First Calf Heifer tales

[SWMO]

So what's your best first calf heifer problem.

Last year we had one that loved her calf and licked the hair off it until it tried to suck.  Kicked the snot out of the calf for weeks.  I guess she was ticklish

And then last night when the husband was out of town had a first timer start calving around 3:30 and was still kinda starting at 7:30. she just wasn't wanting to get serious.  Got tired of watching her and I and the two 13 year olds ran her in.  She certainly lacked any kind of pain tolerance kinda like me when the twins were born  You would have thought that I would have had more empathy.

The calf was presented right and was the right size and shape she just didn't want to have it.  When it started in to put chains on  the calf she bawled like I was killing her.  (certainly considered it by the time we were done) ;D.  Then she decided to sit down in the calving chute.  Couldn't get the side open with all her pressure on it.  She finally decided to get up so we put the halter on her and opened the side and started all over again.  Just got the pressure back on her when she sat down again (she never did lay down just sat).  What an adventure.  I think the kids learn new words every time we have to help a heifer.

Of course the whole time I'm working with the calf the kids are both asking of the calf is still alive?   Yes, but it doesn't matter if she sits on it and kills it.  Kinda stressful to be asked if it's still alive when you're up to your @@@ in a cow.  Esp after the third or fourth time asked.

I'm thinking hubby owes me a steak dinner as the pulling thing is his area of expertise.  I'm usually just the assistant. ;D

 

[red]

we had a heifer that actually screamed when she was calving. I was in the house & heard this awful noise. she was literally screaming. The thing was it wasn't a big calf or a hard pull. but she just gave up & screamed. Needless to say after her 2nd calf of not even trying she went bye bye.

Red

 

[SWMO]

Red ,this one had already started grazing again.  I guess she thought that the calf could just stay in her.  I'm  thinking she may not be a keeper

 

[justme]

Couple years ago we had a shorthorn maine cross heifer go to calve.  Husband said she's ok let her go.  I got my binnoculars out and said, well she has 2 tails!  Here the calf was backwards, and his hind feet tucked.  Had a c-section and that little booger was 120 pounds.  Poor heifer felt so bad for her.  After two years of monsters we shipped her.  We usually average 80# calves out of our Maines so one that big really is a shocker for us.

 

[fluffer]

I had one one time go back to eating grass when she decided the didn't to have the calf.  Turns out the calf was backwards.

Red, I also have a cow that screams bloody murder when she calves.  Last year I was in our house and heard a ruckus so I ran my (then 5mo) baby next door to my grandma while I ran out to see what the heck was going on.  All the cows here in a big group around the screaming cow.  She had already calved and was licking and screaming at the same time.  Then yesterday my hubby was in the barn working when he heard the same thing.  He thought someone had a bull loose on our property.  Turns out this cow had calved again.  What a weirdo    Lucky for me it is after she calves that she hollers and not during.

I also had a heifer that ate hay latterly the whole time she calved.  Never seen anything like it.

The worst was a heifer that calved up against a tree ( or I guess I should say attempted to calve)  Calf was dead, half out, and suck in a tree when I found her.  She had worked too hard to get up so me and a couple of  farm "assistance" drug her over.  They pulled while I prepared to catch a uterus.  Calf came out and the uterus followed despite my efforts.  Just like I knew it would.  We couldn't get the cow into any kind of position to get the uterus back in.  Then she stumbled off though the woods with her uterus hitting every Brier bush on the place.  We finally got a rope on her and a vet (I voted to get the gun, hubby said no and called the vet since hubby wasn't home to help)  vet flopped her uterus back in and she lived long enough to fatten and sell.  The funniest part of the whole thing was, I got sugar to put on her uterus and the boys asked me why I needed sugar.  I thought about telling them that if we couldn't save her we would eat her and raw uterus tastes better with sugar on it.  But these two boys were already gagging over the situation at hand, I didn't want to add to it  ;D

Fluffer

 

[showgirl2010]

That is funny Fluffer.  I would have told them that.  I love telling city slickers stuff like that.

