Calf with contracted tendons.

[Bright Raven]

Mineral program is fair but we do use a good high mag mineral. Sometimes we forget to move or fill the feeders up, but I buy a ton or more mineral per year.
I ship anything that has or had a problem or causes me grief. She's a good registered Angus cow. But I decided a few years ago, I'm not making any excuses for my cows.

Make sure your mineral is chelated. That assures that it is bioavailable. Why does everyone focus on MAGNESIUM? It is important but no more so than copper, selenium, zinc, manganese, etc. Minerals are essential for normal body functions.

I cannot see a justification for culling based on contracted tendons.

My FIL has a cow that has had 3 or 4 calves with contracted tendons. Interestingly, she is a lone wolf. Stands off from the herd, never comes for pellets, and we have never seen her at the mineral feeder(he watches his cows pretty close too.)

That could be the correlation with the calves with contracted tendons! As you know Brad, minerals like copper, zinc, selenium, etc are critical structural inorganic atoms in otherwise organic compounds. Many enzymes and metabolic catalysts have Iron as a structural inorganic atom in an otherwise organic compound - hemoglobin is one of the classic examples. If you are low in Iron, you lack adequate hemoglobin and are declared to be anemic.

Same way with muscles and tendons. If that cow is not availing herself of minerals, the calves are coming into the world at a disadvantage.

Having said that, Most contracted tendons are due to the physical constraints of the uterus and are more pronounced in larger calves. The calf I had this year with CT was not a mineral deficiency. He was just big.

 

[Redgully]

Mineral program is fair but we do use a good high mag mineral. Sometimes we forget to move or fill the feeders up, but I buy a ton or more mineral per year.
I ship anything that has or had a problem or causes me grief. She's a good registered Angus cow. But I decided a few years ago, I'm not making any excuses for my cows.

I tend to agree in a way. So many cows need to be culled a year and young ones brought in. I always cull ones that have had an issue of some sort wether their fault or not. I still help every cow that needs help but if they need help for one thing or another they become marked as cull when herd size allows.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Mineral program is fair but we do use a good high mag mineral. Sometimes we forget to move or fill the feeders up, but I buy a ton or more mineral per year.
I ship anything that has or had a problem or causes me grief. She's a good registered Angus cow. But I decided a few years ago, I'm not making any excuses for my cows.

I tend to agree in a way. So many cows need to be culled a year and young ones brought in. I always cull ones that have had an issue of some sort wether their fault or not. I still help every cow that needs help but if they need help for one thing or another they become marked as cull when herd size allows.

That's the way I see this cow, I have some jam up heifers that I'll keep before I sell them cheap. I'm sure not going to blame the contracted tendons on the calf. This is the first calf that we've had with contracted tendons in over 500 calves. Common sense tells me if it was a mineral issue we'd of had more issues.

 

[Bright Raven]

Mineral program is fair but we do use a good high mag mineral. Sometimes we forget to move or fill the feeders up, but I buy a ton or more mineral per year.
I ship anything that has or had a problem or causes me grief. She's a good registered Angus cow. But I decided a few years ago, I'm not making any excuses for my cows.

I tend to agree in a way. So many cows need to be culled a year and young ones brought in. I always cull ones that have had an issue of some sort wether their fault or not. I still help every cow that needs help but if they need help for one thing or another they become marked as cull when herd size allows.

That's the way I see this cow, I have some jam up heifers that I'll keep before I sell them cheap. I'm sure not going to blame the contracted tendons on the calf. This is the first calf that we've had with contracted tendons in over 500 calves. Common sense tells me if it was a mineral issue we'd of had more issues.

I doubt it is your mineral program. I did not mean to imply that. I was only curious in asking. If this is your first case, it was probably due to fetal position.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I tend to agree in a way. So many cows need to be culled a year and young ones brought in. I always cull ones that have had an issue of some sort wether their fault or not. I still help every cow that needs help but if they need help for one thing or another they become marked as cull when herd size allows.

That's the way I see this cow, I have some jam up heifers that I'll keep before I sell them cheap. I'm sure not going to blame the contracted tendons on the calf. This is the first calf that we've had with contracted tendons in over 500 calves. Common sense tells me if it was a mineral issue we'd of had more issues.

I doubt it is your mineral program. I did not mean to imply that. I was only curious in asking. If this is your first case, it was probably due to fetal position.

I could see if we were having large calves where there could be issues. Our two dead calves this year were our biggest and the one I weighed was 87lbs. We've had 7 sets of twins and no contacted tendons. I would think that room in the uterus would be an issue with twins?

 

[Nesikep]

I've only VERY rarely seen it in heifers, it seems like the steers/bulls get it much more often

He must have just gotten up here, it's not showing too bad, but after he's been up a while you can see him get tired

Biggest steer of the year, I'm keeping him over winter.. big lazy guy, all he wants to do is eat, he's round like his momma in the 5th pic

 

[True Grit Farms]

Well the calf is finally running around normal. The right hoof was normal for over a week before the left finally decided to get right. The calf is growing great and everything is going good.

 

[slick4591]

Well the calf is finally running around normal. The right hoof was normal for over a week before the left finally decided to get right. The calf is growing great and everything is going good.

Good deal!

 

[Bright Raven]

Well the calf is finally running around normal. The right hoof was normal for over a week before the left finally decided to get right. The calf is growing great and everything is going good.

It did take some time but no damage done!

 

[True Grit Farms]

Well the calf is finally running around normal. The right hoof was normal for over a week before the left finally decided to get right. The calf is growing great and everything is going good.

It did take some time but no damage done!

I sure had my doubts. A calf walking around on it's tippy toes is something I don't need to see again.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

And, you may never again.