Recent content by kph

Push up a good sized manure pile, let it sit awhile and turn it over once a week until it starts to heat. Then put animals in and cover up well. Keep turning occasionally over the summer and in a few weeks even the biggest animal will be reduced to mush, by fall only the biggest bones left and...

at how haying has changed in just a few short years. I just finished putting up my first cutting. 160 acres, 560 bales cut raked and baled in one week completely by myself and a comfortable, almost relaxing job! Nothing too fancy either, 13' JD 946 moco, Kuhn 10 wheel speedrake, NH 7090 baler...

I sell a few, usually yearling bulls that dont semen test or freemartins, for 2.10 hanging wt. plus processing ( about .50). For a 1300 lb. bull hanging 60% that gives me about 1600.00 (about 1.25 live wt.) Some around here are at 2.25 for steers. If I were feeding good steers I wouldnt have a...

The sick calves came out of t least 3 different lots, all pretty clean and dry. Its really hard to come up with a common denominator for this.

An update on my calves. The one with the circulation problem went just as the vet suggested. Back feet died, ears shriveled up, was hoping to keep him around until another old crow calved to draft the calf because his mother was a super milking heifer, but when I saw maggots crawling in his feet...

There's no genetic, environmental or situational connection that I can see. The vet looked at 3 of the 4 calves today and felt the two younger ones were two different problems yet than the others. One he said looked like a circulation problem caused by bacteria that the calf will probably lose...

Well the BVD test on the one calf was negative. The vet was coming this am to look again and probably give more Draxxin. The 2 younger calves (7-10 days) still have 104-105.3 temps, the oldest (7-8 weeks) had normal temp, still weak back legs but seems to be improving.

No, there was no evidence of navel infection in any of the affected calves. The reason Im skeptical of Mycoplasma is that none of the calves have had pneumonia with it, the labored breathing seems to be from muscle weakness. Also they havent all been in the same lot and havent been crowded and...

Thanks for all the help. I do think I need to revisit the Mycoplasma theory. I have used Nuflor on them quite a bit with little or no effect, but I think I will give Draxxin more of a shot. Hate to hope for this, but if one does die I should be able to get some answers.

No, these sick calves havent had scour trouble. I have had some in the other calves, but not severe. This is affecting 4 or 5 out of 80 calves.

He sent in a variety of tissue samples and it came back as a massive infection. They werent able to isolate it but suggested Salmonella. The vet was surprised because all tissue and organs looked healthy. I have my doubts that calf had the same thing as these others, though so I dont put too...

The vet tested for BVD. Never heard back so I assume it was negative but I can check for sure. I've seen plenty of that though and doubt that's it. Thought of Mycoplsma too, but the vet didnt think that was it. From what I've read it's usually associated with pneumonia and none of these calves...

Yes, Bova Shield as calves and Cattlemaster every year after.

I am having a problem with my calves this spring that I can't figure out and my vet doesn't seen to have much of an answer for. First of all they seem to be born with it. Weaker than normal at birth, seem to get stronger for a couple days, then get weaker again. Usually 104-106 temp and slimy...

I thought the dog made a boo-boo. I was hoping there was a legal precedent!