170Lb calf

[regenwether]

I was in the chatting with a young guy who does show cattle. Nice guy who makes a full time living off this type of cattle. He showed me a picture on his cell phone of a dead 170+ calf. I looked at it and ask him "What the hell is that out of!". He just blurted out some fancy show cattle. I think he said it is a Heat Wave son and yes there is some Maine in there.

Why! Why! Why! :roll: I don't understand that world. Both the cow and the calf is dead. I know they can make a pile of money off them show cattle but how often does that stuff happen.

Yes it was a C-section. The guy said "they do a lot of that". I don't like it when my calves are over 95lbs.

 

[novaman]

Nobody likes overly large calves at birth. I had a very big one a couple years ago. I won't say how big because I mentioned it in the past and everyone called me a liar. The point is there are some freaky things that go on with hormones or environment that can cause some crazy stuff. My guess is with show cattle they are getting pampered with high protein feeds and the calves are turning into monsters before they hit the air.

 

[showing71]

My neighbor wanted me to go to some class on how to do C-sections. He does the club calf thing too, and every year he has quite a few cows he does C-sections on (he gets 150# calves sometimes). He thought that way, both him and I would know how to perform them and could help each other out if one needed to be performed. I laughed at him, there's no reason I'd need to know how. I've only had to do 1 C-section in my life. If I'm having that problem where I need to learn how to do my own, I'm getting out of the business.

 

[Lucky_P]

I'm not conversant on it, but I would suspect that anyone 'teaching' laymen to perform Caesarian sections on cows would be in violation of the Iowa Veterinary Practice Act.
http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stus ... 20.htm#s4A

Perhaps if it's your own animal, you might not be in violation of the practice act in doing one, but I guess I have a hard time making the case that performing a C-section fits into the normal 'accepted livestock management' category.

 

[showing71]

I'm not conversant on it, but I would suspect that anyone 'teaching' laymen to perform Caesarian sections on cows would be in violation of the Iowa Veterinary Practice Act.
http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stus ... 20.htm#s4A

Perhaps if it's your own animal, you might not be in violation of the practice act in doing one, but I guess I have a hard time making the case that performing a C-section fits into the normal 'accepted livestock management' category.

I don't know where he got that idea, I didn't get into it much with him. And you're exactly right, it shouldn't fit into the normal livestock management.

 

[iowa hawkeyes]

I bet you $10 that was a PHA + calf which can result in huge birthweights.

 

[dun]

According to a guy that used to post here from europe, C-sections are normal and owner performed in BB herds

 

[Santas and Duhram Reds]

no personal experience with PHA but he would be able to tell by looking at the calf if it was PHA wouldn't he

 

[c farmer]

What is PHA?

 

[Santas and Duhram Reds]

It is a genetic defect that is usually exclusive to shorthorn and maine anjous. Animals can be carriers and be fine but if an animal has PHA it is born dead and grossly deformed

 

[harry]

I bet you $10 that was a PHA + calf which can result in huge birthweights.

I was thinking the same thing could of been th mixed in with it to.

Santas and Durham Reds is right that a PHA calf is obvious, looks like something prehistoric,and I will add that a TH affected calf has no significant weight difference from a unaffected calf.