Cow losing weight

[skyhightree1]

I got a cow thats around 8 years old and every time she has a calf she loses alot of weight and ribs will almost show till calf is weaned and I feed her some alfalfa mineral and all the hay she can eat but doesn't seem to gain any weight she is the only one I have that does that but her calves grow really well and are good looking does anyone else have any cows that do this as well ?

 

[12251HD]

I too have couple of cows that get thin when nursing calves, despite good hay, grass, and minerals available. Their calves are always good and grow rapidly. Guess that's how their bodies work.

 

[skyhightree1]

12251HD I guess so and I mean she puts out some fine calves that as you said grow well and put on weight fast. I just wondered if she was sick or I needed to do something differently but I guess thats how she is like you say.

 

[B&M Farms]

It's normal for some that are heavy milkers. I have some brangus girls that do that every year. As long as they breed back on time and put it back on between calfs I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[skyhightree1]

Gotcha thanks B&M she does bounce back real nice I just worried about that.

 

[dun]

We shipped 3 last fall that always lost a bunch of weight and weaned big calves. As younger cows they always gained the weight back over the winter. The last couple of years as the got older they didn;t gain back as well and last year finally came up open and were skin and bones, but their calves were real boomers.

 

[skyhightree1]

Dun what do you think causes that?

 

[dun]

Just age, never thought about anythign past that point

 

[skyhightree1]

gotcha.. I hate for people to come over and see that cow that skinny they think im probably abusing her or not feeding it enough.

 

[dun]

gotcha.. I hate for people to come over and see that cow that skinny they think im probably abusing her or not feeding it enough.

I know how you feel. I hate for someone to ask "What's wrong with that one"
Although even with age until the last year as a 25 year old, Granny always gained back over the winter. The last year she just kept losing condition during the winter even with some grain being fed to try to help her out.

 

[skyhightree1]

Yea, Its embarassing to me. Yea but at 25 years you kinda almost expect something like that to take place.

 

[dun]

Yea, Its embarassing to me. Yea but at 25 years you kinda almost expect something like that to take place.

Yes you do, but you can alwys hope for one more year. I just hope she's passed it on to her daughters and grandaughters.

 

[skyhightree1]

Exactly, Dun what age do you typically find yourself getting rid of your cows?

 

[dun]

Exactly, Dun what age do you typically find yourself getting rid of your cows?

If they make it past 8 they usually last into their teens, 7-8 seems to be the make or break stage

 

[skyhightree1]

Gotcha most of mine are around 3-5 years of age. I keep all heifer calves that are born and probably will buy more bottle heifer calves in the spring. I hate to get rid of the cow I am saying that is skinny when she calves if she is still doing her job I got on her to ask was that normal to see if I should can her but from what yall say I should keep her.

 

[dun]

Gotcha most of mine are around 3-5 years of age. I keep all heifer calves that are born and probably will buy more bottle heifer calves in the spring. I hate to get rid of the cow I am saying that is skinny when she calves if she is still doing her job I got on her to ask was that normal to see if I should can her but from what yall say I should keep her.

If she's doing her job keep her, when she starts to be marginal or fails, her employment status should change to working a short time at mcdonalds.
As to keeping all heifers, we keep a goodly number but my criteria is "would I be willing to buy her if someone else was selling her". I;ve found that by using that criteria the age of the herd is gradually getting oldr and the number of heifers that make the cut is getting larger. It's kind of funny (to me anyway) that both the commercial and registered cows are getting to be more and more descended from just a couple of cows. We have one family of Red Angus that are daughters, grandaughters or great grandaughters of one cow. From that one cow we have 7 daughters grandughters great grandaughters in production and 2 of the older cows popped out some super (as far as you can tell at less then a week) dughters. Granny is the biggest contributor to the commercial cows.

 

[skyhightree1]

wow thats awesome dun .. I guess I am going about it the wrong way because I am trying to build up my herd by keeping all the heifers. I don't particularly want to spend the money to buy 10-15 cows a year so I figured the calves would be the cheaper better option. Yea employment status changed earlier this year for a bull of mine he was breeding the same cows over and over and they would catch sometime and sometimes not more often not and then a friend let me use his bull that he was selling they caught and didnt need multiple breedings. I bought that bull from him its a wehrmann angus bull. I thought it could have been the cows but nope was the bull.

 

[dun]

wow thats awesome dun .. I guess I am going about it the wrong way because I am trying to build up my herd by keeping all the heifers. I don't particularly want to spend the money to buy 10-15 cows a year so I figured the calves would be the cheaper better option. Yea employment status changed earlier this year for a bull of mine he was breeding the same cows over and over and they would catch sometime and sometimes not more often not and then a friend let me use his bull that he was selling they caught and didnt need multiple breedings. I bought that bull from him its a wehrmann angus bull. I thought it could have been the cows but nope was the bull.

Had you been doing regular BSEs every year?

 

[skyhightree1]

dun no I have not. do you think I should start?

 

[dun]

dun no I have not. do you think I should start?

Yes, it will save you money in the long run. If a bull isn;t up to the job you will find out before the breeding season rather then after he's missed a year of settling the girls.