Novice Suckler Cow Calving Advice

[Sharpy]

And from here , ++++++2.

Filthy natured brutes. Only cows I've had that if you put them in the head yoke would try to get their revenge by either breaking your arm or knocking your teeth out.

Had a vicious little brute 30 years ago that only gave up after 4 goes at the electric wire to get through to the cows next door to fight with them. She spent the day wandering round roaring like a bull at the other cows. She would knock them over just to amuse herself.

A tremendously good wee cow. I hated her.

We had a Limmy that would bite you while sorting its water bowl or trying to chain it up. Its name was.............. Lotus Blossom.

 

[Wendy10]

We had a couple of bought in heifers that would try to bite when in the race All gone now, thank goodness, and yes, now I remember an angus cross knocking my better halfs front teeth out barging the crush, we don't have many angus crosses left now. strange that

 

[CharcoalWally]

We had a Limmy that would bite you while sorting its water bowl or trying to chain it up. Its name was.............. Lotus Blossom.

I like the irony......

 

[DrWazzock]

Have got a poor milker now. Small bag but holding her own. Will have to give her some cake but in a separate pen with another thin one otherwise the fat mob will grab it.

Seem to spend half my life building pens to accommodate different groups. next year it will be right.

 

[M-J-G]

What makes you think she's a poor milker?

 

[Northeastfarmer]

What makes you think she's a poor milker?

She isn't giving ten gallon

 

[choochter]

Seem to spend half my life building pens to accommodate different groups. next year it will be right.

I do this too!

 

[CharcoalWally]

Have got a poor milker now. Small bag but holding her own. Will have to give her some cake but in a separate pen with another thin one otherwise the fat mob will grab it.

Seem to spend half my life building pens to accommodate different groups. next year it will be right.

What makes you think she's a poor milker?

Same question here @DrWazzock . Is the calf always hungry? Is he getting stunted?

 

[H.M.]

Have got a poor milker now. Small bag but holding her own. Will have to give her some cake but in a separate pen with another thin one otherwise the fat mob will grab it.

Seem to spend half my life building pens to accommodate different groups. next year it will be right.

Is the calf trying to suck all the time and butting her udder a lot? I wouldn't worry about a small bag as long as it's got a good milk supply to it, less chance of it being pendulous when she's older

 

[M-J-G]

I do this too!

Keep a hundred, that'll soon stop that habit.

 

[simmy_bull]

She isn't giving ten gallon

Off topic but we had an old boy round here years ago said his best cow gave a bucket full each milking never specified the size of the bucket though!!

 

[Single Suckler]

We had a Heifer that refused to let its first calf suck, we penned her in, a bucket of nuts didn't stop her kicking it away, i held her by the nose in the corner three to four times a day to let the calf get going, even after weeks of this she still refused to let the calf suck from the side, it walked about behind her with Dung on its head for most of the year trying to get a suck , we nicked named it the Milk Thief !
She came good the next year though !

 

[DrWazzock]

What makes you think she's a poor milker?

Well she has a very small udder and my engineering mind thinks that as time is going on its getting smaller. I don't know the ins and outs of it but I reckon she is going to struggle to keep the calf going. So she is going in a pen with another thin one to get some cake. All the teats are good an d working, just looks small capacity.

She has always been a reluctant feeder, not troughjng with the others when the feeder is refilled, but coming over to me when I'm doing the bedding with ears down looking a bit sorry. Could be an underlying chronic condition or maybe not. Calf not hungry yet.

Funny old job. Some with bags full to bursting, other look like they wouldn't feed a mouse.

 

[Forever Fendt]

Well she has a very small udder and my engineering mind thinks that as time is going on its getting smaller. I don't know the ins and outs of it but I reckon she is going to struggle to keep the calf going. So she is going in a pen with another thin one to get some cake. All the teats are good an d working, just looks small capacity.

She has always been a reluctant feeder, not troughjng with the others when the feeder is refilled, but coming over to me when I'm doing the bedding with ears down looking a bit sorry. Could be an underlying chronic condition or maybe not. Calf not hungry yet.

Funny old job. Some with bags full to bursting, other look like they wouldn't feed a mouse.

had my first calf last week the cow looks to have bugger all bag and did not get weaned soon enough but the calf always looks full and content and looks to be growing if that is possible in a week she did not really bag up and would have been hard pressed to notice any change in her at all

 

[DrWazzock]

had my first calf last week the cow looks to have bugger all bag and did not get weaned soon enough but the calf always looks full and content and looks to be growing if that is possible in a week she did not really bag up and would have been hard pressed to notice any change in her at all

Yes, some of mine bag up hugely, some hardly at all and it's a surprise when they calve. A small neat bags is a lot easier for the calf to get to grips with though. Time will tell whether the milk supply holds up.

