• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

Two Strikes and You're Out

S

sic 'em reds

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 22, 2006
Messages
623
Location
WA
Last year, I had a 1st calf heifer slip a calf 12 days earlier than her due date. Gave her a chance with a holstein calf that she did a heck of a job raising. Weaned off at 750ish.

Well, this morning she did it again before I got out there. She was due on the 10th, so 12 days again. Got her another holstein to raise, but she won't go with a bull this year, run her until July and can her.

Anyone ever given a heifer a second chance and had something like this happen? I can see doing it once, but not anymore since she did the same thing last year.

Worst part is she's a registered Angus cow with a power pedigree of good maternal cattle. Guess I'll just do what all the other big boys do and flush her!!!!...................Yeah right!!!!!!!!!!
 
Instead of looking at her.......look at what you may be doing. It could be something that triggers it.
 
If all the others are OK and she has a bad record then ship away. If they all are having the problem then worry about management. She wouldn't have received the second chance here.
 
If she does such a good job of raising a calf,and she has such good breeding.Why don't you just lock her up for a couple of weeks in a pen,when you turn the bulls out.Then let her go later to get bred?Then when your other cows start calving,you will be watching them and you will be ready for her to calve.Not all cows run the 9 month gestation period,have had cows go 8 and a half months up to almost 10 months.Those almost 10 month old calves are always monster's though.
 
Cattle are supposed to work for me, not the other way around. What's the point in keeping a cow that won't birth a live calf?? Especially when she did the same thing twice in a row.

Management is the same as it was last year, not much has changed but the date, so I don't see what could trigger her to deliver two dead calves in a row.

I get the short gestation thing, but twice in a row??? And dead calves both times???
 
3words said:
If she does such a good job of raising a calf,and she has such good breeding.Why don't you just lock her up for a couple of weeks in a pen,when you turn the bulls out.Then let her go later to get bred?Then when your other cows start calving,you will be watching them and you will be ready for her to calve.Not all cows run the 9 month gestation period,have had cows go 8 and a half months up to almost 10 months.Those almost 10 month old calves are always monster's though.
Click to expand...


This could be the reason. I've some cows that will breed with everyone else....but I know to look out for them earlier as they will always be the first ones up, every time.

I guess it's a time issue. I have the time to watch them close......most folks don't.
 
sic 'em reds said:
Cattle are supposed to work for me, not the other way around. What's the point in keeping a cow that won't birth a live calf?? Especially when she did the same thing twice in a row.

I agree with you on that,i just figured you must really want to keep this cow if you are willing to work with her,drafting a magpie on her 2 years in a row.If a cow looses a calf around here,it's to market for her in a month no exception's.If a cow looses it and it's my fault,she has a chance of staying if i like her,but she will be ran dry for the year,unless i have a set of twins i might draft one on her.
Click to expand...
 
i would ship,and ship her fast before you soften.even though she is a purebred cow do you want to pass this on to your customers when and if she ever has a live calf.as a breeder of simmentals i have culled some good cows for less.but 2 time loosers are definately culled
 
Out of all the cows I've given a second chance to, 95% of them go on to screw up again... maybe not in the same way, and maybe not the next year, but they still are destined to mess up. I wouldn't care what her pedigree was, if she can't maintain a pregnancy, deliver and wean a live calf, her value is only of a cull. Sell her and don't look back :wink: .
 
Maybe the calves were born backwards I had a cow that had backwards calves almost every year.If the umbilicle cord broke before birth that would explain the dead calf.
 
if you need a tax write off keep her. if you can run her with out any costs for the next year keep her,or if you need a yard ornament keep her. if you answered NO to at least one of these points put her on the first trailer to the nearest sale
 
To misquote the immortal bard-"Much Ado about a cull heifer". As a lowly commercial man I would not be impressed if I found out the bull I bought was the first one a cow raised at age four. When I was a kid my Dad had a real nice Charolais cross cow-we calved early then and two years in a row she broke out went a mile or so back in the bush and fed the coyotes. She tasted really good-not really her fault the yotes killed her calf but....
 
gcreekrch said:
I can't remember where I heard it first but it has stuck here.......

"A cow must produce something every year, even if it is herself. :wink:
Click to expand...
Check Shortgrass's post above. :wink:

sic 'em reds said:
Worst part is she's a registered Angus cow with a power pedigree of good maternal cattle. Guess I'll just do what all the other big boys do and flush her!!!!...................Yeah right!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, too much truth to that statement. :?

12 days early is not an excuse for a dead calf.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top