An easily observed sign of a difficult birth is brown or yellow staining of the calf’s hair coat from the meconium. If a calf does not stand and nurse within one hour of birth, the calf must be fed colostrum either milked from the dam or use a commercial colostrum replacement.

Calf deformities at birth are caused by a wide range of issues, including physical, nutritional, infectious, and genetic. Some remain a mystery. Alex Roberts, from Garston Veterinary...

0.5 -1.0 percent of calves are born with congenital defects, however not all birth defects in calves are genetic. Are they all fatal? No, not all defects are the cause of the animal’s death. In some cases the animal will live a near-normal life.

When a pregnant cow consumes the lupine plant between days 40 to 60 of gestation, their calf may be born with crippled-calf (crooked-calf) disease, a crooked-leg condition. Two-headed calves and calves with extra legs may be the result of fetal development mistakes.

When a pregnant cow consumes the lupine plant between days 40 to 60 of gestation, their calf may be born with crippled-calf (crooked-calf) disease, a crooked-leg condition. Two-headed calves and calves with extra legs may be the result of fetal development mistakes.