I need to know why my bull calf won't stop mooing. We just bought him at the auction not even a week ago, and he has mooed constantly since we got him. He's about 6 months old, and we think he just got separated from his mother. We currently have no other large livestock to keep him company and he's only getting worse. He's mooed so much that he's actually lost his voice so to speak. His calls are strained, raspy, and faint. We have cowherds all around us and we can hear them calling back to him. If it helps, we think he's a brahma and some sort of Angus mix. He weighs around 300 - 400 lbs and gets about 7 pounds of cattle cubes and corn each day with constant hay to eat. Is there anything we can do to make him more comfortable until we have the money to get him a friend?
My cow won't stop mooing.
- Thread starter AllyE
- Start date
Beekissed
Herd Master
Maybe mount a cheapy full length mirror right outside the slats of his pen so he can "see" another cow? The other cow will be mooing right back to him and it could help him calm down. You could also play a radio in the barn...they say classical or easy listening is best.
Grant
True BYH Addict
He’s got 2 things going. Cattle typically are vocal when weaned so you’ve got that. They are herd animals also, they don’t like to be the only one. If your neighbor has cattle, maybe see if you could borrow a steer to keep him company.
farmerjan
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All of the above. I would say that he was probably with other cattle, so if he was just weaned, he is missing his mother and the company of other cattle. If he was already weaned, then he is just missing other company. Some dislike it more than others. I will say that what little experience I have with brahma's and crosses, they are more herd bound than others so it is probably more pronounced.
As long as he is eating and drinking I wouldn't get too worried. At least if he has gotten hoarse, he isn't keeping you up nights. I would definitely try to get him some companionship as soon as possible.
As long as he is eating and drinking I wouldn't get too worried. At least if he has gotten hoarse, he isn't keeping you up nights. I would definitely try to get him some companionship as soon as possible.
farmerjan
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Please put your general location in your introduction so it shows on the posts so we have a general idea of where you are from. Sometimes answers are more "regional" ..... plus if you just post it in an answer, there is no way my brain will remember......
Also, after looking at the pictures better, I would say he is an angus/brown swiss cross, or maybe an angus/jersey cross. But the head and coloring is more of what I see with the swiss/angus crosses. Swiss also are "big babies" as far as liking to have company.
You said he is a bull.... I am assuming he is going to be meat? He needs to be castrated, and you need to give him at very least a blackleg shot. If you have him banded, he needs a tetanus shot also. The blackleg is very important so he doesn't all of a sudden die..... they will get it and one day he will be dead and you will have no idea why. It is a clostridium disease, very easily prevented with a vaccination. They have a certain level of immunity from the colostrum but if he gets out on pasture, and you have rain, and there is a "bloom" of the clostridium, he can eat the grass, pick it up and it will kill him. It exists in the soil and is always there.... we went years without ever having a problem and never vaccinated. Then we lost 2 300+ lb calves on their mothers out at a pasture, and that is what the vet said it was. It is a CHEAP vaccination and cheap insurance against losing them to that. One shot, we do it yearly on the cows and twice a year for the first year on the calves. @2-4 months and then at 5-8 months or weaning.
Tetanus at banding. costs about $2-3 for the shot. single dose at our farm bureau. One time. Don't need it for the heifer calves. There is a bander called "callicrate" that can be used to band larger calves (more than a couple weeks old). Or have a vet cut him, if this is your first calf.
Do Not keep him as a bull. Most dairy breeds and crosses tend to be more aggressive than beef breed bulls. It is not safe to raise a bull for meat; especially if you are not an experienced cattle person. It is asking for a problem. A steer will be calmer and gain weight better for beef if he is not feeling raging hormones.
Oh and WELCOME to BYH
Also, after looking at the pictures better, I would say he is an angus/brown swiss cross, or maybe an angus/jersey cross. But the head and coloring is more of what I see with the swiss/angus crosses. Swiss also are "big babies" as far as liking to have company.
You said he is a bull.... I am assuming he is going to be meat? He needs to be castrated, and you need to give him at very least a blackleg shot. If you have him banded, he needs a tetanus shot also. The blackleg is very important so he doesn't all of a sudden die..... they will get it and one day he will be dead and you will have no idea why. It is a clostridium disease, very easily prevented with a vaccination. They have a certain level of immunity from the colostrum but if he gets out on pasture, and you have rain, and there is a "bloom" of the clostridium, he can eat the grass, pick it up and it will kill him. It exists in the soil and is always there.... we went years without ever having a problem and never vaccinated. Then we lost 2 300+ lb calves on their mothers out at a pasture, and that is what the vet said it was. It is a CHEAP vaccination and cheap insurance against losing them to that. One shot, we do it yearly on the cows and twice a year for the first year on the calves. @2-4 months and then at 5-8 months or weaning.
Tetanus at banding. costs about $2-3 for the shot. single dose at our farm bureau. One time. Don't need it for the heifer calves. There is a bander called "callicrate" that can be used to band larger calves (more than a couple weeks old). Or have a vet cut him, if this is your first calf.
Do Not keep him as a bull. Most dairy breeds and crosses tend to be more aggressive than beef breed bulls. It is not safe to raise a bull for meat; especially if you are not an experienced cattle person. It is asking for a problem. A steer will be calmer and gain weight better for beef if he is not feeling raging hormones.
Oh and WELCOME to BYH
Last edited:
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Absolutely Farmerjan is right - DO NOT KEEP HIM AS A BULL! You need to have him castrated immediately. Vaccinate. It is cheap insurance. Hopefully you got this calf to raise as a steer for meat. While cows can become friendly, there are better pets than a bull or steer.
What kind of cow herds are around you? Dairy are usually noisier than beef herds since they will bellow at milking time. Are they dairy or beef? If you have a lot of dairy herds around you this calf is a dairy/Angus cross. Many dairymen use Angus bulls on their first freshening heifers. The low birth rate of Angus makes it easier on the young heifer and they don't have to use expensive AI semen for a heifer's first calf without knowing her production scores.
He will eventually settle down. He is calling for his buddies or his mom. He will get over it. But PLEASE have him castrated immediately. Dairy bulls are much more dangerous than beef bulls and responsible for most of the cattle caused deaths.
