Let me start by saying how much I appreciate the "veterans" sharing knowlege with us "rookies". This board has become a huge source of information for me. This has been the worse week in my young cattle growing experience. 2 nights ago I had a cow down in the edge of the pond. It was about 35 degrees with rain. She had been there for a couple of hours when I found her as best as I could tell. About half of her body was underwater. I was able to hook her to the tractor and get her out. WHen I got her out she was weak and I couldn't get her up. I worked with her for about an hour until she was trying to get up. I finally put hay around her trying to warm her up and gave her some grain and hay to eat on and I left. She didn't make it through the night. Could the cold water have caused this or was there another problem that caused her to go down in the first place. All signs just showed she slipped down the levee and was in a wash out that she couldn't get out of. Not meaning to write a book here but along with finding her dead the next morning I found another cow impaled on the hay spear on the tractor. Looked like she tried to go between the spear and the barn wall and couldn't so she backed up. Both were heavy breds so it has not been a good week. Any ideas on either case is appreciated!
Bad cow week!
- Thread starter Lazyacre
- Start date
Helped a friends son pull a cow out of a dugout one day - she broke through the ice - no idea how long she was there, but she was real hypothermic when she got out - made it though.
As for the cow impaled - sounds more like a fight and was pushed - or flight and she ran on.
I always park the tractor with the spear pointed straight down - sometimes it goes into the ground a bit - but usually the ground is hard enough it is not a problem. Spear is tough enough it can easily bear the weight of the loader as the hydraulic pressure bleeds off .....
I do this because I watched a woman back into the front of my tractor one day. The spear went through the rear window. If someone had been sitting there - it would have gone right through. The kicker here?
It went through the rear window and ran right across the top of a baby seat. Fortunately it was empty at the time. You have given me another reason to keep on parking this way.
Regards
Bez
As for the cow impaled - sounds more like a fight and was pushed - or flight and she ran on.
I always park the tractor with the spear pointed straight down - sometimes it goes into the ground a bit - but usually the ground is hard enough it is not a problem. Spear is tough enough it can easily bear the weight of the loader as the hydraulic pressure bleeds off .....
I do this because I watched a woman back into the front of my tractor one day. The spear went through the rear window. If someone had been sitting there - it would have gone right through. The kicker here?
It went through the rear window and ran right across the top of a baby seat. Fortunately it was empty at the time. You have given me another reason to keep on parking this way.
Regards
Bez
frenchie
Well-known member
Before you beat yourself up too bad....Things happen to us all, :( It,s just the nature of the business.
Well, i'm having a bad computer week! and i just typed a long response to this post only to find out that i had to restart my computer. so now im ticked off. but my response was something like this but longer:
as far as the cow in the pond goes, she probably died from a combination of shock and hypothermia. you probably would have noticed something was up otherwise. was she weak? old? thin? wormy? etc? you seem to think she slid. some cows tend to mentally "give up" pretty easily in stressful situations after they struggle a few times. others fight. she was probably tired of struggling and in shock when you found her. as far as hypothermia goes you can get that in warm water over a long period of time.
about the impaled cow--thats just dumb (the cow) and weird. from now on rest the fork on the ground and/or tilt it down when not in use. did i mention cows are dumb. they are smart enough to get out, thats about it. sorry about your run of bad luck. it runs in spurts like that though.
as far as the cow in the pond goes, she probably died from a combination of shock and hypothermia. you probably would have noticed something was up otherwise. was she weak? old? thin? wormy? etc? you seem to think she slid. some cows tend to mentally "give up" pretty easily in stressful situations after they struggle a few times. others fight. she was probably tired of struggling and in shock when you found her. as far as hypothermia goes you can get that in warm water over a long period of time.
about the impaled cow--thats just dumb (the cow) and weird. from now on rest the fork on the ground and/or tilt it down when not in use. did i mention cows are dumb. they are smart enough to get out, thats about it. sorry about your run of bad luck. it runs in spurts like that though.
