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Calving 2024

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Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,715 ✭✭✭Anto_Meath


    @Lime Tree Farm yes that's the rule as far as I know, only on the farm that the animal was on in October 2023. Plus any prodigy will a start rating based on the star rating the date the calf was born.

    When it comes to starts I am going with the strategy of keeping more females than I need. That way I can keep the cows I want.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,861 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    Calves dont get coccidiosis until they're over 2 weeks, they're not born with it, they meet it.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,649 ✭✭✭Sami23


    Yeah calf in great form this morning so hopefully over the worst of it now.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 92 ✭✭Katie 2018


    Any tips for first time calver not letting calf suck.born last night taken well to it except for feeding. Got it fed this morning when put cow in calving gate



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 896 ✭✭✭Sugarbowl


    a bit of time. Nuts in headlock of calving gate. After a few sucks, chance her head free with just the nuts. They be up and running in no time. Happens to us all!



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,481 ✭✭✭✭patsy_mccabe


    If she's a heifer, her udder might be sore. It will just take time.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,495 ✭✭✭older by the day


    Ya, stick at it, a few times a day. When the calf gets strong, he/she will get a drink alright. I find sudocream takes the soreness from any cross heifer here in the milking parlour. Maybe rub on a layer after the calf sucks in the morning.

    Mind yourself, anyway, in case you get a kick



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,891 ✭✭✭893bet


    give her a good draw with someone holding the tail. Will be less sore to get calf on then when pressure is off. Keep close eye for mastitis as that could be the issue.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,481 ✭✭✭✭patsy_mccabe


    Had a heifer calve here today. Yesterday I put her into a field near the shed with a few cows. Checked her late last night and she was gone. Found her after 30mins in a far field, but near the calved cows. Left her there and this morning let her back into field with the cows.

    She calved away today no problem, but wouldn't let the calf drink. Kept kicking him away. Checked her a few times during the day. same every time, kept kicking the calf. Tried her one last time this evening. Kept rubbing her along her back for about 10 mins with a long stick and she never kicked.

    Whatever it is about rubbing their back, it just calms them down. Saved me a lot of messing with my old trick, of getting them into the shed with the transport box and lassoing the calf.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,481 ✭✭✭✭patsy_mccabe


    Pulled 2 bull twin calves for a neighbour earlier. Went from thinking we had a dead calf to 2 live ones. First calf was coming backwards with both legs down. Had first one out a good 10 mins, before checking the cow for a second.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,699 ✭✭✭✭Base price


    What are the little white bits on the hair - maggots?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,073 ✭✭✭tellmeabit


    The white bits look like grass seed.

    Might be that he has been rubbing off something.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,699 ✭✭✭✭Base price


    Maybe. I was thinking ringworm when I saw it first but the white bits threw me. You would normally see ringworm around their eyes, muzzle or ears first before it spreads along their neck/shoulders.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,861 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    Would it be lice?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,699 ✭✭✭✭Base price




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,861 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    We had a very young calf a few years ago and when we looked at his hair closely it was full of lice, you could see them moving. Vet was treating it for something else and showed us them.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,699 ✭✭✭✭Base price


    At two weeks of age he is within the age range for ringworm but I've never seen it showing like that in six week old calves.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,811 ✭✭✭✭mickdw


    I have a 6 week old bought in calf here that is not right. Off his milk and alittle wobbly at the back legs.

    He gets up no problem but head abit droopy and generally lazy.

    He had a cough but that seems to be gone now after getting injections.

    Any ideas?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,699 ✭✭✭✭Base price


    Jeez, you would be better off contacting your Vet that gave you the injections.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,782 ✭✭✭Jb1989


    Maybe pneumonia. Take to vet and let him listen to lungs and heartbeat



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 299 ✭✭golodge


    Heifers started calving here. Only one leg and head present, so had to intervene.

    279 days gestation, incalf to culard charolais, bull calf. Heifer is around 80%%lim.

    20240427_132603.jpg

    8 more left for the following three weeks.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,699 ✭✭✭✭Base price


    @golodge lovely hay and many of us Irish farmers would like to have it as feed. We have had wet weather since July last year and hay/straw became very expensive and difficult to locate. What is the weather like with you now. I presume the cold temperature and snow is gone.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,861 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    Only a handful left to calve here. Have them out in a paddock beside my parents house. One of them was messing around a good bit today, went to bring her in this evening-luckily while my dad was at mass- she went for us. Brought jeep out and got her into crush. Calved her. Glad I didn't ask my dad to go out and look at her. You can never be too careful



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 299 ✭✭golodge


    Feed price here is really high as well. It was very dry last season, grass yield was smaller by 70% than usually.

