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From the Beginning.......... |
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| When a cow lifts up her tail it can be 10 minutes to a couple of hours before birth.
| MCP Dee Dee in this pic is starting to push out the calf. This is called dilating. She's still pushing 30 minutes into labor.
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| After laying down to rest Dee Dee pushes with all her might and finally the baby calf's head comes out.
With each push the calf slides out a little more.
| Finally the baby calf is born. Dee Dee stands up and begins licking off her new heifer calf.
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 | | Sometimes friends in the herd come to help lick off the new calf
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 | | The newborn calf needs to stand soon after birth to get the required first meal from mommy. |
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After a calf is born the miniature cattle owner has a big decision to make.
Do you leave the calf with the mother or bottle raise the calf everyday?
Not all cows are good mother cows. There are lots of heifers that calve for the first time that make really lousy mothers. The first few hours need to watched as they are very important to a calf's life and will determine how good a calf will grow in her first two months of life.
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 | | Bottle feeding requires alot of the owners time and patience. Milk replacer that is required for bottle feeding is rather expensive also.
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 | | Nothing can beat milk from mother.It has antibodies and is easier for the calf to digest then milk replacers. Bonus feature it comes in a self filling bottle :) |
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After making the decision to bottle feed or let the calf drink from his/her mothers teat then we perform the following.
After Birth..............NOTE: we are not licensed veterinarys and only they can provide vaccines. Mini Cattle Pros is only sharing there cattle experience with you and what they have done to get healthy cattle.
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A. At birth dip the calves navel with a 6% iodine to seal the navel cord and stop any possible infections.
B. If bottle feeding is the way you are going to go, milk the mother cow to get her colostrum milk which is the most important part in a calf's first days. If you deside to leave the calf on the mother then you are fine as long as the calf is drinking. If bottle feeding, colostrum will need to be given within the first 6 hours of the calfs life. Two quarts is best followed by two more quarts every 12 hours for the calfs first three feedings. If the mother is not produce this much milk then colosturm milk replacer packets can be purchased at most feed stores.
C. We have found at our farm giving a "First Defense" pill after the calf has received it colostrum helps out a great deal.
First Defense Product Indications:
When administered to calves within 12 house of birth,
First Defense aids in the reducion of:
*mortality and morbidity from scours caused by K99 E. coli
*mortality and morbidity from scours caused by coronavirus
ask you local veterinary for more info on this great pill
D. After the "First Defense" we like to give our calf's 20 cc's of "Bovi-Sera" and 20 cc's of "Clostridium Perfingens types C & D antitoxin" these should also be used within the first 6 hours of life to help kill perfingens. We have found these two shots are more important for mini dairy breeds and not so much for the mini beef breds as they seem to be more hardy.
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If Bottle Feeding.......... |
After the first 3 feeding if you decide to bottle feed your new calf you will most likely use milk replacer. Along with the milk replacer we have found that Top Calf is a great addative to put along with your milk replacer. When using Top Calf in your bottle put 1/4 spoon per calf, 2 times daily for first 3 weeks of life. The new mini calf will grow healthier, stronger, and more resistant to disease compared to those just on milk replacer.
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Vaccinations..........
After 2 months of age we like to give our mini calf's "Bovi-shield Gold". "Bovi-shield" is one of those vaccinations you just can't go without in our opinion. "Bovi-Shield Gold"prevents IBR, BVD (types 1 and 2), type 2 testicular infection and other diseases caused by IBR. After the first dose, a required second dose is repeated 3 weeks later.
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At 3 months of age our miniature calf's get "One Shot Ultra 8" it to is one of those vacinations that we just cant do with out. repeat a second dose after 3 weeks for better resoults. Repeat vacination in 6 months for twice a year
"One Shot Ultra" is good for preventing disease caused by Clostridium chauvoei, Ci septicum, CI haemolyticum, CI novyi, CI sordellii, CI perfingens types B, C& D and Mannheimia haemolytica type A1.
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For our older Bulls and momma Cows we give "Ultrabac #7" way two times a year or every 6 months. It is a good vaccine and easy on the cattle.
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Continued Care.................
Even if you give your calf's all the suggested vaccines they can still get sick. Especially in the winter. During those couple bitter cold wet months one of the best ways to keep calfs or cows healthy is by keeping them dry and out of the wind. Keeping them dry is very important, however not everybody has barns for there livestock. For younger calfs providing a dry place bedded with straw works great. Older animals can handle the cold a little better and providing a wind break such as with large straw bales can make a big difference.
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Calfs
can be housed seperately in calf hutches. It stays dry and warm in those on cold winter nights.
Older calfs enjoy what is called a group hutch were up to 15 of them can get inside and out of the rain or snow. It really beats getting rained on. The Cows and Bulls like the large straw bales to hide behind during strong winds. The bales make great iching posts also.
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Vaccinations don't always stop cattle from getting sick. Here Martin is treating a sick mini Zebu Cow. We have found by vaccinating our cattle on time every year, has help out a lot in the long run. With fewer vet bills,a lot fewer sick or even dead cattle make the vaccinations worth while.
If you have any questions about anything we do or just want us to share info with you on how we are treating vacciations, please contact us at
minicattlepros@yahoo.com
Thanks the Cabral brothers Anthony & Tim
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