did a 7 week old heifer calf today and I had some battle with her. Got her in the crate after a wrestle and she knocked it over.

I dehorn a few bucket reared calves every year for neighbours and the difference is ureal.

whelan2

Alot to be said for polled cattle

Picking Dasies

Pulled calf no power to stand on back legs. Vet says give him week anyway, more muscle damage than break or fracture.

Hard watch at moment.

Anyone with similar and calf get up eventually?

Lime Tree Farm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123577311#Comment_123577311

They recover very quickly. Amazed to see one skipping around the following day. If you feel that he is still in pain, ask the Vet for some Metacam or similar for pain relief.

minerleague

Spring calving 2025 is over ! Two cows either didn't go in calf when I thought or else broke down and went in-calf late in year. Had bull left in with that bunch of cows ( all with bull calves ) as nowhere else to keep him handy. First of two calved last week - no problems, calved herself and calf up and drinking less than 30 min. Second one this morning had calf coming backwards and decided at one stage she had had enough and tried to make off with first cows calf! Right or wrong when I see a calf coming backwards I put on jack and get them out promptly, Calf a bit wheezy and helped her to suck but alls well that ends well 😎

Sami23

Had a small 16 month old heifer calf yesterday (unplanned obviously). Handy enough calf came with a moderate pull.

Calf is alert but not able to stand and seems weak and wobbly on legs when attempting to stand. I'm tubing him so far as won't suck the bottle bar the 1st feed.

Just wondering is there anything I can do to help with the weakness - I'm presuming she's tender from the pull.

Also how long can I stay stomach tubing for ?

Tia

TL17

Call to your vet. They will have an injection to give him a boost. Can't remember what it's called but I've found it good

Sami23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123689053#Comment_123689053

Was the Vet that actually calved her and he gave her an injection straight away. I'm giving her the powder biestings along with some milk from heifer so far.

I wonder how long I can continue with the powder biestings for also before I need to get maverick type powder ?

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123689208#Comment_123689208

I'd be milking her as much as possible, then get milk from a dairy farmer, before I'd start powder milk on a suckle calf this early.

whelan2

If she's had enough biestings be no harm to have her hungry for a bit.

Sami23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123689379#Comment_123689379

Yeah leaving her hungry is fine but she's no chance to suck the heifer as she can't stand so I've no choice but to keep tubing her.

No dairy farmers around me.

Tried standing her on bale of hay there to get the blood moving in legs.

Not sure what else I can do tbh

whelan2

Have you a bottle with a teat? Might be better than tubing her, put honey on the teat

WoozieWu

dont leave her hungry keep her alive first and worry about the suck after