Lame cow

[coppertop]

I had a big cow calve in the SNOW, instead of going into either of two shelters full of straw yesterday, took awhile to get the calf up and going. Good thing the mama is quiet !
The wind yesterday was something else,chilled right to the bone through various layers of long johns, etc. Today isn't much better. I hope that the Easter Bunny sees some sunshine tomorrow. Have a great weekend all, enjoy time spent with your families even if it is between trips out to the corral.

[hayburner]

grainfarmer What is the verdict on the cow? This is not something out of the ordinary. Depending on just what the angle position of the calf when born will pinch the response nerves in the top tailhead. Last as long as the nerve pathways find a new signal route. This is normally the cause but there are many others, the cervix expansion may be slow to comeback into norm . I have found specially on first calf heifers a heat pad or hot hot towel placed directly on back bone at the tail head towards the head seems to speed the process. And good luck with the cow.

[grainfarmer]

Well it has been three days now and the cow is at least standing on 3 legs and trying to put weight on the fourth when she gets up which is a couple times a day for 2-3 hours at a time. Which she couldn't do at first. The calf is sucking and we are hoping she will make a full recovery in a week. I needled her with 20ml of Deximethizone for 3 days. I appreciate the follow up and the informative info from everyone that replied out there in cyberspace. Have a good Easter and will update you all in a few days....

[grassfarmer]

Willowcreek what kind of bull do you use on your heifers? Your experience sounds like that of a friend of mine had with red angus bulls. His calves would weigh from 50lbs to 140lbs out of his herd - total unpredictability. I sold him a Luing bull and the first calf crop averaged the exact same as his Angus calves had - but there was only a 12lb spread between heaviest and lightest calf. This is a benefit of prepotent bulls that have the ability to stamp their genetic type on their offspring. Unfortunately the industry is full of bulls that do not have this ability - genetic draino as Jim Lents calls them.

[hayburner]

At least she is up . Quick question does it seem like her whole leg is paralized or is it in one particular joint. ie knee angle. will go luck once again. Finished calving last night as the last one hit the ground.Won't know what to do with my time now, get out of that ever two hour checking all night long.
Seems like we all look forward to the start of calving but by the time we are done our systems are so use to short periods of sleep it takes along time to readjust.

[Willowcreek]

grassfarmer- the bulls were some real low birthweight black angus-- 3 are sons of New Design 878 out of Blockbuster cows- the other a son of LCC New Design G204 out of a Eayrs Traveller (6807) bred cow that has a history of easy calving...Have used for 2 years and they have been very easy calving- the only big calves I get are out of some of these purebred hereford cows, and their F1 baldy heifers ( I had a 108lber out of a 3rd calf baldy a week ago)...Her hereford mother had a 90lb heifer this year...Few years ago one of those herefords had a 148 lber out of another set of bulls....Rest of the calves from the purebred angus cows or heifers have been running pretty much in the 75-85 lb range...
Sometimes I think it is the heterosis kicking in a little early..
Nice thing is that even those that pack a little birthweight are shaped good that they still slip right out...

Anyway everything worked out good- both momma and baby are getting around good enough I kicked them out onto the grass this morning...

[coppertop]

wish we had grass here willowcreek, still plenty of snow around, but we are supposed to get rain tomorrow so that ought to melt some of the darn stuff !!

[Willowcreek]

Well its bare here- and it started to green up in the warm March and week of 70 degree temps we had-- but this last two weeks of highs in the 30's and lows in the single digits has stopped anything from growing...Going to make me dig deeper into the haystack then I wanted- but I'm just glad I got it...