pree-mee born calves

lonelyfarmgirl · #1 02/14/10, 11:12 AM

We have a cow that had a way pree-mee calf last night. She was fully formed, but probably only 30-35 pounds. We wonderd if there is anything that would cause this, aside from the obvious..injury, sickness, etc.. She is a healthy cow, she calved last year. Nothing was out of the ordinary.
Just a really tiny, really pretty, premature heifer.

ksfarmer · #2 02/14/10, 11:38 AM

Many things can cause this. Injury, disease, and some molds in the hay or grain can cause abortions in cattle. Sometimes you never know what caused it.

lonelyfarmgirl · #3 02/14/10, 06:38 PM

we figure it was just a fluke, as far as we know there was nothing wrong with her. we are shipping her. she was on the possible 'see-ya' list anyway. we have to cut down.

ksfarmer · #4 02/14/10, 07:44 PM

Probably a good idea to put her on wheels. You can't afford to keep a non-producer for a year waiting on the next calf unless she is really something special.

Chixarecute · #5 02/14/10, 09:30 PM

We had a pregnant Ayrshire who had cancer - we induced her about 4 weeks out when she began having trouble getting up. We'd had her for several years and always had bull calves, we kept her hoping for a heifer.

Bumblebutt the bull was born, about 35#, very weak but otherwise OK. Lisabug took him in to her house & kept him indoors, fed him up till he was big enough to ship.

lonelyfarmgirl · #6 02/15/10, 09:35 PM

she was a really nice cow, but we cant afford to keep and feed a non-producer, as we are limited in our land and amount of cows we can keep. she went today.

tinknal · #7 02/15/10, 11:26 PM

Was the cow vaccinated for leptospirosis?

lonelyfarmgirl · #8 02/16/10, 09:31 AM

no, we dont vaccinate. she was born here, and has never been off the property. what are the causes and symptoms of leptospirosis?

Timberline · #9 02/16/10, 12:41 PM

Cattle can get lepto from other animals, and it can be spread to people via water, feed, etc. It's one of the things we always vaccinate for because of all the deer and other wildlife around here. We find it much easier and less expensive to prevent than it is to treat and/or suffer losses.

http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0858/ANR-0858.pdf