Post by gotkiger on Jul 4, 2012 16:16:17 GMT -5
Ok so I know for a mare to be a good mama they need to have strong maternal instincts. Is it possible to have too strong of maternal instincts? One of our beef cows calved this morning so I had to use Dollie to bring cow and calf up front to the maternity pen since it is 5 weeks early. As soon as Dollie saw the calf in the big pasture she stopped dead and then walked up to it and stood over it. She was pissed whenever a cow got near it. Once we got it up front I held her back to let everyone settle down befor letting her go (she shares the maternity pen with the close up cows). When I let her go she walked straight over to the calf and actually stole it away from all three cows that are in there and kept chasing off the mama cow. She even tried to side up so the calf could nurse. Not like it could reach but she tried. I ended up having to move Dollie into a small side pen where she rammed the fence and reared at it trying to get back to the calf. Is this normal? I mean I have heard of mares trying to steal other mares babies but with a different species? Should I possibly try to offer her as a nurse mare? Or maybe just laugh at her and her baby fever.