Twister Calved!!!

willow_girl · #1 07/19/05, 11:33 PM

I should've known something was up when I found the girls hiding in the woods today ...

Before you get your hopes up, let me start out by saying she had a great, big, ugly BULL calf! AUGHHH! But, as my boss and friend Mark pointed out, "a healthy bull calf is better than a dead heifer." He has a point, no?!

OK, so when I went out to chore, just before dark, and only Teeny came up to the fence, I knew something was up. Took a stroll out back to where the girls had been hanging out this afternoon, and sure enough, Twist was standing in the trees with the head and front legs of a calf sticking out of her. Oy!

I went back to the house, got lead rope and flashlight, extra rope, scissors, bucket of grain, and Gary for backup! Walked back out to the pasture, got a lead rope around Twist's neck, made up a rope halter, then (while she was eating the grain!) pulled her calf, which by then was out as far as the shoulders ... couldn't tell at this point how long it had been half-born, or whether it was alive or dead! Naturally, I feared the worst ...

But as soon as the little guy hit the ground, I started rubbing him, and Twist spun around and began licking him furiously, and before long he had drawn the breath of life and was thrashing around a bit. Whew! We walked back up to the house for a milk pail, bottle and a couple buckets of warm water for Twist. Gary left me to take care of things, and I milked Twister enough to make up a bottle and fed it to the calf. He put up quite a fuss, but latched on and drank enthusiastically once he got the hang of it. He started trying to get up, and -- after letting him thrash around a bit to knock the crud out of his lungs -- I gave him a little boost to get him going. Then I sat on a bucket and, by the light of the full moon, watched him stumble around a bit as the sky darkened and the Big Dipper twinkled in the northwestern sky above the twin apple trees in the orchard. I didn't even mind that my arms were sticky to the elbows with blood, birth slime, first milk and cow spit from where Twist licked me right along with the calf ... LOL!

Assured that all was well, I left them alone in the pasture for the night. Twist shows all the signs of being an exemplary mother and the calf looks full-sized despite coming 12 days early. I have noticed premature calves sometimes don't take off quite as quickly as full-term ones, but I don't think he's in grave danger. Hopefully daylight will find him scampering around and nursing from momma!

BTW, the calf is mostly black, with a little white spot on his nose, a white streak on his shoulder, 4 white feet, and the tip of his tail is white! He looks almost exactly like his older half-brother, Twist's second calf who Mark used as a herd bull for awhile.

Since I (superstitiously) only picked out heifer names in advance, I haven't decided what to call him!

Well, I'm breathing a sigh of relief here ... now, I just have the ordeal of Teeny's calving to get through, but since she is younger, and full of snot and vinegar, hopefully she'll come through it as well as Twist did! Old Twist was a certainly a trooper, and seems none the worse for wear, although she is showing a bit of mastitis. (Given her history, I'd actually have been more surprised if she DIDN'T!) Will have to get some antibiotics for her tomorrow ...

Well, ya'll keep your fingers crossed that the little guy makes it!

Haggis · #2 07/20/05, 08:01 AM

CoooooonGRATS! That's just great, and everyone is healthy.

Christina R. · #3 07/20/05, 09:04 AM

Yea! Yahoo! and Congratulations!!! I'm glad this board went back online at just the right time!!! I am so happy for Twister and you!!! I'm sure the big little guy is going to be okay. We'll keep pulling for Twister that she leaves the habit of mastitis far behind her. Keep us posted on Teeny. Thanks again for starting our day off with such great news!!!!

willow_girl · #4 07/20/05, 09:53 AM

Thanks ya'll!

More good news, no mastitis this morning! I thought I'd detected some last night, but I was milking by moonlight, and judging by feel. Sometimes colostrum gets a little gunky ... especially with older cows, who tend to have really thick colostrum. I think that's what I was detecting last night. She looked really good this morning ... and the calf was up and walking about when I went out.

Well, the first time! Right now I am scratching my head, wondering what to do ...

So I gave Twist some grain beside a tree, and tied her to it for good measure although she didn't give me any trouble, and, since the calf hasn't seemed to figure out how to nurse yet, gave him a bottle. He's walking around and butting in the general direction of udders -- both Twist's AND Teeny's! --but hasn't quite figured out how to latch on. It probably doesn't help that Twist has such a huge bag that her teats are only a couple inches from the ground. (He seems to be aiming too high!) (I have noticed some calves are just, well, really DUMB! Wonder if it has anything to do with him being premature?) But he took to the bottle like a duck to water, so I wasn't too worried.