Double R Ranch
Well-known member
frenchie":1ijqlpmq said:
Perfectly put!!! :D
You know the expression "when it rains - it pours". Well, we've all been in your boat. Just keep your head above water & it'll pass.
Sorry for your losses. Hang in there.
The first cow in the water, MAY have had something wrong with her to make her slip down the bank. Just keep it in mind in case you see any other cattle acting weak/ill. Than you know you have a problem & need to call a vet. But, otherwise, like you said, she may have just slipped.
Sorry for your losses. Hang in there.
The first cow in the water, MAY have had something wrong with her to make her slip down the bank. Just keep it in mind in case you see any other cattle acting weak/ill. Than you know you have a problem & need to call a vet. But, otherwise, like you said, she may have just slipped.
D.R. Cattle
Well-known member
Bez":3tb035ep said:
Bez":3tb035ep said:
Move South!
shorty
Well-known member
I try not to leave a tractor or truck in with the cattle unless I'm right there when I'm done I take it out of the pen , Years ago I was hauling manure and left the loader tractor in the pen while I went to empty the spreader, when I came back there was a steer standing there with a spark plug wire in his mouth, needless to say they were all gone but I did find them all, Luckily I had another olld tractor like that so I could tell where wires all went. Since that I don't leave anything in their reach that I don't want them to have.
sidney411
Well-known member
I am sorry for you losses, like was said, bad things usually happen in groups. Murphy's Law, I guess.
Anyway, we store our tracters in the barn so they are in better shape but we always put anything hydrolic down on the ground anytime the tractor is parked. It is too dangerous to leave equipment suspended. What if someone or some animal decided to take advantage of the shade provided by the bucket? (I have seen our dog do this) and there just happens to be a hydrolic line bust? That bucket (or any other equipment) is going strait to the ground with no time for anything to move. Cows and expecially calves are curious, someone might take a chewing to a hydrolic line, who know what they will do.
Anyway, we store our tracters in the barn so they are in better shape but we always put anything hydrolic down on the ground anytime the tractor is parked. It is too dangerous to leave equipment suspended. What if someone or some animal decided to take advantage of the shade provided by the bucket? (I have seen our dog do this) and there just happens to be a hydrolic line bust? That bucket (or any other equipment) is going strait to the ground with no time for anything to move. Cows and expecially calves are curious, someone might take a chewing to a hydrolic line, who know what they will do.
D.R. Cattle
Well-known member
Bez":1hhkggtb said:
They would not let you move to the U.S? Or they would not offer support?
D.R. Cattle
Support? Do not know what you mean. When we were in the process of looking to buy we started working with the gov to look at getting into the U.S. of A.
We were told we do not fit the immigration criteria. Never truly found out what that meant. I have a security clearance, so no criminal record. We needed no money or fed help, we were self sufficient, educated and healthy. Prepared to invest in the country.
Let's not go too deep here - it will make me look like a whiner! :lol:
Bottom line were not approved for immigration. Not sure why but it happens / ed. So we dropped the sale offer.
I now live on the north side of the border and raise cattle - far too many, sell investments, do a little estate planning and continually look for better ways to make the cattle pay. We participate in various research programs, sit on a few boards, are involved politically with a few organizations and are fairly well known in some areas.
Fairly straight forward kinda' folk in this house.
Stay well,
Bez
Support? Do not know what you mean. When we were in the process of looking to buy we started working with the gov to look at getting into the U.S. of A.
We were told we do not fit the immigration criteria. Never truly found out what that meant. I have a security clearance, so no criminal record. We needed no money or fed help, we were self sufficient, educated and healthy. Prepared to invest in the country.
Let's not go too deep here - it will make me look like a whiner! :lol:
Bottom line were not approved for immigration. Not sure why but it happens / ed. So we dropped the sale offer.
I now live on the north side of the border and raise cattle - far too many, sell investments, do a little estate planning and continually look for better ways to make the cattle pay. We participate in various research programs, sit on a few boards, are involved politically with a few organizations and are fairly well known in some areas.
