foetus and after-birth from a cow that has slinked are very
offensive, and if left within reach, the other cows will sniff at it,
and bellow around it; and in a short time more of the cows will abort.
Many reasons have been given as the cause of abortion; from my own
observations, frosty turnips are one great cause, and I never allow my
cows to get these. If I happen to run short of fresh turnips from the
store, and frosty weather continue, I order the cows straw and water,
and perhaps a little cake or corn at the same time. I have paid dearly
for this experience also. I believe hove to be another cause of
abortion; and that particular atmospheric conditions have a good deal
to do with it. The skilful veterinary surgeon should be consulted; he
will probably recommend physic to cool the system, the foetus and
placenta to be buried, the animal separated, and the cow-house
disinfected. The cow should be fattened and sold, unless she be a very
valuable breeding animal, as the chances are that she will slink again.
I have indeed seen a cow, after slinking, breed regularly for many
years; but the sure way is to get quit of her to the butcher, if she is
not a valuable breeding animal.
I have explained, under the head of Milk-Fever, the treatment previous
to calving; I shall add that a cow ought to be let dry six weeks at
least before calving. It is well known that a cow that is milked up to
the time of calving proves very deficient as a milker for the season,
even although she had formerly been a good one. It prevents improvement
of condition; and from a very lean cow there is not much to be
expected.
As to natural labour a very few remarks will suffice. The cow should be
disturbed as little as possible, and no assistance rendered where it is
not necessary. When the water-bag comes away, the hand should be
introduced to ascertain whether the calf is coming the right way; its
fore-legs protruding to the passage, and its head lying upon them or a
little between them, is the natural position when all is right. We must
have patience, and, if possible, allow nature to effect its object; but
if six or eight hours shall have passed, assistance must be given. In
my practice I have observed that when the water-bag comes away in the
early stages the labour is protracted. I have seen many
tail-presentations, but I have found them easily dealt with by pushing
back the hind-quarters and getting hold of the feet; pushing backwards,
forwards, and upwards the hind-legs, and bringing them to the level of
the passage, the calf will be easily extracted. In unnatural labour the
veterinary surgeon should be immediately called in. Skellet 'On the
Parturition of the Cow' is the most valuable authority I am acquainted
with on unnatural labour, but I fear it is out of print.
A word here as to free-martins. When a cow produces two calves, the one
a male and the other a female, the female is called a free-martin. The
almost universal belief is, that the free-martin will not breed; and
generally this holds good. I have had, however, in my practice two
free-martins that have bred. One of them proved one of the most useful
animals and best breeders in the herd, and produced some of my finest
females; but her own appearance lacked that female style which shows
itself in a high-bred herd.
And here I may remark that those who act as judges at our cattle-shows,
if they are judging males, ought to judge them as males and not as
females; and if they are judging females, they ought to judge them as
females and not as males. Some may understand what I mean. As I
consider it one of the most important qualifications in a judge to have
the discernment I refer to, and as many are appointed judges, even at
our national shows, _who never should have been appointed, and many
act who never should act_, it ought to be put out of all doubt. As
an example, when a bull shows the head of a female and a want of
masculine character, he should be rejected. Masculine character in the
bull is of the greatest importance to the success of the
breeder--effeminacy in the male must be shunned as the most deadly
poison. On the other hand, let that female be rejected by the judge in
the show-yard, and by the breeder in his selection, that looks as much
like a male as a female. However long she may have been kept up for
show-yard purposes, or whatever enormous quantity of beef she may have
put on, if she have the head of the ox (I do not say of the bull,
because I have never seen a female so characterised) she must be put
aside, unless very superior in other respects. Such animals will seldom
pass muster with the first-class judge, but _even he must be upon his
guard_. I have often seen great blunders committed, especially with
heifers, the owner of which may, for the sake of winning the prize,
have fed them for years without hope of propagation. I have seen them
carry the prize to the exclusion of the really useful breeding animal,
and when the show was over they were sold to the butcher. I would not
propose any rule to be laid down to exclude animals from our
exhibitions on account of their condition, because the proper amount of
flesh can never be satisfactorily settled; nor can it be definitely
fixed when an animal should be excluded as being too fat for breeding.
The experiment was tried at some of our national shows, but utterly
failed, as the jury could not agree. The rules of the Highland Society
are good so far as they go--viz., that unless the owner of cows that
have not had a calf in the year of the exhibition, and of the
two-year-old heifers that have been awarded prizes, can certify that
the animals have had a calf--the cows in four months and the heifers in
nine after the exhibition--the money prize will be withheld. But this
does not cover the difficulty, as the prize-money is of secondary
importance to the majority of exhibitors--being first on the prize-list
is their main ambition; but, I believe, it is all that rules can reach.
