Heifers Too fat.
- Thread starter W Angus
- Start date
Faster horses
Well-known member
Why do you think they lost their calves because of being too fat?
I highly doubt that is the reason.
Are they getting fed anything that would contain high nitrates?
Or what happened...have you vaccinated them against diseases that
could cause them to abort?
We will be glad to help you figure out what could be the problem.
Lots of wisdom on this site.
I highly doubt that is the reason.
Are they getting fed anything that would contain high nitrates?
Or what happened...have you vaccinated them against diseases that
could cause them to abort?
We will be glad to help you figure out what could be the problem.
Lots of wisdom on this site.
katrina
Well-known member
Faster horses said:
Ditto to what fh says......... Give us more information...... There is mor knowledge on this site than anywhere in the world.......
Usually there is someone who has slept at a Holiday Inn Express!
One I do not know how the calve died. The other was trampled. They were both doing well until the untimely demise. My question is now that they are going to breed back and have another gestation period what do yall do to keep them from getting too fat. They are both BCS 5 right now. Running on lush wheat with some sudan hay. Both vaccinated with Bovishield Gold FP + VL5 and 7 way.
A
Anonymous
Guest
W Angus said:
What a problem to have :shock: :wink: :lol: And this year I almost have that problem...The kid was out the other day with me checking cows and made the comment that the heifers, actually all the cows were pretty much hog fat-- and I haven't rolled out a bale yet this year
I was just out checking the switch on a water tank-- and looked out across the hay meadows and there were cows laying every where soaking up the sun in the 30 degree temps and chewing their cud...This winter could spoil me :wink: :lol: :lol:
rkaiser
Well-known member
We've had to make quite a few decisions like this in the last few years W angus - what with cull prices being so shitty and all. Purebred female with a loss that is not really her fault but a cull price that is truly horrid.
How good are these heifers? Are they really worth keeping over when they could fit into a nice fed market with a couple of months of finish?
If you do keep them ,they will get fat -- period. Will it affect their brood cow performance down the road --- I would say not.
Hope to hear more opinions as we have made a few decisions like this again this year.
How good are these heifers? Are they really worth keeping over when they could fit into a nice fed market with a couple of months of finish?
If you do keep them ,they will get fat -- period. Will it affect their brood cow performance down the road --- I would say not.
Hope to hear more opinions as we have made a few decisions like this again this year.
Faster horses
Well-known member
If they are in a body condition score of 5, that isn't too fat. BCS of 6 is probably ideal, so you've got 80 lbs to go to get them to a 6.
Does it matter when you breed them? If they are good and it doesn't matter when you breed them, go ahead with your plans. They won't get too fat to carry a calf or have a healthy calf, if that is what concerns you.
In my opinion, the biggest worry about fat, is getting a heifer too fat on creep feed while they are still on the cow. That is the age period when they accumulate fat in the udder, and they never milk to their potential as a result. You are past that time, so I really don't think it matters how fat they get.
One other time to worry about fat, is devoloping heifers and they become so fat that when turned out on grass, they drop in weight instead of gain weight. Cattle need to be on the gain to breed.
Hope this helps! Sorry you lost the calves.
Does it matter when you breed them? If they are good and it doesn't matter when you breed them, go ahead with your plans. They won't get too fat to carry a calf or have a healthy calf, if that is what concerns you.
In my opinion, the biggest worry about fat, is getting a heifer too fat on creep feed while they are still on the cow. That is the age period when they accumulate fat in the udder, and they never milk to their potential as a result. You are past that time, so I really don't think it matters how fat they get.
One other time to worry about fat, is devoloping heifers and they become so fat that when turned out on grass, they drop in weight instead of gain weight. Cattle need to be on the gain to breed.
Hope this helps! Sorry you lost the calves.
A
Anonymous
Guest
kaiser-- I've done the same when I've got lots of grass...Heifer or young cow loses a calf and it isn't her fault- I'll try to get a calf to graft on her first--but even if I can't I've run them over again without a calf...And they breed back and come in off grass hog fat- and do plumb fine...
