Are there any Cattlemen out there?

[very fat and very dumb 40]

The description of this forum is topics can be Mustang related or not Mustang related.

 

I am having an issue with a newborn calf and need some advice. The calf is not nursing and did not get colostrum until it was 48 hours old. The cow's bag is almost dragging on the ground and the calf cannot find the udder, it's teats are huge. I am currently bottle feeding and I need some ideas to make things right.

[ruger1 10]

You can just keep feeding with milk replacer or milk the cow and feed the calf that way. Dairy calves we just give milk replacer. If its a beef cow you'll want to get the calf sucking and keep it on the cow for awhile if at all posible.

[69gmachine 15]

Just my .02, but I strongly believe the cow needs to be milked. I'm sure she's in pain, and is probably at risk for infection as she continues to swell. You might as well give the milk to the calf and kill two birds with one stone.

 

Maybe you can hold the calf's head under the udder and squirt some on her nose so she can smell the milk and hopefully start nursing.

 

I was only in FFA from 1977-1978, so I confess my experience is limited, but one thing our ag teacher stressed was how important it was not to let a cow swell up to the point of pain.

 

Never thought I'd ever think about cows again haha! Best of luck and let us know how it turns out.

Edited July 22, 2011 by 69gmachine
clarification

[ruger1 10]

Yes, if the calf won't or can't suck, you will have to milk the cow to relieve the pressure and prevent mastitis.

[very fat and very dumb 40]

She's smarter than other cows and won't get into the pen, she isn't afraid of me and I can beat her with a 2x4 and she just looks at me. I started feeding grain in there so maybe she'll come around. She won't let me milk her so I need to get her into a squeeze.

 

Mastitis is a big worry of mine, I think I'm going home early today to work on it.

 

Any other input would be appreciated.

[ruger1 10]

This may sound crazy but I have a friend that's a dairy farmer who gives some of his animals a little alcohol to calm them down. He uses cheap whiskey with some water and it seems to work. He uses it on hogs before he ships them to the slaughter house or cows so they aren't so jumpy. Sounds like she's a beef cow and you may just have to do the squeeze chute or corner gate method. Good luck!

[very fat and very dumb 40]

Interesting idea, one for her and 2 for me. She is beef cow, black baldy (black w/a white face). If the calf lives I am going to keep it for breeding. I name the animals I keep so I named the calf after a friend of mine, Greg. BTW, the calf is a female. Aren't you glad we're not friends? Although Ruger would not be a bad name...

[69gmachine 15]

Even a small dog, can move an entire herd. Do you know anyone with a decent herding dog that could bring her into a pen? You're still going to need to put her in a squeeze chute though, and if she's as ornery as you describe, that's going to be fun.

 

Once when I was getting my angus heifer ready for the Fort Worth Fat Stock show, my ag teacher decided we needed to trim under her belly to give the appearance she was taller than she actually was. We put her in a squeeze chute and her eyes were big as saucers. You could see her trembling with fear. Seated on a bucket with the clippers under her, he turned them on and all hell broke loose! She jumped clean over the side rails and landed on top of him kicking and flailing. I was laughing so hard I was no help at all. He finally got out from under her and only had some minor bruises and scrapes, but he was pissed. I couldn't stop laughing and that just made him madder.

 

So, be careful once she's in the chute, she's probably not going to like it.

 

One of the reasons I enjoy eating beef so much is because cattle are some of the stupidest animals on god's green earth, second only to sheep IMO.

[unfrozen1969 11]

Hey, that's no cow, that's my wife.....

[very fat and very dumb 40]

I bet you guys never thought the subject of calves and 69 Mustangs would ever come together, you're wrong.

[Pakrat 1,043]

Looking better than that sad Mustang in the background!