Post by olemcdonald on Aug 21, 2019 21:21:10 GMT -5
So, I have to assume that you are new to dairy cows and have maybe been given some misconceptions on how they need to be managed.
You've got some hard things to face right now.
I recommend that you call your vet and see if they have anything available to boost the calf's immunity, since you have no idea if it ever nursed from its mother. Nursing on the soon-to-calve first calf heifer will have done nothing to help and may leave her own calf with inadequate colostrum for its own immune system. You really do not want to have to deal with a calf that doesn't have the proper immunity that they can only get from good quality colostrum and I hope the vet can help you out.
In my very, very humble opinion, cows should always be separated from the herd for at least a couple of weeks prior to calving so that the new calf is born on ground that has been sanitized by sunshine. It highly reduces the likelihood of the calf getting sick from pathogens that its mother isn't immune to. They should be kept separate from the herd for at least a week so that they can bond properly and mom is over the birthing hormones long before they are reunited with the herd.
A full dairy cow should always have pressure relieved within a few hours if her udder is huge. At the next regular milking time, she needs to be emptied out completely and be on a regular milking schedule from that point on, whether you choose to milk OAD or TAD from the beginning. A newborn calf cannot ever empty out a full-bred dairy cow after her first lactation. They are bred for high production and should never be left unrelieved of milk.
Based on the photos you posted, her vulva is no longer swollen and she has slimmed down (equal on right and left sides of her belly), so there is no second calf in there.
I am use to dairy goats.... they were completely different mothers than dairy cows 😁
Also my husband thought house projects where more important than barn holding pens and a proper milk stanchion before calves came, even though I explained everything that could happen if we were not prepared 😔