I should imagine that most dairy farmers have, at some time, had a downer cow. There can be several causes and level of damage but the end result is usually a cow housed on straw or sometimes outside, who can't get up. I would also imagine that in many cases we know what the outcome is going to be on day one but with a bright eyed and alert cow, refuse to give up and diligently nurse her, lifting etc for a week or more. Then comes the day when she no longer sits upright but at every opportunity collapses out on her side and gets cast. In our experience, this is when you should admit defeat. My question is .. have any of you ever found a practical way to stop them going over? We haven't found that bales of straw help as they drag themselves past the bales and then go over. In desperation with a favourite cow, we did try a halter tied to her back leg. This did work but you could only use it for very short periods. I know there are nets and slings but both involve leaving a tractor there and we found nets .. if you survived the fun putting them on .. stopped them using their legs properly anyway. Is the answer to just be realistic on day one?
Downer cow
- Thread starter glow worm
- Start date
- Location
- East Sussex
I think day one is a bit keen. It's hard work and very often fruitless unfortunately.
it's the crafty ones that wait 'til you're not looking and get up to sneak round the yard on the quiet that make you keep trying.
it's the crafty ones that wait 'til you're not looking and get up to sneak round the yard on the quiet that make you keep trying.
Princess Pooper
Member
- Location
- East Mids
I hate downer cows, nothing makes me feel more of a failure in our responsibility for looking after our stock. No, other than trying with straw, we haven’t found a way to stop them going over if they get to that stage and we all know how distressing that is for them and for us, when they are struggling to right themselves.
Occasionally one does make it through, but the stage at which we call it a day depends on the nature of the injury.
Occasionally one does make it through, but the stage at which we call it a day depends on the nature of the injury.
Always wanna try but always regret it in the end. Heard of some fellas. Killing them, draining blood down slats and taking to abattoir. That way the mortality isn't a death but a "cull".
Lifting twice a day and leaving up for atleast 30mins for blood flow etc , done it for a fortnight in the past and they have recovered. Usually if all the cow wants to do is lie on its side its curtains, if shes dragging herself around the yard/field you have a chance. Nothing worse than leaving them down too long, either help them or shoot them.
- Location
- somerset
one never knows whose prowling around your farm and buildings, as we found out, a downer cow, especially when they 'move' around, looks bloody awful.
And we had all sorts of trouble after being 'reported' for cruelty.
We were 'alright' but it was something l never want to go through again.
if you have a written sensible 'action plan', from a legal point of view, basically you cannot be 'done', however bad it looks/is. That person, had been going through our buildings, for a year or more, without us having a clue, looking for 'something' wrong, a downer cow supplied that. We were found to be fine. The only positive, took a year to find something wrong, of which we were found by Min, and RT to be ok.
2 downers this autumn, first a hfr that decided to calve, with her head under a gate, she went on, second a cow, who surprisingly came right, she nearly went on, but got an 'extra' day, which gave us the confidence to keep on, she came right.
And we had all sorts of trouble after being 'reported' for cruelty.
We were 'alright' but it was something l never want to go through again.
if you have a written sensible 'action plan', from a legal point of view, basically you cannot be 'done', however bad it looks/is. That person, had been going through our buildings, for a year or more, without us having a clue, looking for 'something' wrong, a downer cow supplied that. We were found to be fine. The only positive, took a year to find something wrong, of which we were found by Min, and RT to be ok.
2 downers this autumn, first a hfr that decided to calve, with her head under a gate, she went on, second a cow, who surprisingly came right, she nearly went on, but got an 'extra' day, which gave us the confidence to keep on, she came right.
Princess Pooper
Member
- Location
- East Mids
Not sure of your location but in that scenario it would require a vet's inspection/certificate, humane despatch and into an abattoir within an hour of death to be legal in England at least.
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Buford T. Justice
Member
Just on needing a tractor to lift them, has anyone used an electric or manual hoist to lift one that's kept indoors?
We usually keep them outside due to not having easy access to downer cows kept inside but I'd love to keep them inside and have an electric hoist that I could rise her when passing with minimal fuss.
- Location
- sw scotland
We have had 2 which got up at 2 and 4 weeks. Put them in a hay shed used for lambing with a foot of bedding. Never tried to lift them as they both had stuck calves with nerve damage but they were always bright and could move themselves a bit each day.
Any skin problems or flopping onto their side they need the knackery.
Any skin problems or flopping onto their side they need the knackery.
