Calving 2025

Base price

@alan10 how is your calf doing?

Lime Tree Farm

The pain medication is probably making him sleepy, he should be livelier after he complete the course.

@Greysides, we haven't heard from him for some time.

tellmeabit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123416458#Comment_123416458

Gave him energy alright. He was up and bit of walking earler. No suck so had to give it to him via tube. Honey didn't seem to help with suck on the bottle so ended up giving him 500 ml. Will be trying again shortly

tellmeabit

How is your man doing Alan

tellmeabit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123417631#Comment_123417631

Didn't realise that would make him sleepy . Good to know

whelan2

Put the honey on your fingers first, get him to suck then introduce the teat

tellmeabit

I was trying that, he makes one or 2 sucks then stops. Might be the pain med making him dozzie

alan10

@tellmeabit @Base price

Well the calf is improving I think but me patience is not!

As @Anto_Meath said. He's getting spoilt, I thought he looked shook this morning when I went up to him so I thought he mustn't have sucked (cow looked full also). Cow wouldn't stand in field, took ages to get them in yard, finally in pen and he just stood there - no interest when I brought him the cow teat. Let them out and he took off like a racehorse round the field! So he must have sucked?

Watched him 9 hour on camera today and never sucked, sitting for 8 of the hours, brought him in yard this evening and sucked like mad when I held tongue in. I don't know.

I know keep him hungry to try and suck but his arse is very dry/crumble so he's not drinking a lot I think.

Nearly 2 weeks. I'm thinking I bring them in once a day for next week, give him 15 mins, either he sucks or tough ****. Finish the stomach tube feeding also. What yous think?

On a separate note - last once calved, Dovea LM8929, nice heifer calf. Cow (Dovea Si "ISL") is stone mad, never seen this before, only her third calf but I think will be her last. I went out in field to check the sex and she charged me. Lucky calf got up and sucked. Usual story, quiet as anything before and after - not worth it.

tellmeabit

Update from yesterday, my man has lost all energy and has a temp. So different antibiotics and still on anti inflam. No standing, hasn't the strength to keep his head up. Did manage to tickle his tongue so he drank 300ml with syringe last night

Stomach fed milk and life aid. Don't see much hope for him at this stage.

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123421408#Comment_123421408

How is his navel now, is it a different infection? If you could at all try and get 500ml into him every 4 hrs.

tellmeabit

I didn't see a naval infection, his tummy did swell, I wonder did he bleed internally, the antibiotics were to prevent his navel getting an infection, his temp did rise yesterday so

was gone wrong.

He was very lifeless this morning and has since died.

tellmeabit

I would like to get a better understanding of what happen here, vet suggested he just may have been a weak calf. I do enjoy working with the animals but take an incident like this to heart, suppose with my small numbers it doesn't happen too often but doesn't make it any easier.

Only this cows 2nd calf, so I suppose I will be selling her now and I'm unsure if it is related to the calving even thou she calved herself. I did give her a small pull last year to a decent saler bull.

tellmeabit

Ya that was the plan when he got the suck back, was encouraging him to poo also in effort to make room for milk.

Sugarbowl

sorry to read this @tellmeabit

I was following your journey with him, hoping he would pull through

hopefully things improve from here for you

ABitofsense

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123422606#Comment_123422606

Like myself when its small numbers its tough when you lose one. I had a good strong calf drop dead in front of me last year, had vet out looking at him as he was slightly swelled, spent loads on medicines etc & then when you think he's nearly right, just falls over and dies in front of you. As long as its outside and i tried my best that all that you can do.

Lime Tree Farm

Sorry to hear that, you gave him his best chance.

dowlerswozere

best thing you can do is get him out of the yard it’s easy to take it to heart I do the same myself but ya did your best and thats all you can do

whelan2

Sorry to hear that, you did all you could.

Anto_Meath

Sorry to hear that @tellmeabit, I had a calf born one year missing part of her gut. Vet out he said it 1 of those 1 in a million things nothing he could do. Couple of months later calf born and guts were all coming out around his navel. Vet out nothing he could do.. said its 1 of those 1 in a million things. I said I am only calving around 20 cows yet I get alot of them.... & never seem to get the 1 in a million lotto.... but that's farming you get all kinds of strange knocks that really annoy you. So the next time you have a win enjoy it..

White Clover

Sorry to read about your calf @tellmeabit

You did your best.

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123422571#Comment_123422571

I used to take things like that to heart in my earlier days farming. We since had a few loses inside the house so I’m firmly in the corner that once it stays outside, it’s ok.

Once I know I did everything I could, including vet advice/call out then I’m ok with it.

Sounds like you couldn’t have done any more for the calf so it’s just one of these things. In farming, where there’s livestock there’s dead stock.

tellmeabit

Thanks all,

How does one get a calf sent to lab to investigate

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123425362#Comment_123425362

Contact the vets and they will make the booking. Last one here cost a fiver

tanko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123425362#Comment_123425362

it has to be booked in through your vet afaik and you drop the calf in

Dunedin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123425385#Comment_123425385

the knackery organised the last one for me Albeit that was about 10 years ago so maybe the rules have changed.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123425388#Comment_123425388

Anto_Meath

Last of the planned calvers (neighbours Sh bull paid a visit last September and I have 1 heifer springing up now) but this one is an AA 8472 from a Knell heifer out of a Zag cow, according to ICBF the heifer is 96% Lm. Very happy with the pair of them.

The heifer is a funny animal, I can rub her in the field & when she calved I could check her teats in the field. But if she see anyone strange or senses something different is going on she would be liable to put her tail on her back & would clear Beach's brook if she felt like it.

20250507_204806.jpg

Happy with my synchronising, done June 13th 2024, first calf 22nd March & last calf 7th of May.

tellmeabit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123410964#Comment_123410964

How is this lad since?

alan10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123442767#Comment_123442767

He's going good. Going to dehorn him this evening, was waiting till he gets stronger. Now he has the weirdest, loudest suck but currently sucking 3/4 quarters so can't ask for much more. I presume he will get the hang for eating grass and starting crunch.

Have a good video but don't know how to share here, wont let me upload video.

tellmeabit

Very good, glad to hear it. Good strong lad so hopefully he will drive on

anthony500_1

Screenshot_20250516-153628.png

The last of this year's calf's born Sunday, well late compared to the rest of the herd, but the first from my new stock bull. Lovely heifer calf, she's a bit light boned in the legs but very lively. Cow is an eby x bbx