The only safeguard lies with the council and the directors--and the
strong moral force of the exhibitors ought to be brought to bear upon
them--of our national and local cattle-shows. They ought to appoint no
one, however highly connected, unless he is _acknowledged a judge by
the exhibitors of the class of stock to which he is appointed_. If
the right man be put in the right place, there will seldom be cause to
complain of overfed useless breeding animals gaining the prizes; but if
ignorant forward men are appointed, you are certain to see the fattest
animals at the top of the prize-list. At one of our great shows the
same judges were appointed for cattle and sheep;--they were
unexceptional judges of cattle, but knew very little about
breeding-sheep. There were two pens of breeding-ewes in competition:
one of the pens was from a first-class stock of sheep, but from hill
pasture; the other was from a jobber, who had selected them from the
common sheep in the country, but had grazed them with the cows on the
farm, and they were in high condition--they wanted style and breeding.
The judges were hesitating as to which of the pens the prize should be
awarded to, when one of them exclaimed, "Stop, stop; let me in o'er
till I handle them!"--an Aberdeen man likes something that will handle,
whether ox or sheep. He went, and after he had performed the handling
proof, which required little time and less skill, "Ah!" he exclaimed,
pointing to the fat ewes, "that's the sheep!" and the ticket was fixed
accordingly. This anecdote was related to me by the owner of the fat
ewes, who was present.
No butcher, except he be well acquainted with the treatment of a
breeding stock, ought to be a judge of breeding animals. With fat stock
one of the judges ought always to be a first-class butcher.
In natural labour the after-birth generally comes away soon after
calving. Many remove it immediately; this, however, should never be
allowed, as the cow will chew it greedily, and it acts as physic to
her. If the after-birth should be retained, as it generally is in cases
of premature labour, this need cause little alarm to the owner. I have
never seen any danger from allowing it to remain, and I prefer letting
it alone, as it will rot away of itself, to the danger of tearing it
away; but the cow should be removed from the others. I believe the
opinion to be erroneous that there is danger from the after-birth being
retained for any moderate length of time; but the womb itself will
sometimes follow the calf, and this requires prompt treatment. I have
known of its being successfully returned without the aid of the
veterinary surgeon, but this should never be attempted by an
unpractised hand if you can command the surgeon's attendance. It is a
very common occurrence that two or three months before calving the
vagina protrudes when the cow is lying: when this occurs she should be
kept well up behind, else it may bring on premature calving. When the
cow calves the danger is over.
If the calf is to be milked from the hand it should be taken from the
cow as soon as it is dropt, and before the mother sees it; if allowed
to remain with the cow for some time and then removed, it will be a
cause of great irritation to the mother and very prejudicial to her
milking. When it is to be suckled, the calf should be left quietly with
the cow: and by licking the calf and eating the placenta the cow will
be settled, the calf will get to its legs, and all may be expected to
be right. A warm drink should be given--cold water must be avoided--and
the cow made comfortable. She should be milked out after first
suckling, and this will require to be repeated two or three times a-day
for a few weeks, until the calf is able, and can with safety be
allowed, to take all the milk. In a day or two after the calf is dropt
it ought to be muzzled, and allowed a limited time to suckle the mother
three times a-day. It must not be allowed a full allowance for the
first fourteen days after birth. A confidential servant must remove the
muzzle, stand beside the calf until it has taken a safe allowance, and
then return the muzzle. When the calf has got the cud, which will be
observed about fourteen days after its birth, it will then be safe to
remove the muzzle. I muzzle all my calves, to prevent them from eating
straw, hair, &c, which they cannot digest, and which accumulate in the
stomach and prove the death of the animal. Many thousand calves are
lost in this way, the owner never suspecting the cause. If the calf is
opened up after death, there will be found in the stomach a large,
firm, round ball composed of straw, hair, and other substances, with
knots of curdled milk conjoined. After the calf has got the cud, and is
fourteen days old, it may be allowed to suck at pleasure. It must be
seen, however, that the calf has ability to clean out the udder of the
cow; if part of the milk is retained, the cow must be milked by the
hand.
Plenty of good milk is the proper foundation to make a good animal; if
stinted when a calf, a year's growth is lost. Selling a great deal of
butter and rearing a good bullock are incompatible. Many good calves
are milked from the pail, and they thrive better after they are weaned;
but it will generally be found that the sure way to make first-class
calves is to allow them to suckle. There will be many drawbacks at the
expense of the calf if it is brought up from the pail; drafts will be
required by the housekeeper for milk, butter, and cheese for the
family, which cannot be made if the calf is suckled by the mother in
the field. The plan adopted by some of giving skimmed milk to the calf
cannot be too much reprobated; and to give old milk to a new-dropt calf
is perfectly preposterous: it is unnatural, and will probably prove the
death of the calf.