Faster horses
Well-known member
After being told for years, not to keep a cow that loses a calf, now the 'guru's' are saying it is cheaper to keep her and breed her back than to develop a heifer calf.
One time they do advise getting rid of a heifer, is if she DOES NOT breed as a yearling. Usually something is wrong and they won't breed up period.
One time they do advise getting rid of a heifer, is if she DOES NOT breed as a yearling. Usually something is wrong and they won't breed up period.
kolanuraven
Well-known member
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The one calf that got trampled...well that crap just happens and it's not the cows fault UNLESS she just hauled off and stomped her own calf!
Sometimes letting one slip could just save you a problem in the long haul. I know I'm just a lowly eastern " farmer" gal....but I'd give'em one more go around .
With what you describe....that's not fat.
It's winter time now, even where you are, and unless you are pouring 50lbs sacks of feed to each one.....you'll be fine as far as their figure goes.
Sometimes letting one slip could just save you a problem in the long haul. I know I'm just a lowly eastern " farmer" gal....but I'd give'em one more go around .
With what you describe....that's not fat.
It's winter time now, even where you are, and unless you are pouring 50lbs sacks of feed to each one.....you'll be fine as far as their figure goes.
sic 'em reds
Well-known member
I always worry about our first calf heifers being too fat as we run on irrigated pasture. But as winter sets in and they start using some of that fat as energy, and then calve, they breed back okay and go on and do their job. Of course you don't want to run them too hard and then play catch up to get weight back on them.
I would agree that they can have some problems if they are too fat, but BCS 5 or 6 is where cattle should be at going into winter.
To me it really depends on the cow if she loses a calf and whether or not to keep her again. We tried that keeping open heifers last year because we had got quite a bit of money tied up in them. Guess what, they came up open again and hit the road. If a heifer loses her calf for no apparent reason, and acts like she would like it to be alive, I'll give her another chance.
We lost two calves this weekend, one was a first calver and she showed no sign of even caring if she had a calf or not. The calf wasn't cleaned up all the way and she was never concerned at all when I went to pick it up, she's gone.
We had a cow calving and the calf's legs were hung up in the pelvis. I got a rope on her and got her tied up to the circle to pull the calf. Got the legs coming first then didn't even have to pull it, the cow pushed it out. Calf was dead, untied the cow and she never even attempted to look at the calf and took off. She's gone.
I think you need to be real careful on heifers that you keep over if they lose a calf. If they don't learn how to raise that first calf, how will they be the next time??
I would agree that they can have some problems if they are too fat, but BCS 5 or 6 is where cattle should be at going into winter.
To me it really depends on the cow if she loses a calf and whether or not to keep her again. We tried that keeping open heifers last year because we had got quite a bit of money tied up in them. Guess what, they came up open again and hit the road. If a heifer loses her calf for no apparent reason, and acts like she would like it to be alive, I'll give her another chance.
We lost two calves this weekend, one was a first calver and she showed no sign of even caring if she had a calf or not. The calf wasn't cleaned up all the way and she was never concerned at all when I went to pick it up, she's gone.
We had a cow calving and the calf's legs were hung up in the pelvis. I got a rope on her and got her tied up to the circle to pull the calf. Got the legs coming first then didn't even have to pull it, the cow pushed it out. Calf was dead, untied the cow and she never even attempted to look at the calf and took off. She's gone.
I think you need to be real careful on heifers that you keep over if they lose a calf. If they don't learn how to raise that first calf, how will they be the next time??
Faster horses
Well-known member
When we first started ranching, (1965) we ran a ranch on shares. The cattle we ran for the other folks were Herefords (as were ours, that was part of the deal). The heifers from the other folks they bred as 2 year olds, so they calved as 3 year olds. What a deal that was!!! Those heifers were so stupid along with being terrible mothers and they were too BIG to do much with. Of course, economics kind of forced that deal out the window and we were only in that situation for a year or two.
sic 'em reds
Well-known member
I know some people around here that do that. I don't see how that can pencil? They even lock them up to calve so they can keep a better eye on them.