I then went back across the road to the house, and put a large tub in the trailer of the lawn tractor, and some hay, and filled the tub with water, intending to take it out to the girls so they don't have to come all the way out to the road to drink. (They seem to want to stay back in the woods.) And by the time I got back out there -- maybe 45 minutes -- THE CALF WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND!!!!!

Now, this pasture is maybe 4 acres, and it's rough -- tall grass, sumac, and the aforementioned woods. Even so, I didn't think it would be that difficult finding the calf. WRONG! I walked around for a good half hour, peering into clumps and behind fallen logs and rockpiles. NO CALF!

Meanwhile, Twist and Teeny got a drink and stood about nonchalantly, not looking overly concerned about the situation.

So, I don't know what to think! How worried should I be?

I assume that since the calf had just eaten, he is sleeping somewhere, and if he wakes up and can't find momma, he'll bawl or something. No?

He didn't seem to be in any distress when I first saw him, he was walking around without any trouble, and we don't have the sorts of predators in our area that could pick off a good-sized calf without anyone noticing.

Still, I can't help being a bit paranoid!

agmantoo · #5 07/20/05, 11:11 AM

The calf will reappear! These is minimal need for concern.

twstanley · #6 07/20/05, 01:33 PM

I bet the calf is nursing when you aren't around, they usually figure it out pretty quickly. I watch the teat size and you can tell which one the calf has figured out how to grab. Ours usually can get the back two teats right off but take a few days before learning how to get the bigger front teats in their mouths.

I wouldn't worry about the calf if the momma isn't worried, she most likely knows about where he is. I like to bring our expectant cows up into one of the closest paddocks so I can keep an eye on them at first. There aren't any places to hide so it's easy to reassure myself when I go out several times a day and in the evening that all is well.

dosthouhavemilk · #7 07/20/05, 02:37 PM

Congrats on the calf!

12 days isn't all that early.

As far as the calf being gone. Hah. Our animals tend to hide the calf shortly after birth. We are lucky if we see it by the second day. If we don't see it the second day we don't expect it to be brought out until day 6 or 7.

He's eaten and momma wasn't concerend. No reason for you to be concerned. She probably told him where to go and to stay.
When the mother gets concerned or can't find the calf then you worry.

We are currently worried about the purebred 6 day old Jersey calf out there. Bicentia isn't necesarilly being nursed off of and we haven't see her away from the herd in a few days. Either calf will turn up in the next three days or the vultures will show us where it is.

It also looks like we may have another calf out there out of our half blind, crazy heifer. I wanted to catch her and bump her today but we couldn't catch her. Looked like maybe she had been nursed off of the front right quarter and she was all by herself last night. We will see what happens.

Again, Congrats! Can't wait for pictures. So it sounds like it is a pure Holstein? If so, does that mean you settled her or your boss? I can't recall.

willow_girl · #8 07/20/05, 05:03 PM

Thanks ya'll! Well, I did find the calf when I got home from town. On a hunch, I started looking out in the pasture, instead of back in the woods where the cows were hanging out, and sure enough, he was snoozing in a clump of grass.

The only problem is that he hasn't seemed to figure out how to nurse! He obviously was hungry, and was nosing around Twister's undersides, but he just hasn't seemed to grasp the concept of milk coming out of the teats. In fact, he tends to follow me around (remember, I bottle-fed him last night and this morning). I still wonder if he's not a bit mentally retarded due to being a preemie? (He is walking around OK and pooping, and his mouth is warm and wet, so I don't think he's in jeopardy.)

Twister, while seeming marginally interested in him (she licks him and moos) isn't the doting momma that Dawnna was toward Libby-Belle. The two were inseparable! To top it off, it looks like it's going to rain. I am debating just scooping the calf up and putting him in a stall in the barn, and bottle-feeding him.

I really wanted Twist to be able to raise her own calf, but not at the risk of putting the calf at risk. Hmmm. Suggestions?

willow_girl · #9 07/20/05, 05:07 PM

P.S. Roseanna, it was Teeny, not Twist, who was bred with both Jersey and Holstein semen! And it looks like she will be keeping us in suspense a bit longer (although she was looking a bit "floppy" in back today!).

The stakes are much higher now, I'm counting on her to give us a little brown heifer!

