I found a dead calf this morning. My "Big Red" cow had given birth this morning. She was laying next to her calf when I checked on the cattle this morning. I could tell something was wrong as I approached the cow and calf. The calf was stretched out when young calves are usually curled up.
The heifer calf was licked off and clean. There were no signs of how the calf died. I don't know if the calf was still born; whether the calf's nose and mouth were covered for a time in birth mucus suffocating her; whether the calf had a genetic defect; or whether something else happened to the calf. If this was the position the calf was born, and not moved this way by the mother's cleaning of her, then the calf was most likely still born.
The calf's mother was by her side. I left the calf there all day allowing the mother to grieve and come to terms that her calf is dead. If I immediately removed the calf the mother may think I did something to her calf.
In the evening the mother was still grieving. Donna gave me the idea of seeing if the local dairy creamery has an unwanted bull calf. Dairies have no use with male cattle. If the dairy does have a calf I may try to get "Big Red" to bond with the calf and allow it to suck from her. If I can rub the dead calf's scent on the bull calf, it may work.
This has been a rough year cattle wise for me.
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