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Hard to believe but true

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Soapweed

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northern Nebraska Sandhills
We just lost the second cow in a two-week period because they both choked to death eating their afterbirth. :mad: Both were nice young three-year-old cows, but at least we got a nice calf out of each one. The first one was somewhat of a fluke, but two in a row is downright disgusting.

I checked the cows at 4:30 p.m., and realized they would need a little more hay later. Just before dark, I pulled in with a bale of hay and saw a cow laying pretty still. I thought at first she was calving, but she was deader than a mackerel. A long string of afterbirth was hanging out of her mouth. We will have to figure out which calf was hers in the morning, by process of elimination.

Some days are diamonds and some days are stone. :roll: :? But at least the wind is blowing forty miles per hour. Can't live without that. :wink: :)
 
Dang the luck! I haven't heard of cattle doing that? Hope you've used up your allotment of crappy luck for a couple of decades. The wind has blown so hard out here for three days that it acually drifted soil on a tumbleweed filled fence. The barley we planted may be in Canada or atleast Northern Idaho! If ya see it, send it back! After ya water it and harvest this fall!! :D Sure sorry to hear about your cows dying. It surely is a strange year.
 
Soapweed said:
We just lost the second cow in a two-week period because they both choked to death eating their afterbirth. :mad:

Ugh! Back in 1999, after a few years of working here, the ranch's owner wanted to reward me with a "bonus." All spring I had admired a particular heifer, and once she calved, the owner told me she was now mine. I walked out to the barn to admire my prize, only to find her dead from choking on her afterbirth... I did get a nice bull calf that I eventually grafted onto another cow.

I figured it was postpartum depression that got out of hand :lol: Her number was #712, and today while re-tagging the yearling heifers, I gave a new animal that number... hope she isn't doomed :eek:

Let's see, that's three animals you've had choke this spring, since bad streaks usually come in threes, your bad luck should be ending! Sorry for your losses.
 
WyomingRancher said:
Let's see, that's three animals you've had choke this spring, since bad streaks usually come in threes, your bad luck should be ending! Sorry for your losses.

There is always a bright side; thanks for helping me find it. :wink: Tomorrow is a brand new day, and with a little luck this wind will blow up a good rain. :)
 
That really stinks.
We lost a couple of cows years ago the same way. Now when they are first year heifers we take the afterbirth away from them and we keep our 3 year olds with them and do the same. weird but we have not lost another cow since.
Barn cats are also known to fight a cow for the afterbirth too.
 
Soapweed you need to get ya some cows with teeth so they can knaw through that stuff!!! Just kidding....yeah that is very unusual to lose two in a row like that in the same year!! My folks had a strange one the other day...had a cow having trouble calving so ran her in and all they could feel was 4 feet and a nose....never a good sign. Took her in to have the vet cut it out (which incidently is only the 5th C-section to ever occur on that place....2 of which were this year!!) but anyway when the vet cut him out he was fully developed but way deformed and all his guts were on the outside of his body. naturally he died but the vet said his heart was beating when he pulled him out....but no way he could survive. he looked like a normal calf, but his head came out his stomach between all 4 legs! Weird things happen.....
 
TXTibbs said:
Soapweed you need to get ya some cows with teeth so they can knaw through that stuff!!! Just kidding....yeah that is very unusual to lose two in a row like that in the same year!! My folks had a strange one the other day...had a cow having trouble calving so ran her in and all they could feel was 4 feet and a nose....never a good sign. Took her in to have the vet cut it out (which incidently is only the 5th C-section to ever occur on that place....2 of which were this year!!) but anyway when the vet cut him out he was fully developed but way deformed and all his guts were on the outside of his body. naturally he died but the vet said his heart was beating when he pulled him out....but no way he could survive. he looked like a normal calf, but his head came out his stomach between all 4 legs! Weird things happen.....

Tibbs- we had several of those "inside out" calves years ago when we were using the simmental and simmental X bulls....Actually even had one old cow have it on her own..... :shock: Don't know if it was related to the breed or not -- but haven't had a one in the last 20 years since we went back to the straight angus......
 
Does anybody know if all animals eat their afterbirth or is this just a cow thing? It's funny the questions that come to mind as you're going back and forth in a corn field all day. :shock: :wink:
 
Terrible luck Soapweed. I hope that it is all behind you now. It made me wonder how long it has been since that happened here. The very next day while watching a cow chow down she started to choke. It took several huge coughs to get it out and then later that afternoon our Great Pyrenees choked on some. Rather troublesome stuff. :?
 
per said:
Terrible luck Soapweed. I hope that it is all behind you now. It made me wonder how long it has been since that happened here. The very next day while watching a cow chow down she started to choke. It took several huge coughs to get it out and then later that afternoon our Great Pyrenees choked on some. Rather troublesome stuff. :?



MAKES ME CHOKE JUST THINKING ABOUT IT. :gag: :cowboy: :nod:
 
I think it's an age old instinct to clean up the birth site so as to not attract predators. when we barn calved I used to throw it over the fence if I happened to be around when it passed.
 
Oldtimer said:
TXTibbs said:
Soapweed you need to get ya some cows with teeth so they can knaw through that stuff!!! Just kidding....yeah that is very unusual to lose two in a row like that in the same year!! My folks had a strange one the other day...had a cow having trouble calving so ran her in and all they could feel was 4 feet and a nose....never a good sign. Took her in to have the vet cut it out (which incidently is only the 5th C-section to ever occur on that place....2 of which were this year!!) but anyway when the vet cut him out he was fully developed but way deformed and all his guts were on the outside of his body. naturally he died but the vet said his heart was beating when he pulled him out....but no way he could survive. he looked like a normal calf, but his head came out his stomach between all 4 legs! Weird things happen.....

Tibbs- we had several of those "inside out" calves years ago when we were using the simmental and simmental X bulls....Actually even had one old cow have it on her own..... :shock: Don't know if it was related to the breed or not -- but haven't had a one in the last 20 years since we went back to the straight angus......

About 15 yrs ago I took one of them c section for a cousin out of an angus hiefer. Then the next year I did another c section for a dairy farmer out of a pure holstien. Both "fetuses" had beating hearts when removed. Another c section, when a completely normal calf had developed out of the uterous. The calf was dead but the cow never was set back a bit.
 
Soapweed said:
kolanuraven said:
ANGUS327 said:
Our dog sure loves afterbirth, it,s great to roll on plus we havn't fed her since the 5th of April.



GROSS!!!!

That is why I am always a little suspect when people "kiss" their dogs. I have seen where those cute little doggie mouths have been. :wink: :)


Ohhhh I know !!!! My cousin is painting my Mom's house and I came up the hill from the pastures yesterday with 2 Aussies and 1 Heeler and they all ran up to him. He let them lick him ON THE MOUTH!!!

I nearly hurled!! They had been snak'in in the calf pasture!!!!





<<<puke icon here>>>
 
Soapweed said:
ANGUS327 said:
Our dog sure loves afterbirth, it,s great to roll on plus we havn't fed her since the 5th of April.

My dad has never liked to eat jerky. He says it reminds him too much of afterbirth. :)

Around here we call it corral jerky. Never have tried it though.
 

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