Calving 2019 - Advice and Help thread

squinn2912 · 12-03-2019 04:22AM

Just meself calving now! Took a walk down to check a cow and she was licking at the cleaning she’s calved maybe 30 mins. Good tight lim heifer up and all. I’m very fond of that cow she’s a Charolais out of a lim out of a Monty that we bought to rear a couple of calves about 10 years ago. Orange with a white face she’s turning into a fantastic suckler. Back to the pit now!

squinn2912 · 13-03-2019 02:25AM

And another new calf tonight. I swore by feeding them at night to keep them back but they’re picking their times these nights. Vet required but no operation thankfully. Weather not making things much easier

golodge · 13-03-2019 04:10PM

Another calf here too. Using a couple different breeds, but the average birth weight this season isn't going lower than 50kgs. Heifers are due in a couple weeks, so hopefully they'll knock it down a bit.

squinn2912 · 13-03-2019 04:20PM

golodge wrote: »

Another calf here too. Using a couple different breeds, but the average birth weight this season isn't going lower than 50kgs. Heifers are due in a couple weeks, so hopefully they'll knock it down a bit.

Do you weigh them all at birth?

golodge · 13-03-2019 05:23PM

squinn2912 wrote: »

Do you weigh them all at birth?

Those which are born in winter-spring before going out on grass- yes. And count an average from those. I take notes of other calves too, but just guessing their weights and counting another average from those.

tellmeabit · 13-03-2019 06:19PM

in from 1st calving of the year. 3rd time calver, calved away on her own except i had to pull the bag from his head when out. did navel and left them at it. watched on camera and spotted another leg coming about half hour later, let her work away small calf. 15 mins later went back to her to give a hand. think calf wasdead at that stage. had to push back in calf seemed like one of front legs out with a back leg with other front leg down. calf out and dead.
i suppose i should have stuck the hand in to check when the 1st calf was small, but thought i was doing right thing giving her time to calf away herself when spotted 2nd one. didnt show in the scan as twins, but have another cow that has scanned with twins and looking for advice on what i should do for her..

Mooooo · 13-03-2019 06:40PM

If the first one was presented and she worked away that's fine, I'd go in fast enough for the second as at that stage she would be open and bring the calf without too much bother to her, second calves can often be backwards or whatever. So for the next one I would say once she has started handle to make sure calf is presented properly and leave her at it as normal but go in for the second then. Perhaps others differ.

whelan2 · 16-03-2019 07:57PM

Did anyone ever see the thing the vet had for turning the calf last night? It was about 4 foot long, one end she put the ropes that were attached to the calf's back legs - calf was backwards and upside down - in the other end I put a steel bar and kept turning until the calf turned and wasn't upside down any more. Wonder would it work to turn a calf in a twisted womb?

patsy_mccabe · 16-03-2019 08:21PM

whelan2 wrote: »

Did anyone ever see the thing the vet had for turning the calf last night? It was about 4 foot long, one end she put the ropes that were attached to the calf's back legs - calf was backwards and upside down - in the other end I put a steel bar and kept turning until the calf turned and wasn't upside down any more. Wonder would it work to turn a calf in a twisted womb?

Was it this device?

whelan2 · 16-03-2019 08:26PM

Probably along the same lines, plastic about 4 inches wide with a hole in each end. Every day is a learning day

mayota · 16-03-2019 08:33PM

Brother had a Sim cow calve there now, 10th bull calf in a row! (For the cow)

patsy_mccabe · 16-03-2019 09:44PM

mayota wrote: »

Brother had a Sim cow calve there now, 10th bull calf in a row! (For the cow)

Odds of 1024/1.

patsy_mccabe · 17-03-2019 08:44AM

Had a cow calf here last night. Cow was lame for a long time so I had her out when the weather was fine. I knew she was getting a little fat, and was expecting a big calf but he is huge . When I stood him up, he was up to my belt. It just goes to show how important it is to restrict the feed beforehand.

