• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

1000 Ways to Die in the West

Silver

Silver

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 23, 2005
Messages
5,234
Location
BC
Just when you think nothing will surprise you anymore something freakish and unexpected happens. Earlier this morning I was doing some tagging and then kicking out pairs by the barn. Nice lively calf born yesterday was a real dynamo, hard to even hold for processing. I got it all looked after, opened the gate and let the pair out. I closed the gate and went to the other end of the pen and was just in discussions with Mrs. Silver as to what to do next when I looked up in time to see the freshly turned out calf turn around and run right into the gate it had just come out of head on with his mouth open. He let out a beller and backed up with his mouth open and it took me a second to realized he had snapped his jaw off about 1 1/2" from his front teeth. Poor little fella.
On a slightly more positive note, we did have two sets of twins yesterday so I guess things have a way of balancing themselves out. :?
 
Silver said:
Just when you think nothing will surprise you anymore something freakish and unexpected happens. Earlier this morning I was doing some tagging and then kicking out pairs by the barn. Nice lively calf born yesterday was a real dynamo, hard to even hold for processing. I got it all looked after, opened the gate and let the pair out. I closed the gate and went to the other end of the pen and was just in discussions with Mrs. Silver as to what to do next when I looked up in time to see the freshly turned out calf turn around and run right into the gate it had just come out of head on with his mouth open. He let out a beller and backed up with his mouth open and it took me a second to realized he had snapped his jaw off about 1 1/2" from his front teeth. Poor little fella.
On a slightly more positive note, we did have two sets of twins yesterday so I guess things have a way of balancing themselves out. :?
Click to expand...

Don't forget Silver, they are blondes. :wink:
 
Years ago we had a young bull with hoof rot. I insisted Mr. FH doctor him (he said the bull was getting better, but I won). Got him in, doctored him with penicillin and turned him out. No big deal. He made it down the fence aways and tipped over....dead. We called the vet and told him what happened and he said, "didn't the people you bought the bull from warn you not to treat him with penicillin? They fed a lot of moldy hay there one winter and the cattle can't be doctored with penicillin as a result."

That hurt.
 
Sorry, Silver. Stuff happens. Many years ago, I was checking cattle in the fall of the year and found two nice big steer calves with foot-rot in a far-away hilly pasture. I drove the pickup home, had dinner, and in the afternoon had Peach drive the pickup along with medicine and our little kids. I rode up on Tomcat to rope the calves. I found one, who was by then quite a ways from the windmill. I motioned Peach to be ready to bring the pickup after I roped the calf. The calf didn't have to be run very far, and I managed to catch him by one hind leg to make it easier for Peach to tail him over. She was a few hills away, so I just held the rope tight until she arrived. The calf kind of tried to get up once, but I tightened the rope which was around the one leg until the calf laid down again. While she was filling the vaccine gun, we noticed the calf was acting funny. Sure enough, it died on the spot. I was so disgusted I didn't even look for the other lame calf. I figured even if it ended up with a club foot, it would be worth more that way than it would be dead.
 
Soapweed said:
Sorry, Silver. Stuff happens. Many years ago, I was checking cattle in the fall of the year and found two nice big steer calves with foot-rot in a far-away hilly pasture. I drove the pickup home, had dinner, and in the afternoon had Peach drive the pickup along with medicine and our little kids. I rode up on Tomcat to rope the calves. I found one, who was by then quite a ways from the windmill. I motioned Peach to be ready to bring the pickup after I roped the calf. The calf didn't have to be run very far, and I managed to catch him by one hind leg to make it easier for Peach to tail him over. She was a few hills away, so I just held the rope tight until she arrived. The calf kind of tried to get up once, but I tightened the rope which was around the one leg until the calf laid down again. While she was filling the vaccine gun, we noticed the calf was acting funny. Sure enough, it died on the spot. I was so disgusted I didn't even look for the other lame calf. I figured even if it ended up with a club foot, it would be worth more that way than it would be dead.
Click to expand...

Some days nothing turns out alright. :D
 
Thanks, Silver. You made me feel a little better about the 9 day old calf I found dead tonight. Heifer's calf we had to pull. Apparently I'm not checking them often enough-sarcasm intended- :cry:
 
25 years ago I was doctoring weaners. They were weaning good, but in Kansas, you can get in a funk with 90s in the afternoon and 30s at night. I was mounted as good as I ever owned, and we were slipping through nice and quiet almost before first light. It was fresh enough the calves wanted to keep their warm spot if Id not rile them - and I wanted them staying put so I could get a fair read on them. I was treating the hot ones based on their breath fog - using doc randolph's #1 (spec/tylan/dmso). That stuff was magic if you were early. So I see a right good steer producing a lot of fog in his breath, slip him off quietly by himself, lined him out, roped him, and pancaked him. I could feel a heavy tug when I tripped him. He was dead when I got to him. My dad and doc Randolph came by to check on me - mostly to see when I was ready to help them in the feed yard. I was distraught x 100. Doc said I broke the steer's neck. Said a calf that weighed 700# shouldn't be busted if he's only 200 days old. I'm lots smarter now
 
So I thought the broken jaw was freak event. Yesterday Dad and I were going through the pairs just checking on things and wouldn't you know it; another calf with a broken jaw. Maybe got kicked or stepped on? You'd think a half section would be enough room for them :roll:
Got back from that episode just in time to see my wife's horse die from colic. A horse she bought just after we got married and her only horse in that time so it was pretty special to her.
Mother said there would be days like this, she just didn't say how many :???:
 
No matter how hard we try, we can't kill them all.

it seems this year is throwing a hard ball at a lot of us. It hasn't been a rosy start here either.

Give your wife a condolence hug from me Silver. It's hard to lose old friends.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top