- Location
- Aberdeenshire
Look at mag supplementation.
Calving Intervention - When?
- Thread starter sjewart
- Start date
Look at mag supplementation.
betweenthelines
Member
- Location
- southwest
My late father was seen as the local calving "expert" Several farmers in the parish would phone him rather than a vet to assist a difficult calving.
He did pay a price though as he was hospitalised with a Brucelosis? infection for a time
Before calving jacks came on the scene wasn't unknown for the phone to ring in the village pub and the landlord to shout "Farmer X wants help to pull a calf off, who's going?" (Never saw that happen in The Woolpack)
Love to try it now that the Village pub is a well know "gastro eatery"
He did pay a price though as he was hospitalised with a Brucelosis? infection for a time
Before calving jacks came on the scene wasn't unknown for the phone to ring in the village pub and the landlord to shout "Farmer X wants help to pull a calf off, who's going?" (Never saw that happen in The Woolpack)
Love to try it now that the Village pub is a well know "gastro eatery"
- Location
- Ardrossan Ayrshire
Yes, but heifers are usually more easily wound up. And it wouldn't be the first time the petted one went nuts with the stress.
This thread has been full of very good advice -principally that hfrs take a lot longer than you think, and they're best left as undisturbed as you can make yourself (....except when they're not, and you'll be a freekin genius if you differentiate between the two)
But alone out on the hill it's a different discipline.
When i get round to finding a cow calving on a spring morning -and while some are close by, checked at sparrowfart, others are roaming far and wide and it could be mid-day before they're seen ( if they're lucky) - there's the question of when she started?
How dry is the residue of the bag?
Has she got toes showing?
Are they the right way up?
Are the toes looking dry? Is his little nose looking swollen?
Will she let me check presentation out here?
(talk quietly, approaching from oblique rear angle)
Where did I leave the calving aid?
Can I get a rope on that foot out here? (once you've got a rope on, you can usually take her attention by tugging a bit)
Is there reason to suspect that she'll need additional input post parturition? (she might be much more/less ambulatory once calved)
How far away is the nearest crush/ pen/corner behind a gate?
Who else haven't i seen yet?
If I go off and check another bunch/give her more time/go back for the calving aid...will the crabbed creature stay here?
Or will she know she's been spotted, and sneak off somewhere else to hide in a gorse bush?
(oh that happens)
Once started.... can I reach that calving aid now she's moved a bit, and if I stopped tugging to reach back for it, will she up and bolt?
If this calf slithers out easy, is she going to jump up and have a go? How far away exactly is the nearest fence/hedge/gate/ boulder to climb on?
Once she's got it out, how far will she roam to deposit cleansings, or am I going to be playing guessing games in 6-7 days time ?
(Did she eat them all, or is she about to blow up with a sceptic crisis?)
Where has she hidden that soddin calf now?
Whose effing calf is THIS? (twins on the hill are rare, but cause all manner of problems, as the dams will often bring them out on parade alternately).
The more i think about it, the more I like the idea of having them in a building, where you know exactly where they'll be tomorrow morning.
Sounds much more sense.
But alone out on the hill it's a different discipline.
When i get round to finding a cow calving on a spring morning -and while some are close by, checked at sparrowfart, others are roaming far and wide and it could be mid-day before they're seen ( if they're lucky) - there's the question of when she started?
How dry is the residue of the bag?
Has she got toes showing?
Are they the right way up?
Are the toes looking dry? Is his little nose looking swollen?
Will she let me check presentation out here?
(talk quietly, approaching from oblique rear angle)
Where did I leave the calving aid?
Can I get a rope on that foot out here? (once you've got a rope on, you can usually take her attention by tugging a bit)
Is there reason to suspect that she'll need additional input post parturition? (she might be much more/less ambulatory once calved)
How far away is the nearest crush/ pen/corner behind a gate?
Who else haven't i seen yet?
If I go off and check another bunch/give her more time/go back for the calving aid...will the crabbed creature stay here?
Or will she know she's been spotted, and sneak off somewhere else to hide in a gorse bush?
(oh that happens)
Once started.... can I reach that calving aid now she's moved a bit, and if I stopped tugging to reach back for it, will she up and bolt?
If this calf slithers out easy, is she going to jump up and have a go? How far away exactly is the nearest fence/hedge/gate/ boulder to climb on?
Once she's got it out, how far will she roam to deposit cleansings, or am I going to be playing guessing games in 6-7 days time ?
(Did she eat them all, or is she about to blow up with a sceptic crisis?)
Where has she hidden that soddin calf now?
Whose effing calf is THIS? (twins on the hill are rare, but cause all manner of problems, as the dams will often bring them out on parade alternately).
The more i think about it, the more I like the idea of having them in a building, where you know exactly where they'll be tomorrow morning.
Sounds much more sense.
Princess Pooper
Member
- Location
- East Mids
Yes dose as per bottle recommendations according to your weights - but no need for a quick, trouble free calving.
brilliant....similar here.
I phoned a couple of neighbours one evening when stuck with difficult one.
Both men were 'out at a meeting', and happily news got through.
The meeting was quickly wound up, and 5-6 volunteers turned up.
The cow got calved, but it was a nice bottle of malt done in in one hit afterwards.
Princess Pooper
Member
- Location
- East Mids
I was going to say slight lack of calcium can affect muscle tone which means they get a bit lazy and don't push. Often a reflection of pre-calving diet, perhaps too high in potash (eg if fed lots of silage or on a lush pasture). We don't use 'moo-call' but I think they can be a real game-changer for those who have cows calving and can't be there to know that they have started.
sjewart
Member
And with CCTV cameras able to playback recording you know exactly when that waterbag appeared and how long she's been at it [emoji4]
sjewart
Member
I had a petted one in June that went nuts. Never did calm down afterwards. Hung her up in the end.
I can't see it happening here.... drones maybe?
sjewart
Member
I'm indoor calving but yes maybe one day drones for you!
I haven't admitted what happens once we're past main calving session....they're turned adrift on a 10,000 hct common, and can do just exactly as they please.
Darwins calving rules apply.
(hardly ever lose any out there mind...they're better off without my ineptitude i reckon)
- Location
- Ardrossan Ayrshire
Old gaffer of mine's instructions were "if you see a (this was dairy cows) coo with a big bag starting to calve give her a bottle of calcium. If in doubt give her another in an hour or two." It was antibiotic size bottles, more concentrated than the standard bottles with half the amount of calcium. Very handy.
multi power
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
Far far far too little far too late
NH8360
Member
- Location
- Co Down NI
Evening @sjewart what is the green thing on the front of your calving gate?
- Location
- Ardrossan Ayrshire
It worked well, in five years there I think we lost 1 cow to milk fever. Dry cow management helped too, but they were strong durable British Fresian type, not overstressed Holstein.
sjewart
Member
That is just a covering for a bar that is bolted through the wall. We have cut off the excess now that it is all fixed in place.
NH8360
Member
- Location
- Co Down NI
Great thanks for replying
sjewart
Member
Looked like this.
- Location
- Near Colchester
The first year that I had a calving gate I took the lock off the yoke and put a salt lick and mineral bucket behind it so that everyone got used to putting their head through, haven't done it since but I think that I should do so again this time.
- Tags
- calf