Even Angus cattle can have troubles

[frenchie]

Soapweed..What a crappy break .

 

[Faster horses]

Juan, thanks for the anwer. I used to really wonder about that. We never had any dwarf calves as I recall, but we sure had those water heads. Hideous looking and poor little babies that had them...

 

[Shelly]

Excuse my ignorance, but what's water head?

Soapweed, sorry about your bad luck on that heifer.

 

[Red Robin]

Right at noon, we had two heifers calving. One heifer had her calf, and the other was coming right so we went in to dinner. After we came back out, the second calf was born and doing good. The mother was deader than a doornail, and Peach Blossom pulled about four feet of afterbirth out of the heifer's throat. She had choked to death.

Cows after calving will eat the afterbirth, to "hide the evidence" from coyotes and other predators. Kids eating buggers do it for much the same reason, to hide the evidence. :? :???: :wink:

Anyway, we sure lost a nice mild-mannered nice-uddered good potential cow. She'd have been a good one. On the other side of the coin, an alert brand inspector at the Martin Livestock Auction last week found two red heifer calves wearing our Spearhead brand. They had strayed away from their home pasture back before we preconditioned the calves in September. I knew we were short, but figured they had probably died. Anyway, I am proud of the brand inspector for helping us find the strays.

I about choked to death on a Dorito one time. My wife and some friends of ours were laughing so hard they about passed out. I personally didn't think it was very funny. :shock: Air is important to my happiness.

 

[Jason]

A wise man once told me if you have livestock you will have dead stock.

Can't lose em if you don't have em.

Stuff happens the bigger your herd the more you will lose in total, but % is usually stable.

So far I have lost 1 calf out of 50, he was born alive but had no digestive tract developed. Tried to tube him but he just threw up the milk. Posted him and absolutely nothing in the intestines, that baby calf manure should have been there from birth.

If I could figure out the digital cam I would post some pics. Them month old calves are big already.

 

[mn]

Soapweed- Is there any truth to the saying that they eat the afterbirth so animals don't go after it. I have been told this years ago, but those I have told it to don't think it's so Your thoughts. I have pulled plastic twine out of a cow.

 

[Shelly]

That is probably the main reason, but I've also heard there's lots of "yummy" nutrients in the afterbirth also. I've been afraid of our cows choking on it, so I usually take it away from them when they clean.

 

[CattleRMe]

:???: I was always told a cow ate her afterbirth due to the nutrients. :???:

 

[Faster horses]

Me too.

 

[Denny]

Its so cold here tonight they don't get a chance to eat it as it's froze about that quick.I have had 3 calves this evening and one in the process.Wonder who picked now to have these heifers calve hmmmmm...

 

[Soapweed]

:???: I was always told a cow ate her afterbirth due to the nutrients. :???:

Must also be why kids eat buggers. :wink: