# Heifers



## siscofarms (Nov 23, 2010)

I know this may be an odd question but I have 3 heifers that should have calved already . They are huge , pretty good bag , for a heifer , 2 black angus and a hereford . Have some nice days coming up and would love for them to drop them calves . Any way to induce them ?


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

I've seen heifers bag a month and a half in advance of calving and have seen them calve within days of starting to bag. If you're likely on a hay feeding regimen, she will look huge from hay and water. Do you know when they were bred?

Inducing because of nice weather is a bit selfish.


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## siscofarms (Nov 23, 2010)

Bull was turned with them last feb 2 . almost a year ago . they were 18 months old and weighed 900lbs .


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

Bull has weak semen or too big for the heifers. If there are competing factors like steers or an injury or hot weather, the sire is not going to be working.

Heifer end of it: She could possibly be aborting due to diet, weather, etc.

A lot of factors at play but I would advise against inducing.

Want to be on a set calving schedule. Have a 90 day breeding season and ship the opens down the road.


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## TJ Hendren (May 12, 2017)

Get the Vet out and preg-check em, then you will know for sure. If they are they will have the calves when they are ready.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

If they have bagged up the chances are they are bred. Keep an eye on them and let nature take it's course.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

I would not induce them unless you know the exact date they were bred. Heifers can bag up months before having a calf till weeks after. If induced and the calf is a month premature things wont go good. Weak calves and heifers usually dont mix very good. If the calf is to premature it might not be able to breathe and will die on you anyway.


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## Widairy (Jan 1, 2016)

Unless they are overdue definitely do not induce them. Being a dairy guy we generally have exact due dates and usually don't consider inducing unless the animal is at least two weeks overdue and dripping milk. And early calf will cause way more problems than anything else.


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## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

Watch for clear drainage first then look for Amber drainage and then it want be long


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## Ray 54 (Aug 2, 2014)

Put 10 yearling heifers out with a proven bull the end of Dec 16,first part of Oct 17 had 4 calves.Finally the last week of Jan 18 had 2 more,still waiting for the other 4.Been wondering if the bull had slipped in all the wet last winter/spring and injured himself. Made sure he is with other bulls so if no good it will not be a big deal. But with a 3 month rest/or what ever he made at least 2 more.

Yes should have had them checked last summer. But off in the brush,after are wet spring 3 lakes to drink at didn't need to come water trough at corral.With last springs rain more feed than we could us. Then Oak tree split and feel on 2 sides of corral. Now drought is back with only 2 months of are wet season left. They may all go down the road as 4 inches of rain over 3 months will not grow much grass. But for now keep on feeding hay and praying for rain.

But my point is in nature things happen when they happen,if that keeps you up at night maybe you need out of farming.


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## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

If I lost a calf crop I'd lose a lot of sleep I'd be on the street.
Put the bull in wait 4 months and preg check.


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## siscofarms (Nov 23, 2010)

One of the heifers had a nice 85lb heifer calf . Now she doesn't want to let it suck . Calf is 3 days old and I have had her tied 2 . Any tricks for that instead of the long process of attitude adjustment ?


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

siscofarms said:


> One of the heifers had a nice 85lb heifer calf . Now she doesn't want to let it suck . Calf is 3 days old and I have had her tied 2 . Any tricks for that instead of the long process of attitude adjustment ?


I have hobbled the momma and put them in the catch pen together. It takes a good set of hobbles. If the calf can learn to nurse from behind it helps. The cow can not kick the jaw like they can from the side.

You can also put her in a head catch or squeeze and let the calf nurse from behind. The calf will get pooped on though.

I experimented different ways when we would buy nurse cows from the dairy.


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## skyrydr2 (Oct 25, 2015)

We would put the ornery critter in a head stall and rope her back legs to tie downs in the floor and stretch her out so she could not kick. Get the calf nursing and watch the cow to see that she would let the calf nurse on her own. Usually only had to do this for the first nursing.
We made the barn floor with rings set in cups just for this. And i must say I am very happy to not have to use them very often. We got rid of the cow that used them for 10 seasons... DOH!


