When's calving starting 2020

whelan2 wrote: »

At least mine was a bull.

Heartless dairy farmers :rolleyes:

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 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 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!

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 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

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

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 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 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.

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.