Start of Calving for Us

[randiliana]

Well, it has been an interesting start to calving around here. Lots of cows and heifers calving at the start, they waited for the due date, but then dropped with a bang. Course the weather was kinda miserable too, so that might have had something to do with it. Started off a few days early on Fegb 26 with a set of twins, one breech, but turned out well enough, both alive, although they are a heifer/bull set. Oh well..... Then Feb 29, due date, we had 2 one born fine and unassisted, the other one was dead when we found it, I think either it was backwards or had the sac over its head. The next day we had 2 born without problems, then another breech, at 5am. Gotta say, I love my video camera! Saved 2 calves that night because of it, the breech and another born outside in some nasty weather. Then we had 3 heifers in a row we had trouble with, one was just a head coming, no front feet, didn't figure there was a problem til it was too late, dead calf and a vet bill. Sucks, but what can you do, at least it wasn't a c-section. One of the others was a normal presentation, but taking too long, the other was upside down. Getting a little gunshy now, what with 3 malpresentations in 2 days. But since then everything has gone well, so crossing my fingers here, but hopefully we've got the trouble out of the way. Had 2 heifers calve today by themselves, one with a set of twins, so hopefully that means the trouble is done with. Weather has straightened out now too. 20 down, only 220 left to go.....

So here's some photos for you all.....

First set of twins

This one got a new mama....Appears the adoption went quite well.

2nd set of twins...

A heifer we bought from Coyote... Shorthorn x Angus.

The Breech calf

And the other one that was saved by the camera

The other adoptee, this one went well too, kicked them out with the rest after 24 hours...

And some of the other calves

Big Stretch

And the freshest one, this heifers a pretty good mama....

 

[RSL]

That looks like a pretty good start...No matter how prepared you are.
Your comment on weather is interesting. I just sent 3 million calving records with postal codes to a study at U of C where they are going to try to tie calving records with weather events. I will let you know what (if anything) they find out. I think pressure drops make calves too.

 

[PATB]

Change in weather brings on calving in my experience.

 

[3words]

Randiliana did you say that camera has already saved calves that otherwise would be dead?How many calves have you saved already because of that camera?

 

[North Ridge Ranching]

I am a little nervous about starting calving next week for this year as last year was the best year on record at our place. Calved out 97 head, sold 81 calves and kept 18 replacements. My math is not that good but that means we had 99 calves off of 97 cows. We only had 2 sets of twins and both cows had to raise them. I was touching every piece of wood all summer long as we were over 100% at calving and never had one dead calf. Summer went great and we never lost a single calf last year. That could be a once in a lifetime experience. Needless to say, I can't go up from last year so I am a little nervous about this calving season.

 

[randiliana]

Randiliana did you say that camera has already saved calves that otherwise would be dead?How many calves have you saved already because of that camera?

Honestly, I would just say the 2 and one of those was kinda incidental, but we've only got 20 calves on the ground right now.

We had 2 cows that we thought were going to calve that night in the barn since it was really cold out. DH went out @ 2:30 to check outside and nothing was happening there then. I got up @ about 4:30 an since I was up, I checked the camera out. Saw one cow was calving. Figured that since I was up, I would go out and check, and by the time I was done that she would have calved, I wasn't going to go back to sleep til she calved anyways. When I got out, there was a brand new calf. It was cold enough (-18 and windy) that I pulled it up to the barn and put it inside, I'm pretty sure that by 6:30-7 when we would have checked next, normally, that calf would have been pretty cold and possibly dead. When I got up to the barn, the cow in there still hadn't calved so I checked her out and it was a full breech. Got it pulled and it was in pretty good shape.

 

[randiliana]

I am a little nervous about starting calving next week for this year as last year was the best year on record at our place. Calved out 97 head, sold 81 calves and kept 18 replacements. My math is not that good but that means we had 99 calves off of 97 cows. We only had 2 sets of twins and both cows had to raise them. I was touching every piece of wood all summer long as we were over 100% at calving and never had one dead calf. Summer went great and we never lost a single calf last year. That could be a once in a lifetime experience. Needless to say, I can't go up from last year so I am a little nervous about this calving season.

We had a year kinda like that last year too. Lost 2 calves and had 3 sets of twins. Adopted 2 out and one cow raised both.