Jamie

 

[KYsteer]

Had one last year that had the calf, and cleaned it off.  The problem was anytime the calf would move and try to stand the cow would start hollering and then attempt to maul the calf.  The calf could not get near the cow or it would get trampled.  We ended up feeding the cow and the calf would then nurse during this time.  We paid good money for the heifer so against my better judgement we are giving her one more chance.  I have my fingers crossed this year.

 

[DiamondS]

Had a now 2nd calf heifer that lost her 1st calf last year during a bad snow storm, so I decided to give her another chance.  About a month ago, I had two cows mothering a newborn calf.  I decided that 546 had not calved and ran her off the calf.  She was beating the tar out of the real mother.  After 30 minutes of running her back off, she found another slimy calf and started beating it's mother off....  Rip.   So, we ran her off over the hill toward the feed bunks.  Down there about 70 babies and their mothers were patiently waiting to be fed.  She sniffed another calf about 12 hours old, but it was tagged so she didn't want it.  Then all heck broke loose.  She'd bawl at calves so they'd come check her out to see if she was mama.  Then she'd chase the dickens out of em running them off. Pretty soon she'd pick a calf out and chase it through the whole herd.  So, again I ran her off across the creek to a hay meadow fearing she was going to hurt one of those calves.  All this time, the water bag has broken and she knows it.  She cleaned up after herself.  Finally 1 1/2 hours later she laid down and started having contractions.  Fiance' (my part-time help) and I decided we could go eat lunch and come back.

An hour later she was clear back across the pasture (160 ac) and we couldn't find her calf.  Finally found it on the other side of the fence.  Got it, brought it back in and she'd lick it then knock it around.  I gave her about 10 minutes of this and decided that she was headed to the barn.  By the time we walked her and the calf to the barn, she was ready to love it.  Let it suck, the whole nine yards.  She now has one of the nicest heifer calves out there, but there's some nasty footnotes about her!!!

 

[farmgirl760]

My first heifer calf is a hereford/angus cross and was bred to the same bull that we bred my sisters full maine to. Well the maine this is her 2nd calf and her water breaks and then nothing. After about 2 hours we notice that she is pushing and that the calves feet and nose are going in and out but nothing else. So she is finally able to get everything out up to the calves back hips. After about 45 minutes of nothing progressing the owner of the bull stops by and he starts pulling with no luck. We put the chains on her and have no luck, finally after about 20 minutes of pulling we are able to get the back hips dislogged and discover this calf has the biggest back end we have seen in a long time. So of course at this time I am starting to get worried cause my heifer is a lot smaller than the Maine cow and Im thinking that this is not going to be good if we had all this trouble with the first one.

Well two days later I go out about midnight to check on the heifer and notice that she is starting to pace and go off by herself. So my sister comes out and checks her and says that its only her mucas plug and that we have up to 12 hours before anything happens. Well im not taking any chances and put her in the pen with the other cow and calf and within 10 minutes of being in the pen her water had broken and she has delivered her calf with no assistance and was cleaning her up. I was shocked!!!! Now here it is 2 months later and these two heifers are total opposites. The one out of the Maine cow is very muscular and big framed and is going to be an amazing possible market prospect and the one out of the angus cross cow is feminine and is thick! two very nice calves out of the same bull with it being the bulls first calves!!!!

 

[red]

(welcome) Farmgirl760!

I have 2 full sisters that were both bred to the same bull. The sister are somewhat similar but their BW's varied by 25 pounds & their calve's BW's varied by 20 pounds.

Red

 

[renegade]

farmgirl760 do you have any pics? It would be interesting to see them

 

[farmgirl760]

Renegade-- i am out taking pictures today and I will post them on here this afternoon for all to see. its clipping time since we have a show next weekend.

 

[red]

Farmgirl- if you need any help posting pictures, just yell. Looks like you can do it fine since you have your profile up.

What's that calf out of?

Red

 

[Bawndoh]

I admire the heifer.  Thick, thick, thick.

 

[knabe]

if that heifer's front end elongates enough, that will be one balanced thick  (and not bunchy muscled) heifer.  good grief.