GoldenWood Farm · #10 07/20/05, 05:25 PM

I am no cattle person but I know in goats that if you give them a bottle right off they almost NEVER go back on momma. You are the one who gives milk as the calf has learned. I would just take the calf and bottle raise it. But thats me and again I haven't even raised cattle. I just know that in goats they do that. I think in any animal they would do that.

MotherClucker

james dilley · #11 07/20/05, 06:37 PM

Is the calf a reg. Holstein ??? and will it be for sale??? thanks

willow_girl · #12 07/20/05, 08:11 PM

Yes, he is eligible to be registered and yes, he will be for sale!

I would like to market him as a herd bull, but if I can't find a buyer for him, he will have to be turned into a little steer ...

Twister's dam also had a bull calf that made it into the Select Sires program. A cow that he sired set a record for production in a single lactation last spring. Here is a link to the story: http://www.selectsires.com/news_rele...05_0113_2.html

Prices Cleitus Bess-ET (EX-91) was Twister's dam.

She actually was born in in GEORGIA and ended up all the way up here in Michigan on my little farm! (Who'da thunk it?!)

Now, about the bottle baby thing ... I've always believed it's best to go ahead and milk out the momma to make sure the baby gets a good shot of colostrum, unless the baby is up and about and already nursing by the time it's discovered. I've done this with my goats, and did it with Libby-Belle (calf) and have never had a problem before.

The little guy is still trying to get the hang of nursing, but he is just not real bright! He butts Twister in the brisket or, when he accidentally arrives on the correct end of the cow, he's looking up higher, around where her bag joins her body. I have tried shoving his head into the appropriate position and even squirting milk in his face, but he just doesn't seem to be getting it! Otherwise, he looks real good, sleek and sassy, and walking around just fine.

I bottled him again tonight, and halfway through, when he lost track of the nipple, he ran over to momma and began butting random parts of her body. So, he's still TRYING to figure it out!

Could it be that some animals are just born a few sandwiches short of a picnic? In the wild, they'd die, but in captivity there are humans to help them along ...

Twist looked real good tonight. I can't tell if she's cleaned (I was looking for the placenta along with the calf this morning, nada on both counts) but her udder is in fine shape for just 24 hours postpartum. One of her back teats IS showing a bit of edema, making it difficult to milk out, but one of the nice things about hand-milking is that you can work some things out that wouldn't happen with a machine ... the machine would just torque away at the teat and, bingo, mastitis! I wish I had a bit of Uddermint on hand for her, though.

I must say that, having stripped hundreds of cows at the dairy, I have never found another one nicer to hand-milk than the Twist! Big long teats, and the milk fairly gushes out of her. So far, she has been cooperating downright angelically, too, despite not being a friendly cow ordinarily. It's very strange ... as long as her baby is right there, I can walk up to her, tie her up, milk her, etc., but when the calf isn't present, she will walk off on me and just generally refuse to have anything to do with me. Weird, huh?!

pygmywombat · #13 07/20/05, 08:46 PM

I have found that the bigger the calf the longer it takes them to connect the concepts that the udder is located on the far end of the cow and you have to get the teats into your mouth to get that nice milk! I would give him a few more days and watch his little face for evidence of milk foam from secret nursing.

willow_girl · #14 07/21/05, 06:06 AM

That is an interesting correalation, Pygmy!

Most of my experience is at the dairy, but yeah, there are some calves that are really hard to even start on the bottle ... they'll fight it every inch of the way, not suckle so you end up basically pouring the milk down their throats. It isn't always the sick or weak ones either. I remember one flightly heifer coiling up her little leg and cow-kicking me right in the knee while I was trying to catch her to feed her!

(Nice to think I'll be probably milking that one 2 years from now. ARGH!)

Yes, I will keep an eye on him but continue supplementing him to make sure he's getting enough to eat.

He is also trying to "steal" off my other cow, who hasn't calved yet and won't let him, but I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't eventually figure it out on her, since her bag is higher, with smaller teats.

JeffNY · #15 07/21/05, 11:00 PM

Not sure about there, but young holstein bulls at the local market are bringing 2.00 lb.

Jeff

willow_girl · #16 07/22/05, 11:01 AM

Holy moly! That's a sweet price! Thanks Jeff!

Well, last night I thought the calf had been nursing some because he turned up his nose to the bottle, but this morning he drank it readily enough, so now I don't know!

He is following the cows more closely now, although I still find him parked under a shady bush occasionally ...

