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| Had a first calf heifer calve yesterday afternoon. Mom went to cleaning calf and is very protective of her however when calf try's to nurse mom knocks her down or will kick at her. this went on for about 30 mins last night before calf was able to nurse. This morning mom is doing the samething. we have never had this before so any opinions would be great thanks Curtis |
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sc ia | The heifer will probably be alright in 2 or 3 days and won't do it next year. Emphasis on probably. |
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northwest tennessee | I had a heifer do that once and at about 12 to 24 hours she would stop but at that point a calf would be dead if not helped. She continued to do it every year and I would get her up and tie her and let the calf nurse and at the same time frame would be good. She then went about 2 or 3 years and didnt do it then she did it again and I got her up and she was nuts, ended up tromping the calf and breaking its leg and then I went nuts on her. I took the calf to my vet friend and we put a cast on it and I raised it. She never settled down that time and acted mental and was sold still acting nuts. Knowing what I know now about her I would not keep the heifer. This one would knock it down hard and kick it but if it would bawl that low bawl she would run to it like she thought the world of it and lick it and then it would try to nurse and all over again. I never lost a calf out of her but I had to work for them. I think I have gotten wiser now. |
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New Mexico | her stand in a chute then calf nursing then.
She'll likely get the clue that "baby hater" attitude causes a trip to the chute.
Do that for 2 days. Run her in morning afternoon and eve, calf nurses every time.
If she's still rough w the calf on day 3 ie watch her see calf nurse non obstructed, if she's still mean, split em put her in the feedlot, and she can go to macs.
btw 85% of the baby haters never do straighten out.
( bout the time you think they did, they kill the next one )
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rrv, nd | this is ironic... i had the same thing yesterday to. she buts it, knocks it down, i have to put her in head gate squeeze, then she is fine. I was hoping she would improve in couple days. She calls for it, licks it, but wouldn't let it suck. She is calm, nice to me, not wild, but doesn't let him nurse. time will tell. |
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ALTUS,OKLA73521 | raise this calf and then sell the b +tch. |
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NW Oklahoma | Had a few that way in the past. Our cure has always been put the pair in a small pen. Every time the calf tries to nurse and cow kicks or butts the calf. administer a strong whap with sorting stick. Heifer will usually get the idea and let it nurse. Takes about 3 days. Never had a problem with their future calves. |
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NCMO | I had a hfr that didnt want calf to nurse i got my 2 dogs and put in the pin with calf and it wasnt long till she wanted that calf by her side and never had trouble again. But she wasnt crazy acting she just didnt want it nursing. And i dont think its uncommon for hfrs to be that way at first. |
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N MO | Ever see one bite its calf? She probably needs to be on the next truck to town. |
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Tryon,Oklahoma | My buddy had one last week do the same thing. Licked and cleaned it and would not let him nurse. Milked the heifer and fed calf all seemed ok. Came out to the pen later and she was sleeping on the calf (dead of course). Moma going to butcher shop later this summer. |
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Kaukauna WI | OK, I'm taking a chance here, not knowing a single damn thing about beefers, but a Holstein wouldn't think TWICE about sleeping on her calf, but we wouldn't ship her if she did. Are beefers supposed to inherently be better mothers than other species? |
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New Mexico | it's not unusual for a hiefer to lay on a calf, you keep those mistakes.
Beefer screws up, her ONLY mission is to raise a decent calf EVERY year.
If she does not accomplish the afore for any reason, then on to macs w her.
Over time that does make beef better mothers than the more domesticated dairy cattle. |
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| I agree with Greg. Maternal traits are highly inheritable. Some cattle either have it or they don't. I try to cull heavily for maternal ability, disposition, and intelligence. I don't want cows around that I have to mess with for either physical or mental reasons.
If you can't get her to take this calf soon, I'd graft or sell the calf now and put the heifer in your freezer or sell her after she dries off. Life is too short to mess with this stuff. |
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Kaukauna WI | thanks, Mark. You're correct, Holsteins are a terrible excuse of a mother. I wonder what would happen in a year's time if we just let our 200 Holsteins run around on a pasture and try to have calves on their own and take care of them. I don't think we'd have many young'uns alive. And we'd lose a fair amount of the dams, too. |
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New Mexico | and when the season is done, it's the really good ones that are left.
Keep in mind the calves on those are great survivors also, thus some keeper material.
Alot of folks perhaps love their darn cattle to much.
Keep in mind these cattle got along fine in the wild.
They multiplied to huge numbers and thrived naturally.
Before elevators, before veterinarians, before epds, before cowboys.
Heck TX was full of natural cattle by the end of the Civil War.
( likely mostly decended from a few Coronado dropped off in 1535.)
Edited by Markwright 4/2/2012 20:10
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Kaukauna WI | ya, I think about that every time we put a prolapse back in (that one wouldn't have survived in Coronado's day), the milk fever (probably didn't have that back then), ketosis, splits, mastitis, bad feet.........we've taken away 'survival of the fittest' for the most part. |
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New Mexico | when folks tend to select generation after generation for basically 1 trait.
( can even be a high inbreed coefficient on supposed cross breds due to the afore ) |
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first calf heifer ?
