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Cows not cleaning?!

W

WyomingRancher

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I'm down to calving the last little bunch out, and these cows all of a sudden aren't cleaning :? . Management is the same as the first 85%+ which calved, so any ideas as to why I'm seeing this now??? Also, any ideas on how to treat them? Usually I only get one or two a year.

One idea I've had is that the snow has melted in the calving lot, exposing pine needles which have blown into the lot. The calves are full-term though. Maybe I just need two feet of snow to cover them back up again :wink: :D .
 
I had a neighbor with a similiar problem a couple years ago when the snow melted off and grass started to show the cows were chasing grass and not eating enough mineral. He ended up getting a sweeter mix mineral to encourage the cows to eat it. If my memory is correct I believe it is a magniesium difficant problem.(don't hold me to that)
Wish you the best of luck
 
3 things
Selenium
Vitamin E
Is the calving area getting wet?

Sel and Vit E are linked to immunity and the cow needs to treat the placenta as a foreign body.
If the calving area is crowded or wet, it will predispose the cow to infection of the uterus and cause retained placenta.
 
I remember reading something about vitamin a and e deficiencies will cause cattle not to clean properly after a normal birth.
It could be that you are just in a transitional period with the weather and the last of the group calving. Can you get a mineral for them with higher amounts of A and E ? I agree with making it more palatable at this time as well if you can.
What about heats in your other cattle WR ,are they all coming into heat at a reasonable post calving time ?
 
As far as treating them, if it only hangs on for a few days, benign neglect . If it is in them and not cleaning at all I would use boluses or what I always do is infuse the uterus with tetracycline powder (use an old esophageal calf feeder) and a good hard dose of an la pen as well as a shot of prostaglandin. Haven't had an RP here in years ,forgot how much of a pain they can be .
 
I've had a lot of trouble with that this year too, about 15%. I've heard it blamed on just about every mineral on the list, fact is nobody really seems to know for sure. We always used to try to clean them, but most research suggests it does more harm than good. If left alone they clean in 10 days but they stink to high heaven and usually get sick from it. A stiff shot of LA200 is probably a good idea. Some say putting antibiotics into the uterus actually delays cleaning as it keeps the placenta from deteriorating. My mineral program was a little different this year, but they shouldnt have been lacking. Definately an annoying problem though.
 
We are having the same problem, and our calving lot is very wet. They are eating the proper amount of mineral so don't think that is it. We use long lasting penicillin and oxytocin if it is in the first 24 hours after calving, after that the pen and lutalyse.
 
A tried and true method for cleaning a cow is to get a bunch lined up eating cake off the ground. Then sneak up behind the one needing cleaning with two sticks. Put one stick on each side of the retained afterbirth, twirl them together and pull. The stuff comes out, and your conscience is alleviated because with nothing hanging out, the cow certainly looks better. :wink: P.S. Don't use good sticks because they stink. :-)
 
That method will clear withwdrawl in this century, and I spelled it wrong just cause I got confused trying to do the math...
 
Haytrucker said:
That method will clear withwdrawl in this century, and I spelled it wrong just cause I got confused trying to do the math...
Click to expand...

You are just used to putting three double-yous into everything-- "www." :wink:

All joking aside, the method of cleaning cows works quite well. I've done it this way for years, with nary a casualty. It's actually sanitary, in its own way, because no further germs are re-introduced by pushing them back into the cow with a contaminated glove.
 
That's the method I use to Soapweed, except I use a disposable tree branch. One year my neighbor was having the same problem at the beginning of calving and he realized that he wasn't feeding mineral with high enough Selenium. Our area is Se deficient. Within a day of starting on a higher Se mineral the problem was solved.

In your case Wyoming Rancher I'm not sure that would be the case though.
 
Soapweed said:
A tried and true method for cleaning a cow is to get a bunch lined up eating cake off the ground. Then sneak up behind the one needing cleaning with two sticks. Put one stick on each side of the retained afterbirth, twirl them together and pull. The stuff comes out, and your conscience is alleviated because with nothing hanging out, the cow certainly looks better. :wink: P.S. Don't use good sticks because they stink. :-)
Click to expand...


Now where do you prairie guys find a stick? :P

We use a product called Estrus along with Oxytocin. First shot of Estrus three days post calving, 90% clean within a couple of hours. Those that don't get a second shot 24 hrs later.
 

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