When's calving starting 2020

whelan2 · 11-02-2020 11:24am

Lime Tree Farm wrote: »

Could be Volvolus. Had one like that, convinced it was caused by a hard pull. Volvulus diagnosed by Lab, Vet said it had nothing to do with hard pull.

This wasn't a hard pull. No jack just ropes

stanflt · 11-02-2020 12:43pm

whelan2 wrote: »

This wasn't a hard pull. No jack just ropes

I had a heifer calf die of the same thing sat morning- 3 days old- first fatality

whelan2 · 11-02-2020 1:56pm

stanflt wrote: »

I had a heifer calf die of the same thing sat morning- 3 days old- first fatality

At least mine was a bull.

Limestone Cowboy · 11-02-2020 2:26pm

Had to get the vet to this one this morning. Cow was stitched last year and had a ring of scar tissue that wouldn't let her open up. Both ok anyway.

emaherx · 11-02-2020 3:14pm

whelan2 wrote: »

At least mine was a bull.

Heartless dairy farmers :rolleyes:

Timmaay · 12-02-2020 7:53pm

Over 50 calved, 30 heifers in the parlour, Crap weather, juggling sheds, and busy with afew off farm things this week that I couldn't get out of, surviving on pure adrenaline at the min! But good to be motoring along with it all.

Limestone Cowboy · 14-02-2020 3:49pm

First casualty here this morning. Lim springer with a massive lim heifer calf that I wasn't expecting to calf. Had been calving for too long when I looked at her. Absolutely sick with myself. Springer is fairly wobbly after it too.

Parishlad · 14-02-2020 4:08pm

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

First casualty here this morning. Lim springer with a massive lim heifer calf that I wasn't expecting to calf. Had been calving for too long when I looked at her. Absolutely sick with myself. Springer is fairly wobbly after it too.

Don't be too hard on yourself. You have a tough enough gig there trying to keep an eye on your cows with them out on the winterage. I have mine all under one roof with a camera that I can check from the comfort of my bed and I still manage to miss the odd one. It's a sickener to lose a calf and you'll be pi**ed off for a while but there will be more times where only for you a lot more would be lost.

Reggie. · 14-02-2020 4:19pm

Parishlad wrote: »

Don't be too hard on yourself. You have a tough enough gig there trying to keep an eye on your cows with them out on the winterage. I have mine all under one roof with a camera that I can check from the comfort of my bed and I still manage to miss the odd one. It's a sickener to lose a calf and you'll be pi**ed off for a while but there will be more times where only for you a lot more would be lost.

well said

Limestone Cowboy · 14-02-2020 4:29pm

Parishlad wrote: »

Don't be too hard on yourself. You have a tough enough gig there trying to keep an eye on your cows with them out on the winterage. I have mine all under one roof with a camera that I can check from the comfort of my bed and I still manage to miss the odd one. It's a sickener to lose a calf and you'll be pi**ed off for a while but there will be more times where only for you a lot more would be lost.

I know but there's no worse feeling than missing one like that and looking at the mess that could have been avoided. The springers are carrying too much form anyway. I let them off to the winterage at the end of October and didn't give them any feeding yet and they are like I took them off grass last week. Not a problem I am used to dealing with. I had awful handy sized calves out of the lim bull the last 2 years and the ones this year are huge. The charolais are smaller than them.

Parishlad · 14-02-2020 4:44pm

Limestone Cowboy wrote: »

I know but there's no worse feeling than missing one like that and looking at the mess that could have been avoided. The springers are carrying too much form anyway. I let them off to the winterage at the end of October and didn't give them any feeding yet and they are like I took them off grass last week. Not a problem I am used to dealing with. I had awful handy sized calves out of the lim bull the last 2 years and the ones this year are huge. The charolais are smaller than them.

I hear ya. I've had the 'only if' chats with myself many's a time.
My own calves are coming a bit bigger this year also and, like that, I'd say that the cows are in too good a condition.
I had a huge bull calf by section almost two weeks ago and he still is completely knuckled on his back legs and front legs are bowed. I am spending more time with him every evening massaging and stretching his legs than I do with the rest put together. Had to milk the cow and bottle feed him for the first week. I hope he comes right eventually. We've become quite pally with all our time spent together!

Anto_Meath · 14-02-2020 5:03pm

Parishlad, the good thing about a lad like that is he will be well used of been handled and be easy to manage when he gets bigger. I have twin bullocks that need extra care when they were born and now that they are two year old's they are still auld pets.

Limestone yes it extremely annoying when the likes of that happens, but at time I think if one is going to go on you they we will go no matter how well you mind them. But as my dad used to say once its outside the door its ok.

wrangler · 14-02-2020 5:09pm

Parishlad wrote: »

I hear ya. I've had the 'only if' chats with myself many's a time.
My own calves are coming a bit bigger this year also and, like that, I'd say that the cows are in too good a condition.
I had a huge bull calf by section almost two weeks ago and he still is completely knuckled on his back legs and front legs are bowed. I am spending more time with him every evening massaging and stretching his legs than I do with the rest put together. Had to milk the cow and bottle feed him for the first week. I hope he comes right eventually. We've become quite pally with all our time spent together!

Our vet use to give intravenous tetracycline, I've seen it being recommended elsewhere too

Parishlad · 14-02-2020 5:25pm

wrangler wrote: »

Our vet use to give intravenous tetracycline, I've seen it being recommended elsewhere too

Thanks wrangler. I'll be talking to the vet over the weekend if there is no improvement and I'll mention that. He's a fine calf and I'd hate to lose him so I'll try anything to get him right.

wrangler · 14-02-2020 5:41pm

Parishlad wrote: »

Thanks wrangler. I'll be talking to the vet over the weekend if there is no improvement and I'll mention that. He's a fine calf and I'd hate to lose him so I'll try anything to get him right.

We use to splint them as well if they weren't walking right in a couple days..
They always came right

squinn2912 · 14-02-2020 9:10pm

Well lads I went dark for a few days as work took over.
Sorry to hear some of you lost calves.
Up to 8 calved here now I think that’s 25 to go. One twin didn’t make it but the other brat finally sucked and is doing well. Another 2 coming close and 2 following them so my week off school will be well spent!

whelan2 · 14-02-2020 10:09pm

Had 2 today. One cow that never calves herself . Messing around with tail up etc. Calved her a friesian heifer. Another one as round as a barrel and had a massive fr bull, used jack.

Timmaay · 14-02-2020 10:19pm

whelan2 wrote: »

Had 2 today. One cow that never calves herself . Messing around with tail up etc. Calved her a friesian heifer. Another one as round as a barrel and had a massive fr bull, used jack.

I got lucky here, went over to feed drys who are mostly afew weeks from calving in the 2nd yard at lunch, and monster bull calf in the shed, no bother on him or the mother.

liosnagceann75 · 14-02-2020 11:56pm

A friesian cow calved a Polly heifer tonight. The calf has cleft palate. I stomach tubed the calf. Has anyone any experience of this and how will the calf fare out? Thanks

Buford T. Justice XIX · 15-02-2020 12:48am

liosnagceann75 wrote: »

A friesian cow calved a Polly heifer tonight. The calf has cleft palate. I stomach tubed the calf. Has anyone any experience of this and how will the calf fare out? Thanks

We had one a few years ago, left him under the cow and he did grand. We should have kept him inside once he was off the cow and not tried to graze him. He wasn't really able to graze well enough so we sold him to make up the difference in a group of cattle sold in the yard.

With a bit of care and time, she'll do ok if she can drink milk.

whelan2 · 15-02-2020 9:33pm

Eldest lad has a few suckler heifers calving atm. First an aax calved on Thursday morning herself with an aa heifer calf and second one a kzp Hereford heifer calved yesterday with another aax heifer. Both up and sucking. Mothers were calves I had that got crypto when young and I gave them to him

50HX · 15-02-2020 10:49pm

3 sucklers calved here

Lost one yesterday. ...saw cow passing a purpley red discharge when lying on cubicle

Not due for 60 days..stuck here into calving pen and she spat out a still born heifer

Oh the joys.....

