The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Cattle => Topic started by: Haylo-peapod on April 18, 2012, 09:06:05 am
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Well, our first ever calf arrived on Sunday and seems to be doing very well although we have not seen her suckling. Instead she seems to play around under her mum's tail sucking on some hair. She's been bombing around the field and is very inquisitive so she must be having a sneaky suckle when we're not looking. Is this common?
Next challenge is to catch and tag her - if she and her mum will let us. Mum is a Highland and fortunately seems to be tolerating us very well, not sure if this is likely to change if we try and get hold of her baby though, hmm.
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We had this with one of our lambs last year. Eventually we decided - like you - that in view of the fact that the lamb was keeping up with her peers and seemed to be enjoying life - we would stop worrying.
Eventually - weeks later - we saw her at the milk bar. ::)
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I didn't see my first lamb this year suckle til day 4 or 5. But he obviously was since he always had a full tummy and was full of beans ;D
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Ensure you get the calf in a trailer or pen, away from mother, before tagging.
Highlands can be the most placid of beasts, until the mother hears the bellow of her captured calf. You cannot safely tag a calf with its mother, complete with 5ft hornspan, breathing down your neck.
I shall remember forever the news report, many years ago, of a woman who went to examine her newborn highland calf and ended up with a highland horn through her eye socket.
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OUCH ! That sounds really nasty.
I'll certanly heed your advice - thanks Landroverroy, I was in a dilemma as to how to handle the situation.
I hadn't thought about using the trailer, I was considering putting Mum in the cattle crush, but the trailer option might be a good alternative.
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Hmm, good tip for when we have our first calves too :thumbsup: