Losing calves

[Kim]

Hello from Georgia on a beautiful cool morning....
I am having calving issues, we have already lost 3 calves. Two of them looked cleaned up and developed. The other one was found in the pond. I know these were the first calves for these cows, could that be the problem? Or do I have something else going on?
We have had 2 healthy calves also but this is so heart breaking. The cows came to us expecting so we had no idea when we would be having calves but we were so excited about having them and now we have lost 3. Can anyone give me some advice on what to do to prevent this from happening again? Thank you in advance, Kim

 

[Pumpkinpup]

Oh, Kim! I am so very sorry!

This kind of thing is aways heartbreaking and I wish I had some advice for you but I just don't know. I do hope that things get better and the rest of your calving season goes well.

Robin

 

[Ms. Research]

Sorry for your loss. Maybe because you didn't know how they were bred and in what condition, this makes it kind of a "scratch your head" moment. Maybe under your care being bred will stop the losses? Not sure, not a breeder, but you can definitely gauge your animals when you are there from beginning and end, then you can make a sound decision on what's really going on.

Hopefully nothing wrong with these cows other than someone not really being truly involved in their breeding. But then again, I have no clue on cows. Just an observation.

 

[goodhors]

Did you get the two cleaned calves checked by the Vet? Yeah it costs, but could uncover an illness the cows are carrying.
Or there could be some other problem, undeveloped parts, came too early, chilled in the cold because they didn't get up
to nurse quickly.

Cows are SUPPOSED to manage, even first-time heifers. However having someone checking them regularly could mean
the difference between live or dead calves. Western Ranchers bring up the first-time heifers when due to calve, check them
often day and night to prevent loses.

Do you have more calves due? There might be a calving predictor item you could get. Horses have a packet of strips that you drip
a drop of milk on, supposed to give you an approximate arrival time because the colostrum changes chemically to be ready
for the foal. Vet might have information on that, or other ideas to help predict calving time if you don't have breeding dates.

Keeping the expectant heifers up close to the barn or house, so you can check them often, be there to aid a weak calf is good. I would
definately make the pasture with pond off-limits to the expectant mothers!! No chance of being on bad ground to calve or have
that new calf stumble into the pond to drown. Takes calf a bit to learn to follow mother, so smaller paddock or enclosure
might help the first-time mother and calf bond easier.

If no bad things found, I probably would move those cows who lost calves on. Saves you feeding them another year before
they calve again, and perhaps LOSE the second calf as well. They may have poor mothering instincts, which no one needs
in a breeding animal. You end up feeding bottle babies IF they survive until found.

So a bunch of bad stuff, no profit, plus expenses to keep them another year, makes the cows freezer candidates or sale
prospects to get your money out of them. Replace them with other animals who will be producing for you. Culling is
hard, but otherwise they eat, cost you money and you get nothing back. Expensive for pet animals.

If calf loss was recent, last couple days, you might try putting some dairy calves on the cows. Would take a couple days of
restraining the mother cows, letting calves (one for each cow) nurse, all under control. Takes several days of nursing so calf
smells more like the mother cow after drinking her milk, so she would be accepting calf without the restraints. Those cows
could raise those calves for you, so you would at least get some use from the cows. But calf needs to get on the cow ASAP
after she loses her own or the milk is gone, along with any mothering instincts. Nursing stimulates all her hormones, helps
if you can get a calf on her quickly.

 

[dwbonfire]

very sorry for your losses, wish i had some advice for you. goodhors has some good points. if your expecting anymore i would keep the heifers close by so you can watch them closely. good luck with everything.

 

[elevan]

very sorry for your losses, wish i had some advice for you. goodhors has some good points. if your expecting anymore i would keep the heifers close by so you can watch them closely. good luck with everything.

x2

 

[redtailgal]

x

 

[greybeard]

Sorry to hear this. As stated above, there are lots of causes for lost calves. If it's the 1st time for the mother especially. Good mothering 'should' be instinctive but it's not always the case. I've seen heifers have a calf and take right to it, and then others that calved ok, clean it up, but then pretty much ignore it unless both are penned up together in a small lot.

You have any idea the current age of the mothers in this case? I prefer to see approx 2 years as the 1st breeding age--earlier than that can cause all sorts of problems with both calf and mother.

I wouldn't automatically sell the mothers just because they lost a calf, since in this case, we don't know the reason why they lost it, but if they lose a second one, in a strictly cow/calf operation, they're gone.