Missing calf/how long will it live??

Jan in CO · #1 08/06/07, 07:08 PM

Stupid stupid me. Granddaughter and I bought home a little heifer calf from the auction barn today, just taken from her mother and sold to us. She's about 4 to 6 weeks old. As soon as we barely opened the trailer door, she bolted right over my head and ran through the fence and off into the sunset. I'm so upset, feeling guilty and knowing this little thing is coyote bait if we don't get her found soon. How long can a calf survive without having anything to eat or drink in this heat? I'm sure the stress of being taken from her mother, escaping from us and being lost isn't going to help. It's raining now, slightly, and we've seen her tracks, but no sign of her. Any thoughts? She's too young to know to come back here. Fifty lashes with a wet noodle, Jan. Should have waited for hubby to come home so we had extra hands, but it seemed so hot in the trailer. Jan in Co

OregonGuys · #2 08/06/07, 11:11 PM

Depends on the temperature. If it's hot, and no water, the calf won't last long. If it's cool and the calf has access to water, it could last several days. This is one case where predators are our friends. If you don't find the calf, hopefully a predator will take care of him in quick order (better than a lingering death).

I WOULD NOT BEAT MYSELF UP OVER THIS. You did what you thought was best at the time.

TulleyJohnMyers · #3 08/07/07, 01:10 AM

6 week old calf if its been getting feed and has his rumen going could live with water ....will not look like a great calf but could live....

Ronney · #4 08/07/07, 04:53 AM

Oh dear Jan, we all do things that with immediate hindsight we realise were stupid so don't beat yourself up about it.

By the time my calves are four weeks old they are eating grass and by six weeks could survive on it (although they don't have to) but they wouldn't be any great shakes in terms of condition so from that aspect, if this calf has been paddock raised with it's mother, it could well survive.

Finding her could be a problem if she has been cow raised with little handling. We don't have a predator problem over here and I know it sounds awful but Oregon also has a valid point.

I wish you luck with finding her and please keep us posted.

Cheers,
Ronnie

Sunraven · #5 08/07/07, 12:24 PM

It'll probably be fine as long as coyotes or something don't get it. A six week old calf should be grazing and drinking water by now. Those calves are tougher than people think. Grandpa looses some newborns every summer where the cow will calve and the calf will go under the fence and get on the hill and hide. The last one went four days on it's own, found it 3/4 of a mile away by the river where it's shady and there's water, it was a little skinny but no worse for wear. I'd be more worried about finding her rather than whether she'll live or not. They're about like deer, real good at hiding.

ksfarmer · #6 08/07/07, 12:43 PM

If there are any other cattle in the neighborhood, check to see if your calf has joined up with them. A new weaned calf will bawl and seek company, even if it's mother isn't there..

Ken Scharabok · #7 08/09/07, 10:52 AM

I agree with above. If the wind is right I can hear cattle bawling on a farm about two miles away. I suspect a calf could hear same from a lot further. Try to contact all of the owners of cattle within say a mile radius.

Most cows won't accept an orphaned calf, but I have seen some of mine sneak in from the back while the cow's calf was nursing from the side.

Year before last I heard a cow bellowing out at the fence. Rest of cows were out in the woods. Went out and as I approached the cow started to walk away as in 'follow-me'. Did so and she took me back to where they were shading down. Didn't see anything amiss so walked back. A bit later same cow was back at the fence. Followed again. Stayed around this time long enough to notice when another cow stood up, and her calf got attached from the side, the calf of this one immediately went for the back two tits. I told the cow it was her problem, not mine, and left.

luvrulz · #8 08/09/07, 12:13 PM

We did just like you and lost 2 calves - they ran up the drive and off our farm. We looked high and low and spent untold hours walking through the woods and knocking on neighbors' doors. It was an expensive lesson we thought..... About 3 months later, someone came driving up to the house and he told us that he thought he had our calves. Sure enough! They had gotten in with his herd and he had been feeding them all this time - after we had certainly written them off as gone......

Don't give up hope and knock on doors and let people know. Put out food and water - are there other cows in nearby fields? Ask people and put a notice in the paper and don't give up hope. We send our neighbor a homemade platter at Christmas every year....

It's not unheard of that you might get this little calf back!! And we learned to unload them into a little paddock area and not mix them in with the others until a week or 10 days have gone by..... Makes them more apt to stick around.....

Good luck on your hunt!

Jan in CO · #9 08/10/07, 04:45 PM

Still no word or sign of the little girl. One rancher about 3/4 of a mile away had some cattle get out that night, then got them back in, and said he thought he was missing a couple calves, but they were all accounted for. Both my husband and I thought he acted a bit hesitant when we were talking to him, so I hope she isn't in with his herd, or we'll probably never get her back. The brand inspector has called us twice saying no one has called him with a 'found' calf, so I know he would call us if someone called him. He saw her the day we brought her home, and I THINK he could verify that she was ours. Sigh. Live and learn. Thanks for the thoughts. I just didn't know if she would be smart enough at that age to survive if not with a herd. Jan in Co

DaleK · #10 08/10/07, 07:58 PM

I had a Holstein bull calf born Monday afternoon. I fed him once and tied him in a hutch, later that night he was gone from the hutch out into the corn field beside it somewhere. Haven't been able to find him all week. Tonight he wandered out again under his own power, a little wobbly though. It's been in the high 80s- mid 90s all week, I have no idea what he ate or drank in that time other than chewing on some corn leaves.

