Calving

[jcissell]

Don't you love it when your first time calvers decide to start having their calf right at dark on the day when the temp is suppose to hit those single digits and snow is suppose to come? I have 20 brangus heifers that should be having their calves from mid nov. through feb. My first had hers right about the middle of Nov. and haven't had anymore until today and we have 2. Bad day to decide to calf.

Josh

 

[dun]

That's the reason we calve from the last week in Feb though March. Th weather has the possibiilyr of still being pretty bad, but the odds of it not being real awful are a whole lot better then.

dun

 

[jcissell]

well just got back in from the pasture and the calf that was born after dark is dead. I thought I got it dried off good enough. Guess I should have put it in my truck until it was so frisky I couldn't hold it in there any longer.

Dun the last few days it was 50. This cold of weather is kind of unusual. But they just have to calve today. It's really sad watching the mother sit next to her calf not knowing its dead. When I bought these heifers I thought they were suppose to be done calving by mid Nov.

Next time I will be sure the calf is up and going really good before I leave. I always have to learn the lessons the hard way.

Josh

 

[dun]

Weather wise we're in the same boat. This has been a very mild winter so far, only a few days in the 30's and nights in the single digits sofar. All that changes tomorrow and the snow and miserable cold weather arrives with vengence. The really bad part is the winds. Lately anything under 20 mph is calm.
To the meat of the matter. Sometimes no matter what we do, calves die, even those that appear to be doing ok. Providing some type of shelter, i.e. trees, brush, a break in the hills, all will help a calf make it even in miseerable weather. I know the feeling of loosing calves that you figured were making it. You just have to suck it up and go on. You can't change the past results, just hiopefully prevent it from happening again.
Most people figure you should sell the heifer/cow that lost the calf. I have a different view on the subject (as usual).
Wit hthe price of females now, financially you might do ok, but what would it cost to replace her with another one that is as good or better? What will this cow cost you to keep her as a barren cow till she calves next year. In the past we've kept two that lost calves through no fault of there own. We figured what they were worth and what it would cost to replace them. We ended up keeping them and haven't been disappointed. Niether one was replacable with equal or better quality for what the difference in their value and the replacments plus the cost of feed. If you bought an open yearling to replace her, you;ld still have to feed it for a year till you got a calf.
Sorry, didn't mena to run on........

dun

 

[CattleAnnie]

Sorry about your luck, Josh.

In my experience, if you've got cows bagging up and the barometric pressure drops, you're almost always guaranteed to have some calves born. Kind of like Murphy's Law, that one.

Take care and better luck with the rest of the girls.

 

[cattle_gal]

Barometric pressure will do it just like Annie says. If there is a front coming through (snow or cold) I expect to have calves pop the day before and at the start of the front. Last year I had 25 one day, nice day, the next day was the storm. I was greatful they popped before the storm. But it's usually right in the middle of the storm or cold.

 

[TheBullLady]

No doubt about it.. that's Murphy's law. As soon as the weather turns crappy, all your heifers will calve.

I've got a Brahman in the yard right now I've been watching for over a week. We've got a nasty cold front coming through tomorrow night.. which means I'm SURE that's when she'll calve.

So sorry for your loss Josh. It doesn't get any easier to take over the years, but you'll get to the point where you'll stop beating yourself up over things like that. Like Dun said.. sometimes calves just die.

Good luck with the rest!

 

[docgraybull]

It stinks to lose calves, especially when you have been anticipating them, monitor the calving and assume they are doing fine. Now what to do? I agree with Dun, assuming these are some heifers that you are otherwise proud of. If you have the time, I would recommend getting a calf (from a dairy or the sale barn) and grafting it on the heifer. It takes some effort, but is worth it, in my opinion. I have done it several times and every time, about the 2nd or 3rd day into it I'm wondering "Why the heck am I doing this again?" But when she finally claims the calf and chases the dog out of the corral and softly and sweetly bellers to the calf, it is rewarding. Plus, it teaches her how to raise a calf, so she'll do well with the next one. With a calf on her, it increases your options. You can sell her as a pair, which will bring much more through the ring than an open heifer. You can breed her back and sell the calf separately, and sell her as a bred cow, which will usually also bring more through the ring than an open heifer. Or, you can breed her back and keep her, and sell the grafted calf after it is weaned.

 

[jcissell]

I have 4 that I think will have within the next few days and only worse weather coming freezing rain/snow. I think one will drop tonight. I wish all would drop tonight b/c the temp is way up. I just feel bad b/c I didn't realize just the cold temps with no moisture would be that rough on the calf. I still have another calf that was born yesterday that I can't find. I hope it is just hidden well and not dead too. Guess I have to learn the hard way.

Josh

 

[jcissell]

Ok.... Now my newest calf if 3 days old and is doing great. But it is getting really nasty outside. Do I need to worry about it getting too cold and freezing now? They have places to get out of the wind and weather.

Josh

 

[Texan]

Do I need to worry about it getting too cold and freezing now? They have places to get out of the wind and weather.

Since they can get out of the wind and weather, it sounds to me like they've got it made, Josh. Others may argue, but in my opinion its time to let momma raise the calf and you go on to other worries.......

 

[Jake]

It always seems to work for us that if there is a calf to be born it's either gunna get cold, gunna snow, gunna rain, sleet, hail, be blistering hot. Anything that can go wrong weather wise will.

 

[TheBullLady]

As long as they have somewhere to go to get out of the weather, cow and calf should be fine.

Good luck with the rest!

 

[houstoncutter]

I have to agree with Texan, if they have a full belly, and the proper minerals, its up to the cow to raise that calf. Otherwise she needs to be hamburger. Some of our seedstock producers might not agree, but then that has a bearing on why many of us are crossbreed our cattle. We need the hybird vigour that has seemed to have disappeared in some of our purebreed cattle

 

[greenwillowherefords]

I have to agree with Texan, if they have a full belly, and the proper minerals, its up to the cow to raise that calf. Otherwise she needs to be hamburger. Some of our seedstock producers might not agree, but then that has a bearing on why many of us are crossbreed our cattle. We need the hybird vigour that has seemed to have disappeared in some of our purebreed cattle

Glad to see that you said "Some of our seedstock producers..." because we aren't all babying our cattle along. One of the things that really pleased me about the 092 bull I had was the vigor of his calves, quick to get up and nurse and play.

 

[txag]

We need the hybird vigour that has seemed to have disappeared in some of our purebreed cattle

"Heterosis, known as hybrid vigor, is the added performance you get when mating parents of different breeds."

 

[dun]

There is also something referred to as purebred regression. In theory as a breed becomes more homozygous in more of the gene pairs they start to get smaller, less healthy, and just generally poorer "doers". A total outcross of bloodlines supposedly helps some, but heterosis is where it's at. The dam heterosis is the most significant. I don;t remember the exact numbers anymore, but the cows heterosis contributes something like 3 times as much as an individuals heterosis. If you do a search on "cattle crossbreeding heterosis" in almost any of the search engines you'll get so much data on cross breeding and heterosis and it's affect that you'll be overwelmed.

dun

 

[jcissell]

I really don't understand what you just said. But my cows are crossbred if that tells you anything

Josh

 

[docgraybull]

jcsissell

To sum up what Dun is saying - have you ever seen a smart Dalmation? Hybrid vigor is good!

 

[jcissell]

Here we go again. I checked the cows from 5 to 6 and nothing looked new. Went back at 11 and find my second frozen calf.

Josh