Calves only sucking 2 quaters

[M-J-G]

She already has a calf. Unless you have a Tardis you have to deal with what's in front of you.

It's called prevention, which I find preferable to fire fighting.

You asked what I would do with her calf, personally, the type of cow that needs dry cow tubes to keep unsucked quarters healthy wouldn't be here in the first place so wouldn't have a calf.

Go to a commercial herd in NZ or America and see how many cows get stripped out and DC tubed because the calf isn't sucking a teat.

In this instance, I would leave the OPs cow alone but maybe shift her somewhere with less grass and use some fly prevention.
If she gets mastitis I'd cull her in the autumn as she's not a functional type for her environment.

Why make life difficult.

 

[M-J-G]

Yes, you have a point. She started to bag up seriously when they were still on the sacrifice field being fed ordinary silage. The dairy genetics coming through, I suppose. The rest are milking away nicely and putting on a bit of condition.

Yes, the cows with dairy in them aren't very good at self regulating

 

[harperfarmer]

LEAVE WELL ALONE! Don't touch them. It's only looking for trouble. If the calf is happy on the quarters it's sucking it'll get to the others eventually when it's good and ready. I've learnt the hard so now I'll suckle a calf on the front teats and not let it touch the back ones unless she's very shy of milk. Otherwise if she's any milking ability she will provide plenty for the calf off just two quarters until its a bit older, and the back one will probably get mastitis as the seals been broken, and the calf hasn't bothered sucking it again. I've some calves that won't get past the front two quarters for 4 weeks.

 

[David1968]

It's called prevention, which I find preferable to fire fighting.

You asked what I would do with her calf, personally, the type of cow that needs dry cow tubes to keep unsucked quarters healthy wouldn't be here in the first place so wouldn't have a calf.

Thank you Cpt Hindsight. I admire your psychic ability to know this would happen before the cow was bulled.
Yes, of course prevention is better than cure. DC tubes are prevention. Contrary to what you seem to think, we aren't throwing antibiotics at anything that moves. In fact the vet commented on how little we use the last time he updated the health plan. I won't carry that to the extreme where it becomes a welfare issue though.
I did say last resort, but it seems you just saw the word 'tube' and that was enough.

I haven't advocated keeping her either. Regardless of whether she should have been bulled or not, it is what it is, and she has a calf to rear, and could be worth £13/1400 cull after that. You won't achieve either if untreated mastitis kills her. Which can happen, I assure you.

I really don't know why you've jumped on my case. We're all just offering advice based on our own experience. Yours is different to mine, that's fair enough. But it doesn't make me an idiot.

The OP will likely know for himself what the risk of mastitis is with him, and who's advice is appropriate.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I’ve never messed about with a calf only sucking the front half…it’ll get to them when it needs them

 

[M-J-G]

Thank you Cpt Hindsight. I admire your psychic ability to know this would happen before the cow was bulled.
Yes, of course prevention is better than cure. DC tubes are prevention. Contrary to what you seem to think, we aren't throwing antibiotics at anything that moves. In fact the vet commented on how little we use the last time he updated the health plan. I won't carry that to the extreme where it becomes a welfare issue though.
I did say last resort, but it seems you just saw the word 'tube' and that was enough.

I haven't advocated keeping her either. Regardless of whether she should have been bulled or not, it is what it is, and she has a calf to rear, and could be worth £13/1400 cull after that. You won't achieve either if untreated mastitis kills her. Which can happen, I assure you.

I really don't know why you've jumped on my case. We're all just offering advice based on our own experience. Yours is different to mine, that's fair enough. But it doesn't make me an idiot.

The OP will likely know for himself what the risk of mastitis is with him, and who's advice is appropriate.

I'll refrain from name calling for now, unlike yourself.

How can foresight be classed as hindsight?
Culling cows that will likely give bother in the future and don't suit the system, isn't hindsight.
A cow with a good tight bag, small teats and on a sensibly controlled diet is unlikely to give bother, and healthy beef cows are unlikely to take mastitis due to being unsucked, if they are they are likely the wrong type of cow for the environment/system.

Using tubes is still unnecessary use of ABs, regardless of how you want to make yourself feel better about it.
It's avoidable and preventative ABs aren't a good policy IMO.

I didn't jump on your case, you initially replied to me.

 

[Jonp]

I have a cow Hereford X BF that has an really enlarged rear quarter. Gets it every year at calving, don't touch it, she rears good calves and eventually it will reduce in size but calves don't use it. Feel her udder every now and then to check for heat, so far so good, just needs monitoring.

 

[David1968]

I didn't jump on your case, you initially replied to me.

Not in an arrogant way.

 

[M-J-G]

Not in an arrogant way.

Nobody suggested that you were

 

[Anymulewilldo]

I’ve never messed about with a calf only sucking the front half…it’ll get to them when it needs them

I shouldn’t admit this sort of thing but when I was in primary school grandad had a beef shorthorn cow that for the last 5 years of its life only milked on one quarter! She reared a cracking calf every year on that 1. Grandad used too say it proved a good cow when she could do that. That was back when all cull cows went for burning so as long as they calved on time and reared well he didn’t bother much about how many quarters they had firing.

 

[crofteress]

never touch them, once yonu milk them you are just giving yourself work. I have cows who every year the calves dont go near the back teats for a month once they do once they are bigger and hungry the teats milk fine. Once you milk them by hand you have to make sure the calve drinks every day 4 times a day from them and that's just work. and the cows dont get mastitis they only do that once you open the seal,

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I shouldn’t admit this sort of thing but when I was in primary school grandad had a beef shorthorn cow that for the last 5 years of its life only milked on one quarter! She reared a cracking calf every year on that 1. Grandad used too say it proved a good cow when she could do that. That was back when all cull cows went for burning so as long as they calved on time and reared well he didn’t bother much about how many quarters they had firing.

I’ve 2 cows here now only running on 2 tits, and they get more milk off them 2 than most with 4. They also have cracking calves otherwise they’d of been long gone

 

[egbert]

I usually leave the calf to it, if he's feeding off enough to keep him going.
almost never have ongoing problems with a cow whose dried off 1-2 quarters because of it.
seldom see mastics, very seldom see drastic mastics.

 

[nails]

I have 2 calves coming up to 2 weeks old that have both only sucked from one half of their mothers, the other side looks pretty big on both mothers. Should I get them in the crush & milk the other 2 quarters?

I thought after a couple of weeks the calves would have found them. If left could it cause any issues in the future?

Put another 2 calves on . One of my bull buyers has about 30 cows with 90 calves . Quite a sight when you see them out at grass.

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Put another 2 calves on . One of my bull buyers has about 30 cows with 90 calves . Quite a sight when you see them out at grass.

Must be on a good farm! Or handy with the feed bag? Either way sounds like a damn good way too dear calves!!