Started here today. Only brought her in from field yesterday. Heifer calf.
yes we do and always have
take most of our cattle to slaughter so would only be codding ourselves
for the likes of scep where replacement scores are important to hit all the annual targets
Got a few cows that are a bit on the thin side. I've been supplementing them with a 16% blend.
I've read elsewhere that meal can make the calf big and that it is better to give them rolled oats as it doesn't result in large calves.
I've not heard this before. Has anyone here heard about it or read it?
I'd usually give the incalf heifers rolled oats and hay for the last 6 weeks of gestation. PB limo for the most part so wouldn't have a problem usually with low BCS, they'd usually be too high if were on adlib silage TBH. Not sure if there is any science behind it but the calf to me is usually a bit livelier and have seen a decrease in hard calvings since I started too. Might be as much to do with the hay as the oats though. Get about 1kg/head/day with adlib hay
They have ad lib silage and for the last month or so 4kg/day on the 16%. I was hoping to see a better reaction. They have been dosed since housing, so should be clear. I'll ask vet for an opinion, although I'd say they might be hesitant to recommend another dose a few months out from calving.
I'd usually give rolled oats and middling silage to suckler cows here. They would be out wintered so different to most, so it's not apples with apples we are comparing, The oats to me, gives the cow/calf energy but not weight gain. As funky_farmer said the calf's seem a bit hardier when born, better ability to just get up and suck without intervention and have more energy when fresh out of the oven.
I wouldn't be feeding any nuts what so ever for fear of pushing the calf up into the section/problematic calving category. They will have plenty time to grow once there out on the ground. And you can bull the cow with nuts to get her back in calf again once she has calved.
If they’re within 3/4 weeks of calving and thin they could run low on energy after calving. I’d give a good vitamin drench, keep the nuts and add oats and soybean meal. If further out from calving give vitamin drench now, cut out nuts and give oats + soybean and another drench 3 weeks before calving.
Do they need a vitamin drench as they have been on pre-calver since housing. Be longer than 3 weeks from calving.
if they are all eating it then powdered minerals are fine
I’d give it. Check with your vet if you want.
The first questions should be when are they due to calf? How long have they been thin? How long weaned? What age?
I know its probably been asked many times but how soon could you or do ye let calves creep in and out of the slats to the cows ?
With no sign of grass growth they could be in for a while yet.
we keep them in the calving pen for 5-7 days then move to slats where calves are in a bedded pen and let in morning and evening.
That strategy should help getting them back in calf quickly too - out of interest how long would you leave them with the cows morning and evening ?
~5 days usually for me. Once its a lively calf and they know their comforts then i put the cow to the slats and bring the calf to the creep area off it so they learn to go through the gate to the slats. Then keep and eye on them that they know how to go back and that their feet don't get caught in the slats (hasnt happened yet thankfully but did for a neighbor years ago, calf broke its leg). They'd have free access in and out then.
About 30-40 mins, I let them out l, do the chores and then put back in
I do the same. Keep calves in a bedded pen and leave into cows morning and evening. You can see that they suck properly etc for around half hour and take them away again. I’d often leave the cows out on a day like today and leave the calves be. Cows dead happy to go out and come back into the calves in the evening. A bit of work in it but keeps things clean.
We've six calved in the past week to ten days and thankfully no problems - four heifers and two bull calves and all are thriving. We used the jack on one AA/FR heifer but only to assist her iykwim. Four of the cows/calves our out in the field and have access to a dry bedded shed with silage and meal. I didn't get a chance to photograph any except for this little fella that was born last Thursday outta of a CHx cow by our SH bull.
Synchronised cows 13th June, calving stated at the weekend, Lampon, ZAG and Power Propper all coming. I had two heifers I gave an AA Lord to as they were a little on the small size, I was sure they would be first but I think they wouldn't be for another few days now.
I try to keep them off the slats for ten days, some go in after a week but they get on better with a couple of extra days behind them. You’ll always get an odd one that won’t leave the slats and gets very dirty looking.
Would I be mad to think about letting out a few cows and calves at the weekend with feck all grass around ?
It would really help with space in the shed for what's left to calf too or should I hold on till the grass grows a bit.
Better off out and supplement with ring feeder if needed
Ours are out with a creep feeder and a bale of silage in round feeder
best place for them is out. Mine are out 2 weeks now.
I’ve a more out than I should to clean off ground they are in the last field now with a ring feeder and they are happy out.
Bit of a tough run. Had to do 2 sections on 2 heifers last week (and should have done a 3rd also on another heifer as lost the calf (EBY also) - got stuck at hips) Usually use Dovea LM2014 (Ivor) on heifers - never had trouble with him, wasn't available with A.I man so we put in EBY. I didn't realize at time he is 6.8% difficulty on heifers. Heifers ~26 month.
think combination of few things
Vet feedback on the two - tight pelvis on both also
Section1: EBY bull calf
Section1 after a week
Section2 - at birth, EBY bull calf
after a week
General cow - Bull calf, BB4494 - 4 hrs
I used jack here also, she might have got him out but very slow going, 3rd time calver
Cow2, BB8019, had to pull this heifer calf also. Cow gave up after head out. Cow about 5th calver.
Calf is a little bit bigger than pic portrays but not huge I think for the cow?
What folks think?
Just on the BB4494 calf, I used this bull on two second calvers as he is meant to be easy calving, had to jack one and a section for the other. the only cows I had to touch this year and he the easiest calving bull I've used. had calves by 8019,9725,5214,4438,4597 and two calves by LM7713 that all calved themselves. What sort of gestation were those calves ? I have used EBY before with no issue but I would be calving at 3 years of age.
Never heard as bad a reports as this year for problems. I'm only ready to start calveing this week, well apart from a premature calf last week, and I'm half dreading it.
Good silage and good weather so calves are coming bigger. Too much hype now too around fancy muscular type heifers. Wait till next year and all those fancy BB type heifers making money in the marts, start calving.
a point to make and its a general one but the constant use of easy calving bulls leads to issues down the road especially in heifers
without knowing their diet for the last 6 weeks its hard to say but a calf will put on a lot of weight in its last few weeks gestation so something like clean but wirey silage or hayledge or hay +1kg oats will definitely help
the oats are important
less overall size in cows now is not helping
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