# Calf disappointment



## SCtrailrider (May 1, 2016)

Well my cow had her first calf today, some time after lunch I think. I wasn't home and when I got home @5pm, she was standing by a black pile so I went in and sure enough the calf was dead, she was nugging and talking to it and wouldn't let mess with it much. The calf's head was bent back and the tongue was sticking out eyes open and a little stiff, calf was dry but didn't look like it moved from the time it hit the ground.. I sort of think it broke it's neck when it hit the ground..

I didn't see any sign of afterbirth but the area around the calf was well worn from mama going round & round it so it could have been their but trampled now.. The calf was 1 month early ( 9 months )

What signs will I see if something is still inside mama like afterbirth, she is still heavy looking and I'm a little worried their might still be another calf in their..

Problem is I don't have a head gate to confine her but I can take her up the road where their is one if she needs checking by a vet..

What should I be looking for in the next few days???

Thanks, Chris


----------



## IHCman (Aug 27, 2011)

I'd keep an eye on her showing signs of labor yet if you think there is another calf in there. Kind of sounds like the 1st calf may have been dead and she aborted it. If there is another dead calf in there its important to get it out of her quickly or it could become toxic to her. I'd run her into a chute and reach in to see whats going on. Other calf could still be alive also.


----------



## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

Here's the catch 22. Now is the time to decide if you are willing to depart money or lose money. You can't afford not to be proactive now and you can't afford the vet bill for a small herd like yours, especially during soft prices.

A cow will eat the placenta after a calf arrives and at the same time appear to labor, natures way of expelling the afterbirth and protecting against predators. Some will dump it fast while others might take a day and you will see a 'second tail' hanging form her.

1) You can play the waiting game and as this is really the only cost effective situation for you.

2) Or you can make this a learning experience. You can fashion a gate in a corner brace and pin her that way. Wrap a chain from the gate to the brace to prevent her backing up. Tie her head to the corner post and then wear a sterile sleeve glove and slide your arm in her vagina and feel. You don't have to go deep. If there's a calf you'll feel it forearm deep.

3) Or you can load her up and leave it to a pro and pay for it.

4) Or take her to the barn and cut losses as quickly as possible but a season buyer will pay you pennies.

I don't envy your predicament because it sucks... I've been there. If it were me I would try option 2.


----------



## SCtrailrider (May 1, 2016)

I don't mind spending money on her, she is all I have right now and is a very good young cow, 4 yrs old and I don't want to loose her.

I'm going to get a friend today and let him have a look and I'm going to find a head chute today, place a few miles away has a few used ones.. I've been putting things off because she has been so tame but now she has turned into a protector.

I'll update this later tonight if I can get something figured out...


----------



## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

Being her first calf, freshening early is not abnormal and we consider 9 months full term. your breed must be longer? Very good possibility she has already ate the after birth. They don't waste time doing that. As for why the calf died just so many possibilities. Could have taken to long and drowned or because you say the head was bent back, could be the mother just did not get up right away and with fluid in it's lungs it wouldn't take long to suffocate. We would tickle its nose with a piece of hay if we happen to be there just to help it along.

I had a whole protocol for cows when they freshened to minimize issues and one was to help dump the placenta and clean out. 5cc shot of this part I don't remember, it's either lutalyce or oxytocine. (Spelling?) This was done immediately, I don't know how long after the fact you can do it.


----------



## SCtrailrider (May 1, 2016)

Well I don't have any idea what happened but I'm going to do my best today to get set up with a head chute and check her. I knew this day would come but just keep procrastinating about it.. First thing I got to do is get the carcass away from her, she is still protecting it very hard.. Wish I could fine a abandoned calf today, maybe she would take it as hers..


----------



## SCtrailrider (May 1, 2016)

I was thinking normal gestation was 10 months, she is a Angus.


----------



## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

I agree cow probably consumed placenta. I'm not agreeing with the calf having broken neck but all things are possible. You should watch nature show depicting Giraffe standing while giving birth to offspring's. Normal bovine gestation period is 283 days. Pictured below is what Angus Assn. showed for gestation period. If it was my cow she would be headed to sale barn because it's difficult to justify feeding a cow for 2 yrs to ""maybe get 1 calf"".


----------



## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

Shouldn't be that hard to find a newborn calf if there are any dairy farms in the area they are getting little to nothing selling calves lately. If you do get a calf you will probably have to assist or teach it to suck for a few days. One thing they say is rub something on the cows nose and on the calf so they smell the same maybe some molasses or something. We sprinkle dry distillers grain or ground feed on newborn calves to get the mothers to lick them more.


----------



## Farmerbrown2 (Sep 25, 2018)

This might sound weird but when my uncle would lose a calf he would go get a Holstein calf skin the dead one out and tie the cape to the live one then momma would accept the Holstein.


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Sorry this happened. It is tough no matter how long a person has been in the business.

If I intended to graft a calf to her, I would take a towel and rub/gather as much scent from her calf as possible. could even dampen the towel. If I got a replacement calf it would wear the towel for a bit before I introduced them. Might dampen the towel to get scent transfer.

I would also try to milk and save some colostrum. Never know when you might need some.


----------



## Ed22 (Jul 13, 2018)

Farmerbrown2 said:


> This might sound weird but when my uncle would lose a calf he would go get a Holstein calf skin the dead one out and tie the cape to the live one then momma would accept the Holstein.


That does work. Had a Hereford deliver a stillborn calf once and since she was such a good milker I bought a jersey calf to put on her that same day. We rubbed the dead calf scent on the jersey calf and introduced them but the cow kept knocking him away if he tried to get close. We then skun out the dead calf and tied onto the jersey with twine so now he not only smelled like her calf but looked him. The cow almost immediately accepted the calf but it took the calf almost a day to get over her fear of the cow after the first encounters.


----------

