Bad start to calving season dead baby

opportunity · #1 01/09/13, 06:31 PM

I was not expecting any babies this early as we didn't start till the last week of Febuary last year and didn't turn the cows in with the bull till the very end of April 2012.
The Angus cow calved last night had a steer though the balls are not desended and the feet are not fully developed he apears a few weeks early about 40-45 pounds.
Last year this cow had her baby on 3/3 it was a premature heifer that couldn't stand or suck had to handmilk her for a week and tube feet the baby.
She is an eight year old cow and was breed to differnt bulls. She didn't have problems before I took her on as a share cow, had 5 calfs. I think she should be culled now but the owner thinks in a mineral problem and not a cow problem. She had the only early baby last year and noone else looks ready to have a baby this year.
Her heifer also weaned about 100 pounds less then the other heifers this last fall.
Any Ideas what could be up with her?

Allen W · #2 01/09/13, 07:49 PM

Lepto would be my first guess.

happydog · #3 01/09/13, 07:49 PM

I would guess white muscle disease. Does she have access to good quality loose minerals? Do live in an area known for selenium deficiency?

http://www.horseguard.com/selenium-org-vs-sel.pdf

opportunity · #4 01/09/13, 08:58 PM

We are deficient in selenium so I put out a loose mineral formulated for our area it's been avalible to her and we have 25 other mama cows and run with about 20 others during the summer she is the only cow with a problem with early calfs

opportunity · #5 01/09/13, 09:11 PM

Have to look into the lepto. I though that was included in the vaccines we gave 8 way and 5 way before breeding season but it might not be in those.

G. Seddon · #6 01/10/13, 07:48 AM

To really determine the problem, you might need to have a necropsy done on the calf (should be done immediately) and check with your cow vet to get input on what went wrong and whether it's a mineral problem (blood test) or something else. I think it will be difficult to discover what's going on without some lab work and vet advice. Sorry you lost another calf -- that's the hard part.

happydog · #7 01/10/13, 08:09 AM

I forgot about that. It's very easy to do a blood test to rule out selenium deficiency. I would for sure do that.

Allen W · #8 01/10/13, 08:34 AM

If your vaccinating the cows lepto is probably what your vaccinating for. If she is the only cow your having trouble with I would cull her.