False Pregnancy?

[shawnfisher]

She calved last night with a swiss looking Bull calf. It was a rough delivery, he still hasn't stood up but he does try. I milker her out and fed him colostrum, put him in the shade so he could think about the world for awhile.

learn a lesson about breeding first timers for calving ease?

 

[swiss.susan]

Bull Calf. He is doing better this morning. He spend to much time in the birth canal and couldn't stand. Hubby was afraid he was just going to be a dummy calf but he isn't! He responds to my approach and he nurses. He watches me as I move around. This morning he stood and took about 10 shaky steps, I said "Hey Betty, look at this baby" She came over to inspect him and he took about 10 steps toward me and layed down. "NO, NO I am not your mother, Betty is!!" Looks like i'v got myself a bottle baby. :/

 

[marlowmanor]

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/6806_dscf5307.jpg

Bull Calf. He is doing better this morning. He spend to much time in the birth canal and couldn't stand. Hubby was afraid he was just going to be a dummy calf but he isn't! He responds to my approach and he nurses. He watches me as I move around. This morning he stood and took about 10 shaky steps, I said "Hey Betty, look at this baby" She came over to inspect him and he took about 10 steps toward me and layed down. "NO, NO I am not your mother, Betty is!!" Looks like i'v got myself a bottle baby. :/

Why would you have a bottle baby if he is nursing (I assume off mom)? He is cute.

 

[swiss.susan]

This is Black Betty, How would you rate her condition just fresh? She seems bony to me...we are in a drought right now, concurrent temps in the triple digits and the pasture is sparce. Feeding hay in June She gets about 12 lbs of grain a day

 

[swiss.susan]

He hasn't nursed off of her at all, he couldn't stand and so couldn't reach her, to heavy for me to hold him up to her. So I milked her and gave him a bottle, was hoping the shot of colostrum would get him up and going. It has been 36 hours of bottle feeding, is there any chance he will nurse off of her??

 

[swiss.susan]

Shawnfisher, we did breed her to a bull that was supposed to have low birth weight!! I guess it isn't always fool proof

 

[shawnfisher]

just maybe a dumb question--- but why would you want to let that calf nurse off it's mother-- it's a dairy calf-- and should be on a bottle.. I'm guessing you got brown swiss- b/c you wanted milk-- otherwise you would have picked a beef breed.... If you leave the calf on the cow-- you're not going to get much milk...

her BCS looks normal to me for a dairy first timer calver.

You have to remember, bw also comes from the dam, and i'm not sure any brown swiss bull is calving ease.

 

[swiss.susan]

I didn't initially get BS for milk, about 6 years ago that's the type of cow my daughter wanted to show. Around here we had to search far and wide to find any, the dairy's just don't want them. So we found some bull calves and that's where we started, then I was in the right place at the right time kind of deal, and an organic dairy in our state was doing a total rearrange. They sold me 15 bottle heifers, registered. So in the years past when we go to our county fair, we are the only family that has BS, and we have people begging us for them. My daughter has done her 10 years and is now out, my sons are in year 7 and 8. I really had no idea what my plan was for these heifers, but milk wasn't it. I milked a nubian herd for almost 15 years and was done with that. I decided my goal was to be able to sell them to other 4-Hers once my kids were out, the holsteins and jerseys just have a hard time competing agains a well fed out Swiss steer. I had been reading about leaving the calf on and milking once a day and I have tried that with my first BS heifer that calved about 6 weeks ago. I get about a gallon, give or take every evening. It's working for me, I don't want bottle babies and I really don't want to milk. So why do i have all these dairy heifers. good question, all I can say is I enjoy them. Once a day milking is far better than twice a day in my opinion, and I'm getting plenty to bring to the house.

 

[Cricket]

He is cute! You watch out, you can get hooked on those bottle babies! We have a few BS where I work (most now crossed with Jersey) and their calves aren't noted for even being good eaters from a bottle to start with, so guess you're doing well to have him eating. Most of the calves I see don't seem to lose the instinct to nurse--we have all bottle calves, and there's some cows that are quite sneaky about backing up to them so they can nurse. So I wouldn't give up hope on that.

Good luck!

 

[swiss.susan]

The calf is up and walking!