When they go right it's great satisfaction to see them thriving a few weeks later

Seanhorse91 · 16-02-2020 3:53pm

Well lads and ladies, I’ve a question for ye. I’ve a calf born yesterday, bit of a pull but nothing major, up and sucking after an hour. Still lively and sucking mad but I went down this morning and he’d this swelling around his eyes, especially his left. Anything I can give him to reduce the swelling? Doesn’t have any mark on his head so I’m ruling out a kick.
Thanks.

endainoz · 16-02-2020 4:44pm

Seanhorse91 wrote: »

Well lads and ladies, I’ve a question for ye. I’ve a calf born yesterday, bit of a pull but nothing major, up and sucking after an hour. Still lively and sucking mad but I went down this morning and he’d this swelling around his eyes, especially his left. Anything I can give him to reduce the swelling? Doesn’t have any mark on his head so I’m ruling out a kick.
Thanks.

That's a strange one, never seen it myself. Calf wouldn't be around long enough to have developed any sort of an infection, a kick might be what happened. Is the cow a Springer by any chance? Is she taking to the calf ok?

Seanhorse91 · 16-02-2020 5:05pm

endainoz wrote: »

That's a strange one, never seen it myself. Calf wouldn't be around long enough to have developed any sort of an infection, a kick might be what happened. Is the cow a Springer by any chance? Is she taking to the calf ok?

Cows a 3rd calver, great mother, mad about the calf. Maybe it was a kick, I’ll have another look at him again

squinn2912 · 16-02-2020 6:19pm

Got my cameras installed yesterday and I’m a new man! Just so happened that when the boys were here doing the configuring calf number 9 was being born so we got to watch her spit out a heifer calf live. Some job!

endainoz · 16-02-2020 7:36pm

squinn2912 wrote: »

Got my cameras installed yesterday and I’m a new man! Just so happened that when the boys were here doing the configuring calf number 9 was being born so we got to watch her spit out a heifer calf live. Some job!

You won't know yourself with it. I installed an extra on yesterday for a better view from the other side of the shed. Hope it didn't cost you too much, some lads are being charged an extortionate amount for them.

squinn2912 · 16-02-2020 7:41pm

endainoz wrote: »

You won't know yourself with it. I installed an extra on yesterday for a better view from the other side of the shed. Hope it didn't cost you too much, some lads are being charged an extortionate amount for them.

Great job. Hmm it ended up running into £880. I was hoping to get away at round £700 but I was in a bit of a hurry. Plenty of my mates were bragging away with talk of £200 and that but I want something with a bit of come back on it

Lime Tree Farm · 16-02-2020 8:57pm

Seanhorse91 wrote: »

Well lads and ladies, I’ve a question for ye. I’ve a calf born yesterday, bit of a pull but nothing major, up and sucking after an hour. Still lively and sucking mad but I went down this morning and he’d this swelling around his eyes, especially his left. Anything I can give him to reduce the swelling? Doesn’t have any mark on his head so I’m ruling out a kick.
Thanks.

It looks like something irritated it to me (hayseed, hydro-lime). A multi-ject dry cow tube might lubricate the eye and help to flush it out, or bathe the eye with cold water.

greysides · 17-02-2020 1:50am

endainoz wrote: »

That's a strange one, never seen it myself. Calf wouldn't be around long enough to have developed any sort of an infection, a kick might be what happened. Is the cow a Springer by any chance? Is she taking to the calf ok?

A shot of anti-inflammatory from your vet should help. Looks like an allergic reaction to me but I can't imagine how it would have happened. Perhaps an irritant as LTF says.