- Location
- somerset
old chap, long gone now, used to milk 6/8 cows in a cowshed, 1 was a downer, used to lift her twice a day, to milk her out, very careful to put down on the 'opposite' side, when he lowered her, used a chain and winch, and he did that for months, never knew if she recovered, or not.
Can’t imagine it gave much milk
- Location
- somerset
l don't think that mattered, tight old bugger, he shocked a few after he died, with the large sum he left.
Lived in 1 room, in a delipidated cottage, wouldn't do it up.
2 old men locally like that, and both left a small fortune.
Aye farm I know just outside of Carlisle very close to abattoir.
Jdunn55
Member
- Location
- Helston, cornwall
This thread couldn't have had better timing, I had a dry cow go down this morning. I moved her into the calving shed as she was overdue by 10ish days and had bagged up a bit
I lifted her but she was sulking and didn't put in any effort, still eating and drinking though.
I've just calved a massive blue bull calf who was breached.
I've given her metacam and a bottle of calcium.
I lifted her about half an hour after calving in the hopes she would put more effort in to reach her calf, slightly more but not as much as I hoped
I've left her comfortable with the calf within reach, she drank a bucket of water again and was munching on a wheel barrow of wholecrop when I left her
I'll check her again at midnight and again at about 2-3am and then about 5ish when I'm up for milking, anything else I can give/do for her?
Calf seems fine and I've tubed him with colostrum
Thanks
I lifted her but she was sulking and didn't put in any effort, still eating and drinking though.
I've just calved a massive blue bull calf who was breached.
I've given her metacam and a bottle of calcium.
I lifted her about half an hour after calving in the hopes she would put more effort in to reach her calf, slightly more but not as much as I hoped
I've left her comfortable with the calf within reach, she drank a bucket of water again and was munching on a wheel barrow of wholecrop when I left her
I'll check her again at midnight and again at about 2-3am and then about 5ish when I'm up for milking, anything else I can give/do for her?
Calf seems fine and I've tubed him with colostrum
Thanks
Attachments
I reckon with your scenario you may have a chance as its not splits. We usually win with calving nerve damage but oh it takes time. So much nursing, lifting, milking with mobile milker otherwise you'll have mastitis to fight as well, probably shackles, nowhere anywhere near any concrete if she gets up for ages or before, as they have a determination to crawl to the scrape passage and do the splits, and remove calf if she keeps trying to get up otherwise, she won't mean to, but big danger of her lying on it. Drinks of Reviva is always extremely popular with our fresh cows and we've had sick cows take it with gusto when they've refused water plus it saves pumping.Let us know if you win and good luck!
ritchiekirkland
Member
We once had a cow go down in a wood . Had been down for about four days.
Happened to have guys in with a forwarder clearing out different wood land and they offered to try and lift it back to steading using forwarder.
They had to drop a couple trees near her to get close enough, as soon as the chainsaw started revving the old girl just got up and walked away !!!
Happened to have guys in with a forwarder clearing out different wood land and they offered to try and lift it back to steading using forwarder.
They had to drop a couple trees near her to get close enough, as soon as the chainsaw started revving the old girl just got up and walked away !!!
- Location
- somerset
often wonder if sometimes its sheer bloody mindset, that they don't get up, those are the ones with the highest success rate. But is it simply a case that the cow knows it needs 'bed rest' to recover? Pain relief helps, or does it? You simply remove that need of 'rest'.
but all downer cows are a pain in the butt, we could all do without.
but all downer cows are a pain in the butt, we could all do without.
Headless chicken
Member
- Location
- West Wales
Try some foston.
don’t waste your time getting out of bed every 3 hours. If she’s that bad she needs checking like that she needs to be PTS.
give her a couple of bottles of calcium if you think she has milk fever. If we have anything down now they get two as standard and have seen much better recovery.
from the picture she looks like she’s on her side, maybe just liking the calf? If she’s not sitting on her brisket PTS. Again from the picture her condtion looks poor enough? Maybe just the pic but if so give her some glycol because ketosis can play hell with them.
but above all else don’t put her needs before yours or the rest of the herds. I’ve Dam near killed my self rolling lifting and pissing around with cows that are down. You need to show compassion but sometimes that means making the decision and getting her put down sooner rather than later.
- Location
- somerset
after our 'experience', we don't leave anything 'suspect' about long, you can usually see what is, or isn't going to come right, eyes sink in etc.
I would think we are quicker than many, to send on.
it would be interesting to know the 'national' recovery rate, on downer cows, but l doubt there is one, as a guess 50%?
but you are so right, a huge amount of time can be lost, messing around with them, and it shouldn't be at the expense of the rest.