When's calving starting 2021

Half way point here 25 done 14 bulls 11 hefiers. One fatality. Started the 8th. sick of cows now. Vet called twice for backwards upside down one and hefier with a small jacking but nice to have a vet there.

Dunedin wrote: »

She’s back eating and drinking this morning which is good. but no no sign of her to pop albeit pins are well dropped.

I went out this morning to get ivy and I caught her eating on the phone so left the ivy in the ditch as fairly wet morning here.

She was chewing the cud away too this morning.

Cow calved at 6pm this evening (during Liverpool match!!). Had a fine lively bull calf and threw him herself so got to see end of the match and then went out to her.

Great results all round.....!! Big game next Sunday now.

tanko wrote: »

Good stuff, did she clean, they often hold the cleaning for a few days when they're induced.

Yep. Cleaned afterwards

Lime Tree Farm wrote: »

Do any of you give the cow a bucket full of warm water with salt, after calving supposed to bring on the cleaning.

or when a cow is not showing an interest in her calf, to rub meal onto the wet calf.

Throw the meal alright, if needed
Generally a first calver

Mac Taylor wrote: »

Use the bucket always......use salt on calf.....meal is too messy for me. Dash of salt all over especially the head also keeps them away from navel. Some of them go mad for iodine.

That was the way my Dad did it, salt on the calf.

We had heifer due end of March but started to spring up ten days ago. Initially we thought maybe we had wrong dates. Tail out all day yesterday. Passing blood and mucus. Handled yesterday evening. Heifer hadn’t opened. Vet came this morning. He was able to get heifer opened slightly. Calf was way down. Reckons calf is probably dead from a puck and heifer is aborting. Vet going to call tomorrow morning to give steroid/induce if heifer hasn’t made any further progress herself. Anyone any experience of this?

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Had something similar happen a number of years ago. Walked into shed one morning and there was a dead calf lying at the feed gate. No explanation for it - was well enough developed and nothing abnormal. We put it down to the cow getting a kick at some stage.

Had the same recently
I’ve a habit of moving cows close to calving into a pen beside calving pen
Was told that was the reason, as there can be a bit of rough play

15 calved, 2 downer cows this morning (one mf and one slipped ugghh), its lunchtime and I haven't even had time for breakfast yet, I'm beginning to feel like a real farmer again.

First one of the season calved this morning. Was expecting her to calf in March, but there you go.
Calf was up and sucked and out in the feed passage running up and down the shed.

Two new calving gates installed today, hopefully wont need much use but at least they are there now. The two sheds will allow for the Feb burst and one can be converted back to a calf shed once the burst has passed.
1 bull 5 heifers so far

DukeCaboom wrote: »

Any flecks this year??

The 5 fleck crosses are in calf, one slipped to March so in calf to a Hereford, another to start of April so in calf to stock bull and the others are in calf to Fr, but no cows in calf to fleck. They have a longer gestation, if calves come black and white they don't get much more compared to a fr bull in the mart and the cows themselves don't outperform the hol/ fr on milk but eat more.
After the first week of March cows will be calving either from AI Hereford/ Belgian blue or AA stock bull. Think there are only 4 or 5 in calf to BB tho

Mooooo wrote: »

The 5 fleck crosses are in calf, one slipped to March so in calf to a Hereford, another to start of April so in calf to stock bull and the others are in calf to Fr, but no cows in calf to fleck. They have a longer gestation, if calves come black and white they don't get much more compared to a fr bull in the mart and the cows themselves don't outperform the hol/ fr on milk but eat more.
After the first week of March cows will be calving either from AI Hereford/ Belgian blue or AA stock bull. Think there are only 4 or 5 in calf to BB tho

Every body here is grateful for you sharing so honestly. Don't think many will chance them.

Wildsurfer wrote: »

What gates did you go for Moo? I'm debating between Bo steel and O Donnell Eng as they can fix the headlock with a drop pin and the full gate swings around the cow to guide her in. I have one where only a small section of gate swings and it can be hard to get cow in as she'll keep wheeling around

Think Condon do one like that too.