Advice Please? :( - calf crisis

[LewisMoore]

I had a heifer calve for the first time on thursday night. She was only 16 months old and the bull escaped and served her. She is fine and no problems calving, it's the calf.
On thursday i ent up to look and calf and mum were up and the calf was suckling so i left them to it, next morning i found the calf in the middle of the field cold and hungry nd the heifer was off grazing so i put both inside but the calf wouldn't suckle at all. for the last two days i've milked the heifer out and fed it to the calf myself but this morning the calf was so weak it couldn't stand up and now it wont even take a bottle so i've used a tube and fed it a couple of thimes but no improvements.
It just seems it has no will to live! i was thinking about rigging up a pig lamp because the calve is always cold to touch.

Can anyone give anymore advice or shed any light what might be up with it.

I'm not confident it will survive the way it's goin



Lewis

[LewisMoore]

sorry it was born on monday today is thursday

[Duncan MacIntyre]

I think this calf is in urgent need of Veterinary attention Lewis.

Duncan

Bute & Cowal Vets

[domsmith]

I think you have to decide to either just do what you can, heat lamp and feed etc it or call the vet as Duncan says.

i have to say i always give wee calves the chance and call the vet anyway. call out and consultancy and still a dead calf but you never know. you have to do what you feel is right.
at least a small calf you can always run it into the vets in the car.

sorry to be negative.

dom

[Broomcroft]

Young heifers often just don't know what to do. I just calved one at 15 months! Pen them together somehow, with gates tied together, in a building, whatever, but pen them and not too big either (15' x 15' is great). Out in the field she will go off. Give mom feed to enable her to cope with a calf at that age, say 3/4 - 1kg of beef nuts twice a day or something like that, depending on her condition.

Give the calf luke-warm milk by bottle if it won't suckle. Get calf milk-powder from local stockist. I would also get calf colostrum, make it up and the milk as well, and mix the two 50/50. Haven't got a clue whether that's a good idea, but it's what I do and they are still alive and well. Cut the colostrum when you run out after 1-2 days, and stick to milk.

Give about 1-1.5 litres a day in small amounts. I use a lamb bottle of about 0.4 litres 3 or 4 times a day. Use big lamb bottle teats, not the little things like the Ritchie versions.

And get the vet if you can. He/she may stomach tube the calf to keep it going.

Good luck.



Edited By Broomcroft on 1278618188

[Saffy]

I try to keep a little extra colostrum in the freezer from an older cow - just in case. I don't think a heifer as young as this would have enough colostrum or perhaps the quality your calf needed.

Good idea to keep it warm and get the vet like Duncan suggests.

Stephanie

[LewisMoore]

Thanks for all the advice i had the vet in and he reckons it had some complications from birth being slightly premature.

Sadly the calf (heifer) died shortly after this. I suppose it's just one of the many downsides to keeping livestock.

Thank you for all the advice.


Lewis

[Duncan MacIntyre]

Sorry this is the outcome Lewis, try not to let set backs dampen your enthusiasm, they happen to us all sooner or later. The main thing is to learn from what we have experienced, or what others can tell us, and push ahead with our objectives.

I am one of those who learns best from what I have gone through myself and never quite believe what has happened to others till I go there myself. I always think a loss in a small herd seems much more of a setback than a loss in a large herd, but some think this view devalues the animals in a large herd.

Anyway, time goes on and so will your herd, the mother is still young enough to give another chance and the odds are all will go OK.


Duncan.

[Broomcroft]

Bad luck Lewis.

[Saffy]

Sorry to hear the calf died Lewis but like the others have already said it happens.

How are your other Dexters doing?

Stephanie