The calf should be allowed to suckle or be fed from the pail for six or
eight months. It has then strength to stand weaning, and, if properly
cared for, will not be checked in its growth, and it will retain the
good calf-flesh it has put on. The loss of the calf-flesh cannot be
remedied, and great care should be taken to avoid this. If the
calf-flesh is lost the animal will be reduced in value, and can never
be made to yield first-class meat. Great care, therefore, must be taken
by the breeder when his calves are weaned.
To guard against Black-leg, the calves should be immediately corded in
the dewlap,[8] and receive, along with other nourishing food, each
1-1/2 lb. of oilcake a-day. This treatment is absolutely necessary
during their first winter. The open strawyard for calves is of great
importance. If they are kept regularly growing on, black-leg will be
prevented. While proper treatment is adopted, there will be little to
fear from that dreadful scourge.
[8] I have been accused of cruelty for cording the dewlaps of my
calves. The pain must be of short duration, as it is done by a
sharp instrument in a moment.
I have never lost more than two of my breeding stock from Quarter-ill.
There is no question that the cause of this dreadful malady is sudden
transition from a restricted diet to a full and nutritious one, from a
poor pasture to a rich and luxuriant one, or from a poor pasture in
autumn to a full allowance of turnips; the increase of blood on the
system is so great that the constitution cannot stand it. I have seen
almost every calf on several large farms carried off by black-leg.
There is no secret as to its prevention. Keep the young calf gradually
growing, never let him want; give 1 to 2 lb. of oilcake a-day; and keep
up the irritation by cords with a good hold of the dewlap. After the
first winter, black-leg is little to be feared. I have had a case or
two in two or three year olds, but it is very uncommon. Prevention is
the only safeguard, for I have never seen black-leg cured. To some 1 to
2 lb. of oilcake a-day may look an expense that the calves cannot
repay; but if any of my friends will divide a lot of their calves, and
give the one lot turnips and straw, and the other turnips, straw, and 1
to 2 lb. of oilcake daily to each calf, if they are dissatisfied with
the result on the 1st of May I shall pay the balance. I shall not enter
upon the point of the great additional value of the manure, but leave
that to the chemist.
I allow my calves to suckle till October, and the late ones two or
three months longer. Butter and even corn are but secondary to our
cattle, and in these days of progression we must advance with the times
or go down.
As to Navel-ill, much has been written on the deadliness of the
complaint. I have never had any loss from it. Diarrhoea is a very
common complaint with calves, and I have lost one or two by it, but, I
believe, owing to carelessness. It will generally yield to a dose or
two of castor-oil. The Knee-ill is more to be dreaded. The complaint is
worse some seasons than others, and some, under the best treatment,
will die. The calf gets down and is unable to rise; on examination it
will be found that one or both, generally of the fore-legs, are very
much swollen at the joints; the calf is very much pained, especially if
moved, and the disease acts very much like rheumatic fever on the human
body. I cannot assign any cause for this disease, as I have seen calves
seized with it that were kept warm and comfortable. In some cases it
may be attributed to some particular atmospheric influence. It is very
difficult to remove. The calf will be down for weeks, and in some cases
they never get up. Very little can be done for them, and any treatment
I have seen adopted is of small value. Rubbing turpentine daily into
the swollen joints is useful, but attention to the general health is of
the greatest consequence--such as counteracting costiveness in the
bowels, &c. I have seen splints of wood introduced, and also tying out
the leg with bandages; but I have no great faith in any such treatment.
Rubbing daily with turpentine, and attention to the general health, is
all I can recommend. Costiveness of the bowels, if not counteracted,
may end in serious consequences. I had a case of a calf that got very
costive--so bad that it moaned dreadfully from pain. I lost all hope of
saving it. I thought of injections, and had them administered
repeatedly for hours; to my astonishment the calf recovered and did
well. Castor-oil is the safest medicine for calves. Let me here record
an observation for which I am indebted to Mr Sorely, late veterinary
surgeon, Alford. (While I have seen some with as good hands as Mr
Sorely, I have never had the fortune to meet another with as clear a
head.) The first question he asks when told that a calf is ailing, is,
"How old is it?" If the calf is very young, and violently ill of any
complaint, the great chance is, that it will not recover; whereas, if
it be three weeks, and, still more, two or three months old, the
probability is that it will.