(Dry cow tubes are less irritant when used in the eye than milking cow tubes. They're intended to hang around whereas the others are intended to hit and run so irritancy isn't as big an issue)

Seanhorse91 · 17-02-2020 9:19am

Think I figured out what caused the swelling with my calf’s eyelid. When I was calving the cow I used lube to help her out, just thinking maybe I put some in the calf’s eye when I was rubbing it in there

Mooooo · 18-02-2020 12:19pm

Just had a tiny calf land here. Cow was due yday. Handled her fearing twins or triplets but nothing. Calf is even small if it was one. Alive and trying to stand. May check ai book that I didn't serve her later and not record it but the calf born a month early back in Jan was bigger than this. Strange one

Parishlad · 18-02-2020 1:46pm

Fine big heifer calf landed this morning. I had been watching her on the camera all night and she calved this morning while I was getting my crew out to school! Didn't even see her calving after all of it. Luckily my nephew is on mid-term this week so he has taken care of things for me. Took a while to get the calf up so he gave her a bottle of beastings to get her going. She's up now and looking lively so hopefully will suck the mother soon herself.
That's 12 calved now since 20th January. Only 8 more to go and a couple of those will be April or even May.

farming93 · 18-02-2020 1:55pm

Lovely fifty cent simmental heifer calf out of a hurracaine gonzo cow. Checked last night at three with no signs and she had it landed in the yard for 8 30 this morning. Calf had to be stomach tubed as it had no interest in sucking which is the first I've ever seen that way here.

Gudstock · 18-02-2020 8:46pm

2yr old Maiden heifer calved unbeknownst to us early this morning. Calf was AA and lively bull. Seen at 10.30am all great. Seen again at 2.30pm calf dead, heifer lied on him. Heifer had been in that pen by herself for the past few days.
11 calved so far, 2 losses - the above and calf off a 3 yr old fat heifer that was too long calving, that calf got type of palsy and wouldn't drink or walk.

Lime Tree Farm · 18-02-2020 9:14pm

Gudstock wrote: »

2yr old Maiden heifer calved unbeknownst to us early this morning. Calf was AA and lively bull. Seen at 10.30am all great. Seen again at 2.30pm calf dead, heifer lied on him. Heifer had been in that pen by herself for the past few days.
11 calved so far, 2 losses - the above and calf off a 3 yr old fat heifer that was too long calving, that calf got type of palsy and wouldn't drink or walk.

Bummer, sorry to hear that. You got to put it behind you -

High bike · 18-02-2020 11:18pm

Spent the last 3 days trying to get a calf to suck; thank fcuk the penny finally dropped this evening he can’t get enough of it now

squinn2912 · 19-02-2020 1:18pm

Mixed fortunes overnight here. Maiden bb heifer I watched her lying out but making little headway in an hour so rang my da and we went to check her out. I handled her and didn’t think her open enough to calve but he thought we’d take him out. Calf dead by the time the head was out. After an hour of jacking we could get no further than the hinches. Had to ring vet anyway and cut him out. Another hour and a half. Very annoyed we put that wee heifer through all that I should have been firmer I knew she wasn’t fit. She might be fit to get up in a few days.
At about 5 this morning another one started to sick. Big lim cow. Got a couple of hours then handled her and the calf was on his side. Vet came and we popped out a nice lim heifer calf. Just pumped a drop of milk into her. One calf saved the other I suppose.
12 calved 10 calves on the ground.

tanko · 19-02-2020 5:24pm

That's unfortunate, what was the BB heifer in-calf to, was it a Lim?

squinn2912 · 19-02-2020 7:51pm

tanko wrote: »

That's unfortunate, what was the BB heifer in-calf to, was it a Lim?

It is. Lovely quiet heifer with a great bag of milk. I’ll need to check weights because she’s only around 500kgs today so maybe we bulled her too early. But it wasn’t a big calf her opening was far too tight. She was AI’d at least once so I need to check what bulls we used. My suspicion is ivor. We have very few bb maybe not the best to keep?

Gods Gift · 19-02-2020 8:08pm

Done something stupid here.

Got turf mull and put some incalf heifers on it for a night to make space. They had a great time on it. The craic was mighty.
But 2 threw calves a couple of days later. Weren’t due to calve for another month.

tanko · 19-02-2020 8:17pm

I know some farmers like BBX cows but i wouldn't be a fan of them.
They're grand if they're a good square wide R grade but if they're more of a shapey U grade animal they can give plenty of bother calving, especially if crossed with a Lim or a CH bull.
Purebred BB cows don't calve naturally so crossbreed ones often don't have great calving ability and with the double muscle gene in the mix you can end up with calves with big ends even off easy calved Lims like Ivor.
An easy calving Saler would have been the job for that heifer but it sounds like she wouldn't have calved much by herself.

