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leanin' H

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What a miserable and sickening day! We went out to the ranch to move some cows in our yearly rotation across the mountain. We also had to cut out 5 pair and a bull that were in on some meadow ground with a bunch of new cows Phil bought. We ended up with 49 head that we pushed about 12 miles and put them in upper Pole Canyon. Then the 50 mph wind began and the dust made visability slim to none. After riding back to the trailers in a dust storm, we found the day really went to hell. Out of 21 pairs in the meadow we had 2 dead calves laying right in the water and two more laying in the water that were on deaths door! :???: We loaded them in the trailer, juggled horses into my rig and headed for Town at warp speed. Called the vet in route and made arraingments for a ranch call when we got there. By the time we made the 60+ miles to town one calf had died. The other probably isnt too far behind unless a miracle happens. When i left to come home, the vet was getting ready to open up the dead calf and try to get to the bottom of what is killing $1000 calves! :cry: We think it is pnemonia complicated with all the dust. We have had 90+ degree days and 28 degree nights. But everything was vaccinated by us using 7 way and bova-shield gold 2 months ago? Anyway, waiting for the call to see what the vet thinks. Probably headed back tomorrow depending on what the vet tells us to corral that little bunch and give em' all Baytril or something. My voice is gone, my eyes are leaking pure dust, my lips are wind burnt and my attitude is lower than the ankles on a wevil! I'll keep ya posted how this dog and pony show turns out. :? Why didn't i listen to my sweet mother and become a lawyer? :?
 
Hang in there H.. We've all been in your shoes.. There ain't a one of us that couldn't match you story for story.... About five years ago we turned out cows and calves. About th middle of JUly we had 500 pound calves get sick with pheomumia some died.. Hubby and I caught all those calves with the gator and a shepards stick. Hubby would snatch a hind leg and step out of the gator while the driver me would run around and flank the calf... Holy moly, I do not know how we did it... Now we give a nasel shot when we brand and that seems to take care of the pheunomea(sp)....
 
Tough go H. That is one unforgiving environment you live in. Lean into the wind buddy. :(
 
I am so sorry H, I had a terrible time with pneumonia/brisket last summer/fall. Overall we lost 6 calves, and treated 10%. It was so sickening to work your tail off, only to find more dead ones. Of course, on a forest they weren't easy to spot, until the birds did it for you :? . Hang in there, if I were closer I'd come help you!!! Like Katrina, I gave the intranasal MLV, and will booster with Bovi-Shield Gold 5 when they get on the truck to the forest Monday... I hope we have a better year. Your wreck will straighten out soon, we've all been there :wink:.
 
Same thing started happening up here to us about 3 weeks ago never had a problem like this before but we all have a bottle of l a 200 on our horses and if it looks a little doppy we give it a shot. We been getting up to 75 degrees in the day and down to 20 degrees at night with that type of a swing it has sick calves written all over it. Wish you the best of luck
 
Yup, I would say you had a damn miserable day, calf problems would be bad enough much less in a damn sand storm but, that's the cattle buisness hope you dont find anymore down dead or dieing.
good luck
 
...one other thing, last year during our wreck we gathered and re-vaccinated again with Bovi-Shield Gold 5, and One Shot, it really helped. You might ask your vet if that would be a good idea. Also, I treated with a capchur dart gun with drop-off needles, 5ml A-180, and it seemed to work good. I'm not a roper, so that was my best and easiest option, and the cattle never got stirred up doing it that way.
 
I just got off the phone with my cousin. The second calf dies a half hour after i left. The vet opened them both up and it is definately pnemonia. One calf had only 30% lung tissue left that was not totally destroyed. The vet said we should save the money by sending tissue to the state lab because it was cut and dried. :x He recommended we not go stir them up by mass treating them tomorrow. We looked at everything really close today and everything looked good. So we will go check Monday and again through the week and treat any that need it as we find them. Thanks for the encouragement. Some days are better than others, but everyday is pretty good. :) Hope ya'll keep em' all healthy and have a fine summer. Sorry you are fighting it Cure! Good luck pal!
 
Found our 2nd dead since we turned out today. Same thing as yours and we haven't vaccinated. No telling if there are anymore until we see more cows. Saw about 1/2 of our calves today and they look good.

Kind of like a box of chocolates...........

Hope Phil can get ahead of the fire.
 
Glad to here things look better there H. Sorry to hear about the other problems you guys are seeing. We just simply lost a calf in a small 50-60 acre pasture about 6 days after we turned them out. Must of been aliens.
 
Sorry to hear this, leanin' H! ...and everyone else! I hope it all gets better from here on out and no more troubles!
 
That just sucks!!! Friday was about like that for me. Started the day out by finding a dead exotic, next stop there was no water for the bunch. (Still don't have a well working there, and am hauling water) Decide I better check water for the cows, since the day was already shot, and found a dead cow by the tank, and a dead calf about 100 yards away.
I had seen Larkspur in the pasture when we moved cows into it, but I have never seen Larkspur poisoning in the Sandhills. I HAVE NOW!!!! By the time I got back to get them moved, I had another calf die right in front of me.

2 calves at $1000, 1 cow at $1600, 1 exotic at $2000 = $5600 loss because I got stubborn!!!
Not a good day here either
 
Must be the year for pneumonia for sure. We must've doctored 10 - 15 about 3 weeks after branding and giving Bovishield gold. Never had it happen before. Hopefully has stopped now.

H, Cure, and Gcreek, hope your's quit getting it too. Lazy WP, that was not a good day...
 
I know thats a tough deal H. Went through it ourselves this spring. Turned our best calving season ever into just a reasonable one :? Sure stinks to get all those calves on the ground alive and lose them a month or more later.
We got so as soon as a calf even looked at us sideways it got a shot of Resflor and Biomicin.
Good luck going forward 'H.
 
OUCH. :shock: Summer pneumonia is the worst. Hopefully it's calmed down now???

If it was us, we'd use Draxxin on any that needed treatment. It's got the longest carry over. You'll be less likely to have relapses.
 
Kato said:
OUCH. :shock: Summer pneumonia is the worst. Hopefully it's calmed down now???

If it was us, we'd use Draxxin on any that needed treatment. It's got the longest carry over. You'll be less likely to have relapses.
Click to expand...

That's what we're using if we find them alive.
 
Things are going to go wrong from time to time. Sorry for the bad luck. Always plenty to be thankful for.
 

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