Fairly straight forward kinda' folk in this house.
Stay well,
Bez
"I have a security clearance, so no criminal record. We needed no money or fed help, we were self sufficient, educated and healthy. Prepared to invest in the country."
There's your problem. If you had a "troubled" past, were too poor to feed yourself, had no job, skills, education, and hated America; then you would have been welcomed with open arms. The gov. probably would have given you interest free loans, paid for you and all your children to go to college, and you wouldn't have had to pay taxes for a few years either.
If you ever try it again, try to look as helpless as possible, and it wouldn't hurt to pretend that you can't speak english either. :D [/quote]
There's your problem. If you had a "troubled" past, were too poor to feed yourself, had no job, skills, education, and hated America; then you would have been welcomed with open arms. The gov. probably would have given you interest free loans, paid for you and all your children to go to college, and you wouldn't have had to pay taxes for a few years either.
If you ever try it again, try to look as helpless as possible, and it wouldn't hurt to pretend that you can't speak english either. :D [/quote]
ChrisB
Well, I have sure hijacked this thread.
Not to sure how to hate a country. I may have had issues with individuals in my life time - but we all have had that experience. Tough to blame an entire country on that.
Any idea how a person could "hate America?" It's a country - made up of individuals therefore not something that is hmmmmm... is "hateable" even a word?
Great place - have been through almost all of the States at one time or another and almost always completely enjoyed myself.
If we go down because of BSE would it be possible to claim refugee status?
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Cheers
Bez
Well, I have sure hijacked this thread.
Not to sure how to hate a country. I may have had issues with individuals in my life time - but we all have had that experience. Tough to blame an entire country on that.
Any idea how a person could "hate America?" It's a country - made up of individuals therefore not something that is hmmmmm... is "hateable" even a word?
Great place - have been through almost all of the States at one time or another and almost always completely enjoyed myself.
If we go down because of BSE would it be possible to claim refugee status?
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Cheers
Bez
D.R. Cattle
Well-known member
Chris B I've been trying to think of the words, but you selected them for me. Thanks.
CKC1586
Well-known member
Lazyacre; my Grandpa used to put things in perspective when we would loose an animal, "it is best to keep death in the barn."
skyeagle
Well-known member
Goes both ways bez I was in Canada got the boot from your Imgration
people for no reason other than thay took to long with my papers.
cost me more than 50,000.00 and still counting. sorry but not much
good to say about Canada here.
people for no reason other than thay took to long with my papers.
cost me more than 50,000.00 and still counting. sorry but not much
good to say about Canada here.
skyeagle:
This all started because I made an off hand comment in response to an off hand comment. Both of those comments were made in a lighthearted and well meaning tone.
D.R. Cattle wrote
I wrote:
I tried and:
We have kept it light hearted because that is just the way it is. Have to accept things we cannot change sometimes.
You wrote:
So I will go back to one of my original comments:
You took a kicking - and it hurt - and you are bitter - do not know your details - none of my business.
Let's stay on the light side of a potential whiners conference. There is always two sides to a story. Too many good people here could get po'd over things none of us have any control over.
In the long run it ain't worth it.
Regards,
Bez
This all started because I made an off hand comment in response to an off hand comment. Both of those comments were made in a lighthearted and well meaning tone.
D.R. Cattle wrote
I wrote:
I tried and:
We have kept it light hearted because that is just the way it is. Have to accept things we cannot change sometimes.
You wrote:
So I will go back to one of my original comments:
You took a kicking - and it hurt - and you are bitter - do not know your details - none of my business.
Let's stay on the light side of a potential whiners conference. There is always two sides to a story. Too many good people here could get po'd over things none of us have any control over.
In the long run it ain't worth it.
Regards,
Bez
jerry27150
Well-known member
didn't you ask what the immigration criteria was? i would have. i thought almost anyone could move from canada to u s or vice versa. maybe you should have told them you couldn't practice your religion there.
good luck!
good luck!
