Cow Breeding Back After Pulling Backwards Calf

[Big Cheese]

I just want to get yalls opinion on this matter and see what answers I get to better help with my decision. We had to pull a calf last night that was coming out backwards. We somehow and with luck got the calf out but unfortunately it didn't make it even though we did feel it move while trying to pull the calf. What I'm asking what can we expect out of the cow now? This is one of our beef cows and probably our best beef cow at this time but will she be hurt from this? Will she breed back on time? Will she even breed back? I've do not have any experience with this situation so I am just wanting to get some opinions from people that do have experience with this type of situation. I don't believe the cow was injured internally from this but I haven't heard back yet from my dad what he noticed when he checked her. She was standing up in our corral when I left for work this morning. Like I said she is probably our best beef cow so we don't want to sell her if she will be ok and breed right back but there is always the dead calf part to factor in as well. Anyways, any input from this will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bigfoot]

Losing a calf causes them to breed back faster many times. Personally, I'd sell that cow. Not because of the bad luck, but the carrying cost of a dry cow. She's not gong to make any money with 2 years of expense in 1 calf.

 

[ANAZAZI]

Bigfoot is right, sell the cow. She makes you no money for a year. If you graft another callfto her it is a different matter, then probably she could get pregnant and raise her own next year. Difficult birth dose not have to mean you have to cull,but on the other hand when you cull problem cows there is less problems left in the herd.

 

[dun]

Graft a calf on her or milk her for house use. She shoiuld breed back just fine and the odds of her having another backwards calf are pretty slim. BUT, the neighbor had a cow that had breech calves every year. The only reason he kept her was she was a high pounds of milk cow and it helped the tank average.

 

[FlyingLSimmentals]

This thread reminds me of a nice pretty young black cow we had. She was one we raised and kept. Her first calf no problem really nice calf. The 2nd came breeched and was dead. Really liked the cow and her genetics and tried her again, third calf was breeched and had to be pulled with a jack. The calf was dead and the cow uterus was torn and she died a few days later. She wasn't the only one whom has repeated having backward calves here. Therefore, now I'm not kind at all to the ones having those breeched calves. I would Ship Her. Or you can Gamble it's your Choice.

 

[Muddy]

Has a cow that had a breech birth, lost the calf but she bred back just fine and never had a breech birth again three next calves.

 

[Big Cheese]

Take out the fact that she had the dead calf and is not going to raise a calf this year....what would be halls opinion on how her health is going to be after this? She is up moving around but I was told she didn't eat much today maybe 3 or 4 bites of feed. The decision to keep or sell will be made tomorrow. I probably won't be in on the decision (different family members cow) but I can put my 2 cents in before I go to work lol.

 

[randiliana]

Usually, they will Breed back just fine. And most likely won't have a breech calf again, although the odd cow will repeat. I'm wit Dun on this get a foster calf on her, at least you will recoup a little bit of her feed bill.

I would expect her health to be just fine, not knowing how hard a pull you did.

 

[Aaron]

I sometimes have good luck with them breeding back, and sometimes don't. Always keep them through the summer and let them rack on the pounds. They fetch the big money in the fall as 'grain fed' kill cows if they are still open. And if they are bred, you can always sell as a bred cow.

 

[Nesikep]

If she's a good cow and you can make her pay her way THIS year, I would see no reason to sell her in the fall, she probably will breed back just fine... If you can't graft a calf or milk her, the stakes are much higher on taking a gamble.

I had a heifer that had a 120 lb calf, it was all my dad and I could do to pull that calf out.. about a half hour of wiggling and wrenching, thankfully the calf started breathing halfway out, but she had all sorts of tears inside, had a fever, and paralysis... 2 days later she was up and about, albeit shakey on her legs, dosed with LA200 and Dex, 2 months later she bred back on the first try.

I had an 9 year old cow lose her breech birth calf, I milked her for a couple days and then had an unwanted twin which she very happily adopted, she's an excellent cow and I'm glad I still have her.. but she was already a proven cow.

 

[Backbone Ranch]

We had a cow have a breech calf last year, an 84 lb heifer. We pulled the calf and she was alive. The cow has always thrown a good calf for us. She did not take by AI, but she took 21 days later to our herd bull. The cow should breed back on time as long as nothing internal ripped during the process of pulling the calf.

 

[angus9259]

Graft a calf on her or milk her for house use. She shoiuld breed back just fine and the odds of her having another backwards calf are pretty slim. .

That's what I figured when I kept the cow last year I pulled one backwards out of. She did it to me again this year! Old cow - two calves in a row! She's in the freezer now.

 

[poorfarmer]

I sometimes have good luck with them breeding back, and sometimes don't. Always keep them through the summer and let them rack on the pounds. They fetch the big money in the fall as 'grain fed' kill cows if they are still open. And if they are bred, you can always sell as a bred cow.

I second that. If they do decide to get rid of it, unless they are going to take the money and invest in another bred cow they had the pasture for it. So breed it back, keep until the fall and sell it as a bred cow and let someone else worry about calving it.

 

[Muddy]

So if any cow has a breech birth, therefore they must be culled?

 

[dun]

So if any cow has a breech birth, therefore they must be culled?

Nope. If she doesn;t raise a live calf that year, maybe cull her

 

[Big Cheese]

Well doesn't matter anymore the cow didn't make it. I guess we must have torn something when we were pulling the calf. Makes me sick losing a cow

 

[True Grit Farms]

Well that stinks Big Cheese.

 

[Big Cheese]

Yep it was a big blow that's for sure. I'm just trying to think positive about it we do have her daughter from last year that we kept to replace her with