twins one stillborn

vtfarma · #1 05/15/06, 09:26 AM

We had one of our momma's give birth early this morning. The first one out was a male that was probably only about 15 inches high, all legs and features as well as a full coat of hair but we are figuring it died a while ago because it was so small. She ignored that one and moved to deliver the second baby. A beautiful full term male. Healthy and nursing. Does it sound like this one died a while ago in the womb?

JeffNY · #2 05/15/06, 09:52 AM

They get their hair for the most part the last 4 weeks, at 8 months typically premature calves don't have much of a coat to speak of. So if the calf had a coat, he could have died sooner, probably a week or a couple days prior. Anything is possible. But with a full coat, id say closer to birth.

Jeff

wchris2298 · #3 05/15/06, 12:17 PM

I think the stillborn calf couldn't have been dead more than a couple of days. I have heard they begin to decay pretty quickly when they die inside the womb. Congratulations on your healthy bull calf!

vtfarma · #4 05/15/06, 08:16 PM

Thanks for the info - this calf was no more than 15 inches high including the legs. It maybe weighed 25 or 30 pounds. The size of a 6 week old piglet basically or a Jack Russell Terrier. I have seen quite a few calves over the past few years and I would say that this one would have been quite the sensation if it had lived. It was nicely formed, full hair and tiny as tiny could be. I could just imagine bottle feeding the little guy because he would have been too short to reach the nipples on Mom. He may have just died in the womb but something was definitely not right in the development of this one. I would love to know but I think it will just end up being a curiosity. At least its brother is healthy and running after Mom. Now if it would just figure out that the fence is there. He has tumbled through it a few times (fence is on and he is getting snapped) and gone to sleep in the tall grass. Mom keeps bellering to us to come get him.

Thanks again folks I appreciate the info.

Sprout · #5 05/15/06, 09:33 PM

No acctually when an animal dies inside the womb it mumuifes. Never seen a calf mummy but I've seen one in almost every other farm critter. The amniotic fluid it is in does not have digestive bacteria and when the cord dies the oxygen supply is cut off so no oxidation can occur. Everything is all sealed up inside behind that plug so unless you already have an infection she won't rot. If there had not been another calf inside she probably would have delivered a still born. I don't think this calf died a while ago especially if he is fully developed. He is small because his brother was so big. His bro got all the nutrients and he stayed small. I would say he suffered from other complications and not death before parturition.

lol our momma will go charging after her calf she ran over a fence the first time she was out and whoop right through the hotwire and the mesh. She is going to be a joy to wean.

john in la · #6 05/16/06, 01:28 AM

Be glad the calf you have is a male and not a freemartin.

Sounds like one calf was getting most of the nourishment causing the other to die. Since it was full grown (hair; legs; normal body) except for size it sounds like it most likely died during birth. It was just not big enough to handle the squeezing and pushing of birth.

Up North · #7 05/16/06, 08:10 AM

To have cow and 1 healthy calf come thru a twinning of any variety is a satisfactory outcome. Mother Nature's Natural Selection program often decides who recieves the miracle of life.

vtfarma · #8 05/16/06, 08:29 AM

this was only our second set of twins since we have been farming on our own. The first set was born in February. That one we had girls. Both about the same size, full size- the mother looked for all the world like a volkswagon beetle before delivery. We knew she was pregnant but not with twins. Now this batch and we are grateful for 2 of the same sex again, those freemartins always seem to have problems health wise.

We are aware that we have been amazingly lucky with the cows this year. Last year we had single births and problems with delivery and first few days and lost 2 calves.

This new one we are going to call Wilson - for the wilson on home improvement that is always on the other side of the fence (he is always on the wrong side of the fence too. - how something this small can get into so much trouble is beyond me)... and wilson for the name on our meat cutting charts if he keeps getting out like this he will be a statistic sooner rather than later.