    We had snow for three days a week ago, +20°C today. That's probably the third time this spring with such drastic change from +20 to snow in a day.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,715 ✭✭✭Anto_Meath


    Caving 24 finished. Synchronised 21 cows / heifers 26th June 2023. 20 held, I thought I had 7 repeats but as it turned out only had 5.

    First cow calved 30th March & the last one the 29th April. Cows 1-16 all calved themselves outside no issues, did give 1 a little assistance but that was more cause I was there than anything else.

    Cow 17 had a bad start last September / October, calf born very weak, red lamp, bottle feeding, drip and all but he didn't make, I assume it was some hangover from the cow been sick.. she was marked for culling this year anyway.

    Cow 18 calved outside Thursday afternoon all good, then on Saturday morning the calf had a massive swollen front knee & wouldn't stand or drink. Joint ill, so bottle feeding for the weekend and a few shots of antibiotics but thankfully she appears to be on the mend.

    Cow 19 first timer, calved Saturday evening, made it quite clear she didn't want me around and was in similar humor on Sunday so left her in the padock.

    Cow 20 sick to calf yesterday morning, 4pm yesterday she had taken up with cow 19's calf. Wouldn't let cow 19 near him. Got all into the yard separated cow 20 from the calf and put mammy & calf back in the padock. Cow 19 not happy with either me or her calf. But by 8pm she had made up with the calf again thankfully, but I think I am still on the not trusted list. Handled cow 20, feet presented strange, so called the vet, calf was upside down with his head twisted back. In fairness to the vet she spent a good bit of time slowly working him around and getting all right & thankfully landed a big lump of a bull calf without the need for a section so that's a good result.

    You don't win them all & it was a very busy month watching them, but happy with how it went and I have a nice even batch of calves.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,151 ✭✭✭mr.stonewall


    That's a super success story. Lovely and compact and 20 cows standing with 20 calves of their own. @Anto_Meath being done in a month is a great feeling. Last year I managed it in 36 days

    Bit tougher here this year. 2 left to calve of 25. Synced 5 heifers and 4 cows. 6 held to first serve. Calving started on the 25th march with the heifers in calf to an Angus and then a week break until the cows kicked off. Few issues with calving, 3 with legs down, 2 coming tail first into the the world, one of these lost. 1 case of pneumonia outside with a 2 week old calf, jacket and a shot of zeleris sorted that.

    Of the 2 left of calve one is spring up well and will be calved in the next 5 days, the last one will drag towards the end of may.

    Compact calving with sucklers is vital. It's as easy to be watch 3 or 4 to calve as to the single one. The big thing is being strict on the day the bull is pulled out or finished when when the last straw goes in. 9weeks is plenty.

    A small tip that I have found handy over the years is to only bred heifers that have calved in the 1st 3weeks of calving. These are the ones that their mother's have gone in calf to the 1st serve. Sets a good foundation for the future.

    The big question for @Anto_Meath will you sync this breeding season



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,335 ✭✭✭Hard Knocks


    good results. What protocol did you use, were all in standing heat afterwards or did you use FTAI. Trying a bit here to shorten the season with mixed results



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,715 ✭✭✭Anto_Meath


    @mr.stonewall I will be synchronising again for the coming season. Its more for ease of catching the cows coming into heat with working full time.

    CIDR's went in on the Wednesday evening the 15. Think they were taken out Saturday morning 24th with a shot of Estimate and then AI'ed all on the Monday evening.

    My vet put in CIDRs and told me what to do. I know they should have been AI'ed on the Sunday but he said it was no harm to go a day longer with the CIDERs in so as not to be AIing on the Sunday.

    Put heat detection patches on the cows Saturday the 8th July & put a little bullock out with the cows. Had the repeats over the weekend 14 -19. Anything I seen that was red was AI as soon as the technician could arrive. Some of them were standing for heat others weren't so I don't know if it makes much of a difference.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 92 ✭✭Katie 2018


    How would synchronising work when using a stock bull??finished up calving two weeks ago first calving heifer. Would like to her calving time back abit



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,151 ✭✭✭mr.stonewall


    It works easily. Just keep the bull away from here. Follow the protocol for FTAI on here and ai her. A few days after ai, let her back in with the bull to pick her up for repeats.

    The problem arises if you have big numbers for repeats, puts the bull under pressure. In a herd of 20-25 an experienced bull will have no issue with the repeats after FTAI,



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