Third wreck of the season

[Battleriver]

Well I was down to two to calve out. So like the micromanager I am I kept them both near my heifer pen that I am Ai ing in so I can keep track of them. Was predicting 4 inches of snow on friday so I left them in. Had to be gone all day yesterday and totally forgot to look in. This am look at them to find a dead 110lb bull calf dead by a bale feeder. not sure if born dead or just stepped on. Likely would have been better off in back 40 to let nature look after things. that makes 3 dead calves this year, all due to mishaps, pretty discouraging when calf prices are high. This is why i hate stragglers and cull them each year. I have never had any calves stepped on in 10 years. Its hard to say why this one died, either stepped on, was too big and weak and long labour or did not nurse. I cannot wait for last one to be done.

 

[jodywy]

as Gcreek would say you can't kill them all.... :roll:

 

[Faster horses]

They can live for days without nursing, so I don't think that is it.

Those darn big calves, they just can't get going like the little ones.
Sorry you lost him. And I hear ya about leaving them turned out--
20-20 hindsight. We had a heifer in the barn, she had calved, everything
was cool. Next time we went up there, later that day, we found
her dead. She had her head stuck beteen the rails on a panel and hung herself. We have no idea how she even got her head in there!!!
Not only can we not kill them all, they can't all kill themselves either!!! :?

Didn't you say on your other 'wreck' post that you were running 97%
live calves? I'd pat myself on the back for that. That is exceptional.
Don't be so hard on yourself.

Good luck with that last one!!

Good rancher lady told me not to count the death loss til you run
the calves across the scale for the buyer in the fall. Then you know...

 

[gcreekrch]

Some years are just one Gulf Crisis after another......

Sounds like your percentages are not bad considering. Every one lost hurts for a time, you just learn to keep looking forward to the next one.