Lady Haywire · 19-02-2020 8:28pm

I think with blues you need them to be matured & aim for a live first calf, whatever breed it is! Only ever had one here & she had 2 sections......have a weanling blue kept on to try next year, but she's more square than round & her mother, grandmother & great grandmother were all great calvers! She's absolutely, completely, totally head over heels in love with me too, follows me about like a lamb, so that helped her cause for staying :pac:

charolais0153 · 19-02-2020 8:56pm

A limousin bull on a belgian blue heifer thats is only 500kgs, come on like, your only asking for trouble and you put the pair through undue suffering , shed be too light to have any calf imo,

patsy_mccabe · 19-02-2020 9:27pm

Belgian blues are just not right inside to calf naturally. A lot of people think it's the muscle that's the problem, but there's no muscle in the pelvic opening. Plenty of very muscular limousin cows out there that can calf away no problem.

squinn2912 · 19-02-2020 11:37pm

charolais0153 wrote: »

A limousin bull on a belgian blue heifer thats is only 500kgs, come on like, your only asking for trouble and you put the pair through undue suffering , shed be too light to have any calf imo,

Had to calve two more since I haven’t had time to check all out. I was sure she was Angus ai the calf was tiny she just didn’t open at all. She was around 400 kgs bulling just grew very little since it can happen. Have calved blues to lim over the years no issues. Blue cow down there spat out 3 Charolais calves.
Anyhow. You’re not telling me anything I’m not saying to myself all day. But on this one what’s annoying me is the handling of things last night should have been vet straight away so it’s a tough lesson.

squinn2912 · 19-02-2020 11:39pm

tanko wrote: »

I know some farmers like BBX cows but i wouldn't be a fan of them.
They're grand if they're a good square wide R grade but if they're more of a shapey U grade animal they can give plenty of bother calving, especially if crossed with a Lim or a CH bull.
Purebred BB cows don't calve naturally so crossbreed ones often don't have great calving ability and with the double muscle gene in the mix you can end up with calves with big ends even off easy calved Lims like Ivor.
An easy calving Saler would have been the job for that heifer but it sounds like she wouldn't have calved much by herself.

Yea that’s it. She didn’t open up enough. I’m mad coz I’ve been fretting about her for a few weeks but anyhow I have 22 more to worry about now just hope she gets up

greysides · 20-02-2020 1:13am

squinn2912 wrote: »

Anyhow. You’re not telling me anything I’m not saying to myself all day. But on this one what’s annoying me is the handling of things last night should have been vet straight away so it’s a tough lesson.

There's nothing simple about making those decisions. We all make the wrong call at some point. Learn what you can from it and move on.

squinn2912 · 20-02-2020 10:52am

greysides wrote: »

There's nothing simple about making those decisions. We all make the wrong call at some point. Learn what you can from it and move on.

Yea that’s it and very often they work out better. Just supervised a bb cow spit out a nice black calf. Think it’s a bull I wouldn’t send a grizzly bear into this one around calving! She’s 700 kgs plus though so a different kettle of fish. Calf number 2 from yesterday just got a feed his legs are still a bit weak but he’s getting up himself so should suck soon. 11 calves now so I’m a bit more bearable than I was yesterday. Caught up on some sleep last night and there’ll be no calves tonight. Just as well my arms are in bits today. Reading tb test this afternoon all looks fine so luck is turning

Limestone Cowboy · 20-02-2020 11:48am

squinn2912 wrote: »

Had to calve two more since I haven’t had time to check all out. I was sure she was Angus ai the calf was tiny she just didn’t open at all. She was around 400 kgs bulling just grew very little since it can happen. Have calved blues to lim over the years no issues. Blue cow down there spat out 3 Charolais calves.
Anyhow. You’re not telling me anything I’m not saying to myself all day. But on this one what’s annoying me is the handling of things last night should have been vet straight away so it’s a tough lesson.

The one I did the section on a fortnight ago was the same. Felt like there should have been enough room in the pelvis but she wouldn't open enough either.

When's calving starting 2020

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