 

[gcreekrch]

I am a little nervous about starting calving next week for this year as last year was the best year on record at our place. Calved out 97 head, sold 81 calves and kept 18 replacements. My math is not that good but that means we had 99 calves off of 97 cows. We only had 2 sets of twins and both cows had to raise them. I was touching every piece of wood all summer long as we were over 100% at calving and never had one dead calf. Summer went great and we never lost a single calf last year. That could be a once in a lifetime experience. Needless to say, I can't go up from last year so I am a little nervous about this calving season.

Like you, we have nothing to look forward to. :lol:

In 07 we calved 298 females. 9 sets of twins and 4 total losses from birth to yearlings the next spring. The icing on the cake was backgrounding our .90 cent calves and selling them in May for $1.20. :wink:

We didn't have any bucket calves either.

 

[North Ridge Ranching]

By the way, I forgot to mention, I enjoyed the pictures. I don't have any of those red calves anymore since we started running black bulls three years ago.

I may have used the wrong words in the last post. I guess there is always something to look forward to or else why would we be doing this. I just know that it is tough to have two years in a row like that. I would like to attribute it to good management but that might be a stretch. :wink: :wink:

 

[George]

Mine are due to start Mar 10th but then K 16 got an early start and had a smokey bull the 28th of Dec. ( She had the first claf last year on Jan 16th and the last as well )

Right now the forcast is for great weather for claving.

 

[WyomingRancher]

Calving will go well for everybody else on Ranchers.net since I've taken enough losses and had enough wrecks for all of us combined this year :???:. Between horrible weather, predators, and bad luck, I'm ready to put this year behind me... if I survive it! Good luck to those just starting, or are about to begin.

 

[George]

Calving will go well for everybody else on Ranchers.net since I've taken enough losses and had enough wrecks for all of us combined this year :???:. Between horrible weather, predators, and bad luck, I'm ready to put this year behind me... if I survive it! Good luck to those just starting, or are about to begin.

I am so sorry to hear of your issues - - - I have said a quick prayer that the rest will make up for the problems you have suffered so far.

 

[gcreekrch]

Calving will go well for everybody else on Ranchers.net since I've taken enough losses and had enough wrecks for all of us combined this year :???:. Between horrible weather, predators, and bad luck, I'm ready to put this year behind me... if I survive it! Good luck to those just starting, or are about to begin.

I've said it before and will say it again. No matter how hard you try or how well you prepare, you CAN'T kill them all. :wink:

Hope the ending is better.

The neighbor gal down the road is not having a good start either. We've had 2 cows abort in the last month.

 

[randiliana]

Geez WR, I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully things will straighten out for you. We've had bad years and good years, they all seem to even out in the end...

 

[Jake]

Seems like it's been a rough season for a lot of folks. We have had mroe trouble this year than the past 5 combined. BWs seem to be ten pounds heavier on average out of the same matings. Mild winter must have been too easy on the cows is all I can figure.

 

[3words]

Calving will go well for everybody else on Ranchers.net since I've taken enough losses and had enough wrecks for all of us combined this year :???:. Between horrible weather, predators, and bad luck, I'm ready to put this year behind me... if I survive it! Good luck to those just starting, or are about to begin.

Sorry to hear that,hopefully everything will start going right for you.I have had years like that to.You get so fed up with everything you are about ready to sell the cows and get rid of the agony.Then you go into the pen where all the pairs are,and see the calves running around and playing and some of them come to you for a pet and you soon seem to forget about selling those cows.Hope your luck changes real quick!!!

 

[Soapweed]

We had a fluke deal yesterday. A calf got out in a pond on Peach's last shift of the night. The calf was a bit chilled, but lively. She dragged the calf out. It looked like it would be okay, but she did tell me to especially check that calf. I saw what appeared to be a newborn calf with a sack over its face, so hurried over to see if I could save it. The calf was the same one that had come out of the pond, but the mother had eliminated her afterbirth on top of the calf's head, and thus also eliminated its ability to breathe. That calf, like Bill Grogan's goat, was doomed to die, but unlike Bill Grogan's goat, the goat lived but the calf perished. In my sixty years experience, this is the first time a calf was smothered by the cow's afterbirth. :? :roll:

This morning a cow got over on her back while calving, and both the cow and calf are goners.

Stuff happens, and it ain't always good stuff.