He has also discovered his legs were made for RUNNING, and scampers everywhere, with his little tail (which is black with white at the tip) sticking straight up in the air!

Twist is looking good ... still no mastitis evident in her milk, although one of her back teats isn't right. She had a bad case of mastitis in it just before I dried her off ... and yes I used dry cow treatment ... but I think it persisted. The quarter is enlarged and feels hard ... I can only get a bit of milk out of it, although that milk looks normal. I think she'll probably end up with a blind quarter there, which is really a shame, although now that her milk is coming in, we'll be drowning in it anyway!

I am still not sure whether she's cleaned yet; I found a small bit of tissue yesterday, but not a complete placenta. Obviously this is cause for concern, although she doesn't smell infected ... at least not yet!

Teeny still hasn't calved, but looks like she might yet this weekend. I can tell she has been feeling really groovy. She pranced around doing the "head bobbing" thing (hard to describe but a happy cow kind of bounces as she walks). She is also developing quite the respectable-looking bag; I am very curious to see how much milk she produces!

Roseanna, did you ever find Bicentia's calf?! What about the half-blind heifer? Is it possible she hasn't calved yet, but B's calf is nursing off her?!

dosthouhavemilk · #17 07/22/05, 03:52 PM

I get things confused easily.
Here is hoping Teeny has a beautiful brown heifer for you.

We have not seen hide nor hair of Bicentia's calf since it was born last Friday. The last time I heard it was a good four days ago and we can't tell if she is still feeding it or not. She started majorly sacking up after she calved and it is hard to tell if she is holding back or just swollen. I will thoroughl;y ticked if I locate the calf and it is a dead Jersey heifer. That was our last offspring out of Topkick and I wanted a daughter! We may never know what it was though.

Dagmar (half blind hefier) on the other hand did calve about two nights ago (I bumped her and she was squishy). To prove it I saw the reddish calf (another out of Jason) this morning. She did the momma moo down the hill, went down and bounding out in front of her was either a very large cat or a calf. Since she didn't try and slam it into to ground, and considering the size, it had to be the calf dad was hearing down in that area.

We are going to try to get Dagmar in the barn this afternoon. With or without the calf. The calf should show up in the herd in a short time.
Of course, getting Dagmar in is much easier said than done...especially since she has a calf out there.

We shll see, I've been sleeping for the lat couple of hours, maybe Bicentia will have a cute little calf for us to bring in today. It is day 7....

willow_girl · #18 07/22/05, 04:27 PM

Quote:

I get things confused easily.

Heck, I'm flattered that you remembered at all!

Sounds like Dagmar's had a healthy calf anyway ... good luck rounding her up!!!

farmmaid · #19 07/22/05, 05:31 PM

This is a question of conditions for cows birthing, NOT an attack on you owners. When a mare or doe of ours is getting close she is put in an area where we can monitor her if she or baby needs help. Dairy farmers around here all have birthing areas also. What is the reasoning for just letting "nature take its course" when you have so many problems finding calves and checking for afterbirth? We get babies on the ground safely, check to see if they are nursing and keep an eye on all for 3 days making sure the babies have bonded. Then they go back out to "natural surroundings". Remember, I am just asking your reasoning NOT flaming you...Joan

dosthouhavemilk · #20 07/22/05, 11:31 PM

In the wintertime they have pen they go into and are brought into the barn about three weeks before tehir due dates.
The goats also go into pens in the wintertime. During the summer time they are *normally* in a fairly contained area that is easy to check. However, this summer and last they have 80 acres on which to romp. We also rarely lose calves. They may stay out with mommy for a few days but we rarely lose them.

We tried penning up Gadget and she knocked over a panel and took off anyways.
Here space and time are the biggest issue. We don't have calving pens and frankly, where I work has one and it isn't the cleanest environment. Instead we know our animals and their tendencies. Frida took me to her calf, and dad knew where Juness had hers.
As a generaly rule we get a sense of where the animal and their calf are. We check them daily when they are due, know when they calve, and if they have nursed.
Dagmar and bicentia are rarities.

We had not "lost" any calves in the past year. We did have some die but we were there for their births as it was this past January and they were in the barn.

It is healthier for the calf to be born out on the grass than in the barn, or in a pen where the bedding can harbor disease. Our calves are also rarely sick.

This time of year, and type of year is simply a harbor for losing calves.
As far as afterbirth. We check the cow and pay attention to her for a few days but we, again, rarely have issues with retained placentas.