JElfering · #11 08/11/07, 12:28 PM

We had the same event last year. Daughter borrowed a 3 mo. calf from a local farmer and was training it for the fair when the young calf took off into the woods. We chased it for 3 hours and it finally ran deep into the woods. Nightfall prevented us from looking further. Since we live near county forest land, we did not expect her to live. For three months it thrived in the woods and finally on opening day of gun season we received a call. The cow was eating deer feed and a lasoo trap we set was used to capture it. The farmer who owned the cow picked her up and suggested we raise his other calves since this one was so healthy. Don't worry, you'd be surprised how they survive in the wilderness. Hope you find the little dear.
Jen
Mom of Ten

Shirley · #12 08/11/07, 09:02 PM

I went to a farm auction a couple of years ago and bid on and got a calf. Someone else bought the other two. Well this guy thought someone he knew bought the one calf and he loaded his and MINE up and took them home! So later that day we go to his house to get our calf and chasing it in a small pen she found a hole in the fence and she was GONE! I mean she disappeared quick! This guy told us he would call all his neighbors to be on the look out. TWO WEEKS later she is found at someones farm and is hanging with their cattle. Calves must have one strong instinct for survival, that is all I can say. I hope you find your calf.

Shirley · #13 08/11/07, 09:12 PM

[QUOTE=Jan in CO]Still no word or sign of the little girl. One rancher about 3/4 of a mile away had some cattle get out that night, then got them back in, and said he thought he was missing a couple calves, but they were all accounted for. Both my husband and I thought he acted a bit hesitant when we were talking to him, so I hope she isn't in with his herd, or we'll probably never get her back.

One thing we can't pick are our neighbors and hope they are honest too! Does your calf have any recognizable marks? Did she have a circular paper number glued to her butt from the auction or ear tag? If it was me, I'd get my binoculars and look thru his herd the best I could from a distance. If I thought I see her I'd call the sheriff to go check for me. I mean if the guy will lie to you he isn't your friend and probably never will be so it would be easy for me to go over his head.

Misty · #14 08/13/07, 05:26 PM

I hope you find her Jan...poor you guys.
Has your granddaughter showed her calf yet?
Misty

Jan in CO · #15 08/13/07, 07:43 PM

Wow, I guess this happens more often than I thought. The vet said he was treating a longhorn, and had a two week old calf squeeze through the fence at his office, and the thing ran 7 miles into the city, then ran into an open garage. The owner had the presence of mind to shut the door quickly, so they got him back.

This calf had no auction sticker, no ear tag and no brand. The mama cow had a sticker on her, as they sold them as a pair, then the buyer sold the calf to my granddaughter. The brand inspector did give her paperwork on the calf, tho. Still hoping... Jan in Co

Ken Scharabok · #16 08/14/07, 06:32 AM

Local stories:

- Heard from several people a guy in a nearby community bought a trailed load of young cattle at the Dickson (TN) Livestock Center. Brought them home and turned them loose directly into the pasture. They hit the end of the trailer running, through a fence, and that is the last he ever saw of any of them.

- Neighbor bought three bred cows. Kept them in corral for a couple of days to get use to new home, then turned them out into herd. A couple of days later he noticed none of the three were with his herd. Searched high and low locally. About six weeks later he received a call from someone about 10 miles away saying he had two strange cows in his herd and the sticker numbers were traced back to him. Third one has never showed up.

- About five years ago I was out in the back pasture and noticed a heifer at the gate to the creek crossing. Thought it was initially one of mine who had gotten out. Open the gate and walked her back to the herd. As soon as she reached them I could tell she wasn't one of mine since fights immediately broke out. Contacted neighbor who looked and said it didn't look like one of his, but... Contacted a couple of cattle raisers up creek and none claimed her. Eventually sold her and split proceeds with neighbor.

- About the same time I was heading south on Highway 13 towards I-40. Ambling along the side of the road heading north was a cow. When I arrived at my destination I called her into the county sheriff, but never heard anything back.

- Same general time frame a neighbor called to say I had a cow out. Night. When out to check by headlights. Missing one large heifer. No bull in herd. As I was leaving the pasture I noticed eyes coming towards me from direction of neighbor who called and it was her. She had a calf 9-10 months later. Best I can figure she went through the fence, headed up stream until she found a bull, got bred and came back home. Might have been out a couple of days.

Morale: Loose cattle can wunder a fer distance.