As to the castration of calves, it is such a simple process that it is
unnecessary to say much on the subject. The only thing I would
recommend is, that the breeder, if he does not castrate his calves
himself, should not allow the operator to cut away any part of the
purse, as it should be recollected a good purse in the London market
will be the next criterion to the butcher after the flank, and a good
purse is always worth L1 to a bullock in London. If the purse should
get much swelled after castration, warm fomentations should be applied
two or three times a-day, or even a poultice if the case be very bad.
If there is an accumulation of pus, it may be necessary to puncture the
purse, and the animal will soon be relieved.
Rheumatism, I have no doubt, is hereditary. I have seen it in the
fourth generation; little, if anything, can be done for it. At certain
seasons of the year it will appear, and wear off again. Howk is perhaps
the complaint to which my cattle are most liable. I have repeated cases
of it every year. The animal is observed to be stiff and staring in his
coat, eats little, and, as the disease advances, retires from the rest
of herd. When taken up, his skin along the back will be found adhering
to the flesh, and if pressed on the spine he will nearly crouch to the
ground. If a hold is taken of the skin--which is very difficult to
accomplish--and it is lifted from the flesh, when let go it will give a
crack similar to the sound that follows when you give a knock to the
common corn-basket. This is a never-failing symptom. I treat the
complaint very successfully with doses of salts and sulphur. If the
animal is taken up in the early stages of the disease, the skin may
only be adhering to a part behind the shoulder-blade; but in a day or
two the adhesion will be found to extend along the whole of the spine;
or, _vice versa_, it may begin across the kidneys and go forward
to the shoulder-blade. I regard indigestion as the cause, and some
cattle take it in particular fields worse than others. Diseases of the
tongue are rare: I have had some half-dozen cases. A cure is utterly
hopeless, and the animal should be sent to the butcher without delay.
When examined, the root of the tongue, or one side of it, will be found
very much inflamed, and warts will also generally be observed. The
animal will be found frothing at the mouth in the field; and if in the
stall, a great deal of frothy matter will be seen before him. I never
knew one recover, and I have attempted all sorts of treatment.
Foul in the foot is very serious when it gets into a lot of heavy
feeding cattle in winter; the loss it entails is sometimes very heavy.
It assumes several phases. If there be but a crack between the claws
without swelling, it is easily managed. The old plan of taking a
hair-rope and drawing it several times through is very good practice,
and with a little caustic applied, a cure is soon effected. There is
another form of the disease more difficult to treat: there is the great
swelling between the claws; it becomes a hard substance and very
painful; the animal gets feverish and is scarcely able to rise, and if
got up holds out the afflicted leg. He is off his food, and sinks
rapidly in condition; and the pain is excruciating. I apply a
succession of poultices, and when the lump breaks the danger is over:
tow and tar are then applied to the sore, a cotton bandage put on
between the claws of sufficient length to secure the application, and
the ends made fast by a woollen garter cut from an old stocking. If the
disease is neglected the consequences may be fatal; it is worst in
winter when cattle are at the feeding-stall. I regard it as infectious.
If it get into a byre of weighty fat cattle the loss will be heavy. I
have seen a bullock drop in value L3, L4, or even L5; and several
animals lost by carelessness. I had a bullock out upon turnips, which
had been neglected, and was pronounced by my veterinary surgeon
incurable.
As to Foot-and-mouth disease, it is a light matter among stirks and
lean cattle--they will be little if any the worse of it; but it is very
serious amongst heavy feeding cattle and milch cows. If fat cattle are
attacked, they should have their turnips sliced, with crushed oilcake
and meal. There is no treatment of any avail in the fever stages. When
the fever is gone, there will be a beast or two out of a lot whose feet
will require attention. The horn of the hoof gets loosened from the
flesh. The animal may require to be thrown and the dead horn cut away.
It must be remembered that it will never attach itself again. The
veterinary surgeon should generally perform the operation, unless the
owner is skilful himself. Cows require great attention. The disease
seats itself in their udders, and unless they are most carefully milked
out they may be rendered useless as milkers--losing one, two, or even
all the quarters of the udder. The foot-and-mouth disease is very
infectious. I recollect having carried it home from a neighbouring
farm, by merely handling a bull which was down with the disease. I came
straight home and handled the first beast opposite the door in one of
my own byres; in three days he was seized with the complaint; and in
two or three days thereafter nearly every beast through the steading
was down with it. Out of forty fat cattle thirty-eight had it, only two
escaping. Upon inquiry I found that one of them had had it before. I
lost from L4 to L5 of condition on an average off every one of the
thirty-eight. From the same farm and at the same time a veterinary
surgeon had been called in. He went straight to another farm six miles
distant, and in a few days every animal there was seized with the same
complaint. It is the general belief that an animal will not take the
foot-and-mouth disease twice. This is a mistake. I have a cow that took
it twice, but there were seven years between the attacks.