Cow looks rough

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Kell-inKY

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I hate to even post this pic but here goes, don't want anyone to think I am mistreating her for sure.

Big cow I got from my uncle over a year ago. Always had a slight humpback, but never any problems, healthy and no problem getting pregnant or calving, nice disposition. He "said" she was 6-7 years old, that appears way off.
First pic shows her last fall (other one was taken last night), she is second from left, calf in front of her is hers. Still looks in good shape, fat and no bones showing. After calving late last fall, she started downhill slowly. Never has recovered. Does she have arthritis? After I wean her (healthy) calf going to send her to the sale barn, I'm sure she is pregnant but boy she looks bad, and yes, she has had her shots, wormed and has minerals. Any thoughts on the arthritis or just really really old and can't recover? Maybe it's hardware disease? If I separate her and start her on feed, what amount should I give her starting out? All the other cows/calves doing fine.
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I've got one like that. Fall calver and by the time we wean she looks pretty bad, but over summer she fattens up again and looks fine before calving. Just seems to put everything into producing milk. Her calves are usually in the upper half in weaning weight.

I feed a lot of corn silage over winter and I would think that would be eliminate teeth problems, but I've never checked her either.
 
Kell-inKY":2b9rqzd4 said:
I hate to even post this pic but here goes, don't want anyone to think I am mistreating her for sure.

Big cow I got from my uncle over a year ago. Always had a slight humpback, but never any problems, healthy and no problem getting pregnant or calving, nice disposition. He "said" she was 6-7 years old, that appears way off.
First pic shows her last fall (other one was taken last night), she is second from left, calf in front of her is hers. Still looks in good shape, fat and no bones showing. After calving late last fall, she started downhill slowly. Never has recovered. Does she have arthritis? After I wean her (healthy) calf going to send her to the sale barn, I'm sure she is pregnant but boy she looks bad, and yes, she has had her shots, wormed and has minerals. Any thoughts on the arthritis or just really really old and can't recover? Maybe it's hardware disease? If I separate her and start her on feed, what amount should I give her starting out? All the other cows/calves doing fine.
2temp.jpg

1temp.jpg

People think I'm crazy for doing it, but no matter how good my hay test, I feed from February 1st till grass gets them off hay. It's 50 cents per head per day, but it returns pretty good. Keeps your older cows in shape, and producing. Helps all of them breed back better. You might knock the idea around. Helps the ones have calved milk better. I actually think it's one area you can spend money on a cow, and see some return.
 
Reminds me of an old brangus cow I had. Most of the time her condition was pretty much like this cow. Bred back very quickly, raised a good calf but just never put on any flesh to speak of. And she moved in slow motion. I knew she was 13 years old but never knew why she could never reach a better body condition.
 
nagwag":3cu6nzxi said:
Do you feed hay with twine or net wrap? she may have a partial blockage from plastic if you do.
We always remove the twine and or net wrap when we put hay out just for this reason.
 
ChrisB":dcobj3au said:
I've got one like that. Fall calver and by the time we wean she looks pretty bad, but over summer she fattens up again and looks fine before calving. Just seems to put everything into producing milk. Her calves are usually in the upper half in weaning weight.

I feed a lot of corn silage over winter and I would think that would be eliminate teeth problems, but I've never checked her either.

I've got a 6 yr old Reg. Black Angus cow who's a spring calver who's the same way. Always breeds raises as good a calf as the rest but man does she gets poor. What's funny is she's always been off colored too, kind of a coppered colored cow. I've wormed her three ways to Sunday. (Cydetin, Ivermictin & Dextomax injectable). B&G
 
TexasBred":7naa27kn said:
Reminds me of an old brangus cow I had. Most of the time her condition was pretty much like this cow. Bred back very quickly, raised a good calf but just never put on any flesh to speak of. And she moved in slow motion. I knew she was 13 years old but never knew why she could never reach a better body condition.

Same here. We have several also. They raise good calves so I don't worry about it.
 
We have a number of cows that milk the weight off but as soon as they dry off put the condition back on over the winter so that they are a 5.5 to 6 by the time the calve.
 
I don't think she looks all that horrible; I was expecting her to be like skin and bones. I would get her in the chute, preg check and look at her teeth. If she is well along preg., and has little or no teeth, get the calf off, let her dry up and let her calve again and don't put her where she can get bred back. Then when you wean the calf just sell her. We have several that look worse than that when they wean off a calf. They just put everything into their milk/calf. We will make a decision then on her mouth...no teeth, this is their last calf....
 
Black and Good":a5vzxjzm said:
ChrisB":a5vzxjzm said:
I've got one like that. Fall calver and by the time we wean she looks pretty bad, but over summer she fattens up again and looks fine before calving. Just seems to put everything into producing milk. Her calves are usually in the upper half in weaning weight.

I feed a lot of corn silage over winter and I would think that would be eliminate teeth problems, but I've never checked her either.

I've got a 6 yr old Reg. Black Angus cow who's a spring calver who's the same way. Always breeds raises as good a calf as the rest but man does she gets poor. What's funny is she's always been off colored too, kind of a coppered colored cow. I've wormed her three ways to Sunday. (Cydetin, Ivermictin & Dextomax injectable). B&G

With your cow being "coppered colored" as you say, are you supplying minerals and if so, what kind? I remember reading somewhere that a certain mineral deficiency could cause the cows to have a copper color but can't recall which one.
 
kilroy60":10brpvbm said:
Black and Good":10brpvbm said:
ChrisB":10brpvbm said:
I've got one like that. Fall calver and by the time we wean she looks pretty bad, but over summer she fattens up again and looks fine before calving. Just seems to put everything into producing milk. Her calves are usually in the upper half in weaning weight.

I feed a lot of corn silage over winter and I would think that would be eliminate teeth problems, but I've never checked her either.

I've got a 6 yr old Reg. Black Angus cow who's a spring calver who's the same way. Always breeds raises as good a calf as the rest but man does she gets poor. What's funny is she's always been off colored too, kind of a coppered colored cow. I've wormed her three ways to Sunday. (Cydetin, Ivermictin & Dextomax injectable). B&G

With your cow being "coppered colored" as you say, are you supplying minerals and if so, what kind? I remember reading somewhere that a certain mineral deficiency could cause the cows to have a copper color but can't recall which one.

Yeah, It's funny but the lack copper in mineral can cause that but, she should be getting plenty of that. B&G
 

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