Should I wean her?

Issy · Post by **Issy** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 11:11 am

I have a cow who hasn't weaned her heifer calf yet. The heifer is her first calf and is now 11months old and still being fed ??? . I was expecting the cow to have dried up naturally before now even if she didn't get fed up with being fed from.
She isn't due to calve again until November and is in very good condition (I havn't split them up before because Pumpkin tends to get fat so I thought it would help if she had the calf attached for longer!). The only way I can split them is to lock Pumpkin in the field shelter for a week or so. This is my first cow I have bred from and so would love some advice please :D .

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 11:39 am

I would leave the calf with the cow, she will milk longer having been late in getting back in calf, and as you say it will be better for the cow not to have a long holiday. The heifer will be breeding age before the cow calves though, what arrangements will you have for that? If you are not going to put the heifer to the bull before the cow calves just let them run, the heifer will stop suckling before the next calf is due. Although it is contrary to most traditional management methods leaving the calf on the cow does not seem to cause the problems which many people expect - I have done it with several of mine and the calf just seems to leave the cow alone a few weeks before the next calf is due, and much to my surprise none of them have gone back to steal little brother's milk.

Duncan

Issy · Post by **Issy** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 11:45 am

Thanks Duncan I will leave her where she is :D . I am going to use AI on the heifer in a few months time. She takes after her mum and is extremely vocal when in season which makes life easier :D .

happy hollidays · Post by **happy hollidays** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 10:36 pm

Duncan, I'm glad you said that as I have a very nearly twelve month old calf that is not weaned. Her mum is a very vocal, hungry cow. I have watched and the cow did attempt to wean the calf herself. The result was a big slanging match a couple of months ago between the two of them, that was short lived and I put the calf on a bit of haylage as a distractor. I did not want to stop the milk as mum is not pregnant and I am wanting to get her served very shortly, as she is greedy this is my best opion of weight control. If I put a round hay bale out mum will practically stay with it until its all gone!

Issy · Post by **Issy** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 7:46 pm

As an update on this topic Pumpkin has now decided that at 13 months old Meadow is too old to be fed and is weaning her herself. As this is the first of my cows to do this please excuse the starter question. Pumpkin has got very full udders and looks exactly as I would expect if I had shut her away early on in lactation. All quarters are full and there is no heat or wounds so am I ok just to leave her and check every few days to see if she is drying up? I know that question probably sounds silly but I didn't expect her to have soo much milk this late in the day?

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 8:19 pm

How certain are you of her calving date? I am a bit suspicious of the full udder, as I would have expected the calf just to stop suckling and the milk production to be very little by the time natural weaning happens unless the cow is making to calf. If she is about to calf it is likley the ligaments around the tail head will slacken, and the tissue around her passage may look looser as well.

Duncan

Issy · Post by **Issy** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 8:33 pm

Thanks for the reply Duncan, she was AI'd on the 5th of Jan and again on the 29th when she bulled again. There was a delay before because she didn't bull for 5 months after having meadow and then we had a breakin the next time and I missed calling the AI man out. Do you think she could be about to miscarry? The new cow moving in shook her a bit but they are firm friends now and she was TB tested this week but fairly stress free (passed ok). I thought she had weaned meadow about a month ago but when the new cow came she took to feeding her again with avengence.

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 8:42 pm

Aborting cows do not usually have very full udder, although this is possible. I would be asking her where she was for the first 10 days of October, or if she had any visitors you were not aware of. It is certainly not unheard of for cows to visit neighbouring bulls and return to their own field without being missed, less likely but a visiting bull can be missed - is that possible? I take it the breakin you refer to was a two legged one, sorry to hear of it.

Duncan

Issy · Post by **Issy** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 8:55 pm

Yes Duncan the breakin was of the two legged variety one of five last year

. After the poultry that we no longer keep.
The gate was broken down last September and left open all night but the electric fencing was still up and all animals were present and correct the next morning with nothing that didn't belong with us. I am afraid I don't remember if the chap next door had his bull across the lane but it is unlikely he would have returned to his own field on his own in the morning ??? .
If he did get in he would have had to jump the electric fencing in and out leaving it intact. Mind you if he did I am in trouble as he uses big beef bulls.

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:07 pm

Well, I think you just have to watch and wait. It may just be her playing tricks to get us wound up. If there is any sign of her aborting, you should report it to your vet, and I think if she shows signs of calving you should probably be in touch with the vet sooner rather than later if you have had little experience of calvings. I agree it is unlikely a visiting bull would have returned home unnoticed, but I have known several cases of cows or heifers visiting a neighbouring bull and returning home without having been missed. Time will tell.

Duncan

Issy · Post by **Issy** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:13 pm

Thanks Duncan. OH is checking her on his way home tonight and I will first thing tomorow. I haven't known her to jump the fencing before but there is a first time for everything and I would call the vet at the first sign of trouble anyway but doubly so if she may be pregnant to a large bull

.

Issy · Post by **Issy** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:37 pm

Have just worked out that she would be 292 days into gestation if she did escape and as she calved at 274 days last time I am hoping that I am panicking over nothing but will keep you all posted of all developments ??? .

Issy · Post by **Issy** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 8:53 am

In the cold light of day, Pumpkin has fead meadow and now has an empty udder and does not look ready to drop a calf (she is called pumkin because that is exactly what she looks like at 9 months). If anything she is not holding as much condition as I would like. Given the amount of milk she is obviously producing this would account for that and would I be asking for trouble by shutting her in on hay and forcing the weaning issue?

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 11:12 am

I would leave the two of them to it, as long as there is plenty of grass, if Pumkin has held to service on 29th January she is not going to calve till November, so she can happily give a bit of milk till beginning of October, and being suckled will reduce the chance of Summer Mastisis compared to drying her of now.

Duncan

Issy · Post by **Issy** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 11:58 am

Thank you again Duncan, will follow your advice :D .