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## azmike (Jan 4, 2015)

We had a heifer that got confused while birthing and bonded with another calf. We penned her separately and while she was feeding she would let the calf nurse. This went on for a couple of weeks, she eventually figured it out and we have a growing steer.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

azmike said:


> We had a heifer that got confused while birthing and bonded with another calf. We penned her separately and while she was feeding she would let the calf nurse. This went on for a couple of weeks, she eventually figured it out and we have a growing steer.


Maybe if this ever happened again you might try smearing a light amount of her(cow) manure along the calfs back and on the crown of the calfs head. The cows own manure odor makes acceptance very quick in many instances....saving much time.

Regards, Mike


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

I just went through this last fall, heifer group all calved fine and took their calf except one. I put her in a head gate for 24 hrs and would put calf in behind her to milk. The next 48 hrs I ran cow up the chute each time so the calf could nurse. Thought I was making progress free stalled them in a pen and she kicked the calf. Back to head gating we went and a day later we tried free stall again.... she kicked and stomped the calve. Calf never recovered.

It was such a shame, I saved her as a calf and she was one of my finest heifers from that crop. Very good conformation and temperament but I found the flaw in the end. She didn't take to calf and her milk production was not satisfactory and I wasn't going to find out if she would reject the next one. The only consolation is I conditioned her back up and she went to the processor. 1150 pounds and had a steak last night. Of course I'm not out a lot of money, the beef is packaged For Sale.

My advice if you can get this calf to take, wean the calf as soon as you can and ship her or condition her for your freezer.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Mike's cow is a little different. She did not exactly "reject" the calf, she "took" to another calf by mistake. I wouldn't sell the cow in this instance....at least not until she calved again to see how things unfolded.

BW, your cow needed the knife....she was good for nothing else.

Regards, Mike


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

Vol said:


> Mike's cow is a little different. She did not exactly "reject" the calf, she "took" to another calf by mistake. I wouldn't sell the cow in this instance....at least not until she calved again to see how things unfolded.
> 
> BW, your cow needed the knife....she was good for nothing else.
> 
> Regards, Mike


Will clarify, was directing the advice to sisco, not mike.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

BWfarms said:


> Will clarify, was directing the advice to sisco, not mike.


Ahh..., I see now. My misinterpretation.

Regards, Mike


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Tim/South said:


> I have hobbled the momma and put them in the catch pen together. It takes a good set of hobbles. If the calf can learn to nurse from behind it helps. The cow can not kick the jaw like they can from the side.
> 
> You can also put her in a head catch or squeeze and let the calf nurse from behind. The calf will get pooped on though.
> 
> I experimented different ways when we would buy nurse cows from the dairy.


We Freeze extra colostrum milk from our dairy cows and when one of my neighbors beef cows is real nasty and wont let the calf suck he buys some colostrum from me for the calf and gets rid of the cow


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## siscofarms (Nov 23, 2010)

Well , had to tie heifer up for a total of 3 days . 1st day I left her for 24 hrs , next to days twice a day for calf , The 4th day I walked out there and for what ever reason , she figured it out . She never rejected the calf , just wouldn't let it nurse . Everything is good now . Old man at the store in town told me about 3 days of tieing her for the fact of getting mothers milk in the calfand her getting the scent of herself . Kinda like smearing her poop on the calf idea mentioned before . But shes perfect now and hopefully next calf will not be a problem .

Thanks


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

endrow said:


> We Freeze extra colostrum milk from our dairy cows and when one of my neighbors beef cows is real nasty and wont let the calf suck he buys some colostrum from me for the calf and gets rid of the cow


I keep frozen colostrum in the freezer. I normally keep a Jersey nurse cow. When she calves I begin filling the freezer with milk.



siscofarms said:


> Well , had to tie heifer up for a total of 3 days . 1st day I left her for 24 hrs , next to days twice a day for calf , The 4th day I walked out there and for what ever reason , she figured it out . She never rejected the calf , just wouldn't let it nurse . Everything is good now . Old man at the store in town told me about 3 days of tieing her for the fact of getting mothers milk in the calfand her getting the scent of herself . Kinda like smearing her poop on the calf idea mentioned before . But shes perfect now and hopefully next calf will not be a problem .
> 
> Thanks


Glad she finally figured out the routine. Heifers have to make the mental transition from being a calf to being a mother. They also have to get kind of tough in the udder because a butting calf has to be a shock at first.


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