Westernrock · 17-03-2019 02:51PM

whelan2 wrote: »

Did anyone ever see the thing the vet had for turning the calf last night? It was about 4 foot long, one end she put the ropes that were attached to the calf's back legs - calf was backwards and upside down - in the other end I put a steel bar and kept turning until the calf turned and wasn't upside down any more. Wonder would it work to turn a calf in a twisted womb?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w1thouALmqY

This is what your after, and yes it’s main purpose is for twists

whelan2 · 17-03-2019 02:53PM

Westernrock wrote: »

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w1thouALmqY

This is what your after, and yes it’s main purpose is for twists

Yup that was it, thanks

Dozer1 · 17-03-2019 09:35PM

Small herd here so not used to a lot of calvings on the same day....5 in 20 hours has calving capacity at a max but all bulls and healthy out. Fair play to the lads with big herds and compact calving.

Limestone Cowboy · 17-03-2019 09:37PM

Westernrock wrote: »

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w1thouALmqY

This is what your after, and yes it’s main purpose is for twists

I never knew such a thing existed. Have turned a few by hand but it's tough going.

whelan2 · 17-03-2019 09:40PM

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

I never knew such a thing existed. Have turned a few by hand but it's tough going.

I never saw it before either. In fairness I wouldn't need it very often but it worked.

patsy_mccabe · 17-03-2019 10:34PM

whelan2 wrote: »

I never saw it before either. In fairness I wouldn't need it very often but it worked.

If the cow had a twisted uterus would you go at it yourself, or call the vet?

whelan2 · 18-03-2019 06:21AM

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

If the cow had a twisted uterus would you go at it yourself, or call the vet?

Would try myself for a short time, then vet. I know fairly quickly if a calving is beyond me

Limestone Cowboy · 20-03-2019 03:53PM

Second calf out of the charolais bull yesterday and a black lim cow. Pity about the colour. Calved herself though.

squinn2912 · 20-03-2019 04:07PM

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Second calf out of the charolais bull yesterday and a black lim cow. Pity about the colour. Calved herself though.

Not much wrong with that calf!!

squinn2912 · 20-03-2019 04:09PM

Had twins on Sunday night there. Lucky to get the second one out which was the bigger calf. Cow favouring the first born that is a very poor sucker. Such botheration

Albert Johnson · 20-03-2019 04:18PM

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Second calf out of the charolais bull yesterday and a black lim cow. Pity about the colour. Calved herself though.

That's a fair calf but I agree about the colour, it's not suited to selling as weanlings and has put me off black coloured cows tbh. He also has the accompanying "catty" type hair which I detest, it usually means they can sense a downpour a hundred miles off and will be standing with a hump under a tree while the rest are out the field grazing. It's very hard to get the job right I know!!

charolais0153 · 20-03-2019 04:32PM

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Second calf out of the charolais bull yesterday and a black lim cow. Pity about the colour. Calved herself though.

Absolute unit. Bull is breeding well anyways. Savage back on him. Thats an especially bad colour though. Still better than a black lim

Limestone Cowboy · 20-03-2019 04:33PM

Albert Johnson wrote: »

That's a fair calf but I agree about the colour, it's not suited to selling as weanlings and has put me off black coloured cows tbh. He also has the accompanying "catty" type hair which I detest, it usually means they can sense a downpour a hundred miles off and will be standing with a hump under a tree while the rest are out the field grazing. It's very hard to get the job right I know!!

Agreed, only have a few black cows. Not ideal for selling weanlings at all.

Limestone Cowboy · 20-03-2019 04:37PM

charolais0153 wrote: »

Absolute unit. Bull is breeding well anyways. Savage back on him. Thats an especially bad colour though. Still better than a black lim

Ya awful power to him for a day old calf. Kinda afraid now though. I gave him to a couple of muscley enough cows and don't think they would put the likes of that fella out. Time will tell I suppose.

tellmeabit · 20-03-2019 05:26PM

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Second calf out of the charolais bull yesterday and a black lim cow. Pity about the colour. Calved herself though.

a beauty

patsy_mccabe · 20-03-2019 05:27PM

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

Second calf out of the charolais bull yesterday and a black lim cow. Pity about the colour. Calved herself though.

To me he looks more fleshly than muscley. Too mild a winter and good quality silage doesn't help. He's got some width to him.

Limestone Cowboy · 20-03-2019 10:06PM

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

To me he looks more fleshly than muscley. Too mild a winter and good quality silage doesn't help. He's got some width to him.

He's muscley alright, like the bull.

Calving 2019 - Advice and Help thread

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