 

[CharcoalWally]

Don't look at the udder , look at the calf. He or she will soon tell you if the cow is lacking milk.

As @H.M. said earlier , udder size is not necessarily a guide. Plenty of myy milkiest cows have a tight , tucked up udder. Fine by me , I don't want a pendulous , low slung vessel on a coo.

 

[M-J-G]

Well she has a very small udder and my engineering mind thinks that as time is going on its getting smaller. I don't know the ins and outs of it but I reckon she is going to struggle to keep the calf going. So she is going in a pen with another thin one to get some cake. All the teats are good an d working, just looks small capacity.

She has always been a reluctant feeder, not troughjng with the others when the feeder is refilled, but coming over to me when I'm doing the bedding with ears down looking a bit sorry. Could be an underlying chronic condition or maybe not. Calf not hungry yet.

Funny old job. Some with bags full to bursting, other look like they wouldn't feed a mouse.

Look at the calf to see if it's hungry or not, if it's underneath her all the time and always has a wet or dirty face he's not getting enough. As for the udder, a low bag is one of the last things you want in a good suckler, it just creates work, work, work.

Is this a cow that you have been feeding separately for a while?

Also, If her ears are down, take her temperature.

 

[DrWazzock]

Look at the calf to see if it's hungry or not, if it's underneath her all the time and always has a wet or dirty face he's not getting enough. As for the udder, a low bag is one of the last things you want in a good suckler, it just creates work, work, work.

Is this a cow that you have been feeding separately for a while?

Also, If her ears are down, take her temperature.

Not cleansed yet after 4 days and keeps arching her back like she is trying to pee. Not in major distress as sits chewing cud and eats OK but seems off colour. Spoke to vet and lined up for a visit tomorrow if no sign of cleasnings and still arching back. Calf fine and lively. I haven't been feed her separately yet.

I think my silage is high enough protein as its clover/rye grass ley and nice stuff. Tried a few oats and lupins but it just makes them loose. Don't think they are necessary.

Yes the low pendulous udders are a far worse problem. Got a few of those. Got a slow milking teat on one old one which is leading to a big quarter etc.

Reckon the previous owner got rid of this group as they were getting problems. Myself naïve new starter etc. Still, I have probably learned more than if it had all been smooth running and I would have really struggled with first time calvers.

Not out of the woods yet by any means. 4 more to calve.

Another cow with retained cleansings has now shifted a good lot about 5 days after calving and seems a lot happier.

I think a fair number of these cows will end up in the cull ring, and get some replacements from my cousins high health herd which I should have done in the first place. The shorthorn bull seems like a good one though.

Wish the weather would perk up and help the grass grow.

As regards calcium, the word on the street here is to use Calcium Ammonium Nitrate rather then straight Ammonium Nitrate.

 

[H.M.]

Not cleansed yet after 4 days and keeps arching her back like she is trying to pee. Not in major distress as sits chewing cud and eats OK but seems off colour. Spoke to vet and lined up for a visit tomorrow if no sign of cleasnings and still arching back. Calf fine and lively. I haven't been feed her separately yet.

I think my silage is high enough protein as its clover/rye grass ley and nice stuff. Tried a few oats and lupins but it just makes them loose. Don't think they are necessary.

Yes the low pendulous udders are a far worse problem. Got a few of those. Got a slow milking teat on one old one which is leading to a big quarter etc.

Reckon the previous owner got rid of this group as they were getting problems. Myself naïve new starter etc. Still, I have probably learned more than if it had all been smooth running and I would have really struggled with first time calvers.

Not out of the woods yet by any means. 4 more to calve.

Another cow with retained cleansings has now shifted a good lot about 5 days after calving and seems a lot happier.

I think a fair number of these cows will end up in the cull ring, and get some replacements from my cousins high health herd which I should have done in the first place. The shorthorn bull seems like a good one though.

Wish the weather would perk up and help the grass grow.

As regards calcium, the word on the street here is to use Calcium Ammonium Nitrate rather then straight Ammonium Nitrate.

Don't worry too much about the retained cleansing as long as she's eating fine and doesn't smell or have a temperature, we've had them go ten days before and be fine as long as they haven't got an infection[emoji106] obviously it's not ideal, but there's no 100% way to help them apart from treating any infections they get, so just give her time

 

[Henarar]

if they start to smell or get a high temp they may need a jab of LA

don't worry about small udders its not the size that matters its what they do with it

having said that some say more than a handful is a waste but I think that is a load of rubbish