we recently purchased 30 bred heifers (blacks and baldys). these heifers were all bred to one bull (low bw, angus). we started calving on 12-15 and have had a lot of problems. to date we have had 11 calves. 6 heifer calves have been born with no problem. all 5 of the bull calves have been stillborn (near as we can tell). the heifers were all pelvic measured and only the acceptable ones were kept. has any one heard of any kind of a disease/problem involving stillborn bull calves or is it just a coincedence they were all bulls? we have done a lot of research and contacted a local vet, but to this point don't have an answer.. HELP!
dead bull calves - HELP!
- Thread starter mrl
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cypressfarms
Well-known member
Have you contacted the seller???
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
vaccinations up to date?
What does the vet say?
Get the vet out to post calves ASAP just incase there is something that can be done to prevent more deaths.
get the vet to do an abortion something or other on the cows as well.
good luck
What does the vet say?
Get the vet out to post calves ASAP just incase there is something that can be done to prevent more deaths.
get the vet to do an abortion something or other on the cows as well.
good luck
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
why can't they post any of the dead ones?
What about an abortion profile work up to see if it was something they ate, a bug, a parasite, sickness in the cows?
No time to lose
What about an abortion profile work up to see if it was something they ate, a bug, a parasite, sickness in the cows?
No time to lose
We are told by our vets that dead animals have to be posted in a certain, fairly small, time frame or cooled but not frozen. Like I have had goat kids posted, but i put them in a garbage bag, in cooler on ice ~ cold but not frozen.
cypressfarms
Well-known member
Huhh?????????rockridgecattle":1x8or1be said:
Angie, the reason I say talk to the seller because you are now losing 16% of your calf crop not to mention the coincidence that all of the lost calves were bulls. When you bought these 30, you would have thought it unacceptable to have this amount of loss. Something is definitely amiss here; I believe any seller worth his salt would own up and make it right.
You could get your vet, if he/she has the equipment, to do an ultrasound/sonogram on the remaining heifers to make sure which still have viable live calves.
My guess is that the bull that your seller used is a major "dud".
cypressfarms
Well-known member
angie2":sj8o65xj said:
Whooops
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Here we go with the heifer crap shoot on calving in a normal operation you expect and plan on 10% loss. A 15% loss out of a bunch of first timers doesn't surprise me and they are all bull calves even less surprising. Bull calfs are larger typically that heifers, they can have low weights and still not be calving ease either.
Maxwell Farms
Member
I'm having the same similar problem here. I have had 6 calves born out of this bull this calving season, out of 3 cows 1 calf lived the other 2 appear to have been still born. Out of the other 4 first calf heifers I have had 1 calf die 3 days after birth, & 2 to calve with no problem, and 1 who must have aborted after having them all preg. tested in Sept. 07. I'm done calving until early spring then I should have 8 more to calve hopefully with no problems. but for now I'm 50/50 on my calf crop, & its killing me. I wonder if maybe its my bull throwing me to small a calf, his BW on epds is +.40 I bought this bull for ease of calving but wonder if maybe I should have gotten 1 whos epds were a little higher. Is there any test I should run on this bull other than semen checking before I put him back with my cows or should I start shopping for another bull. The calves that he has had do grow off well & he sure looks good.
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
cypressfarms":3w10zl72 said:
An abortion profile, could not remember the worrd i wanted. Work up on the cows incase maybe poisoning, sickness, disease, parasite etc
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
Maxwell Farms":2dthpv5x said:
Sounds like you need a vet. The ones dieing after birth a day or two later could be e coli...nasty nasty nasty...get a vet
cypressfarms
Well-known member
Caustic Burno":cdjfbetw said:
Caustic's dead on as usual. If the bull throws pallet headed and big shouldered calves, they could weigh 40 pounds and still have trouble. If you have the time, check the accuracy of the BW EPD on a newer bull. It will not be very high. If I had the chunk of change to throw down it wouldn't be on 30 bred heifers - I'd rather buy less pairs - at least I knew I had some money coming back. None of which helps mrl now. I'd have the seller refunding some money. Did you make any kind of verbal/written agreement with the transaction?
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
My first thought was - bulls = heavier birth weight = calving dystocia.
You say "all 5 of the bull calves have been stillborn (near as we can tell)." Have you seen any of them at calving? Possibly if you were there when they were in labor, you might have been able to assist and save the calves. I would think after 1 DOA calf, I would vigilantly be watching for any sign of labor and ASSIST as needed - let alone having FIVE DOA.
Maxwell Farms - first thought on your problem is possibly "weak calf syndrome" which is usually because of thin cows.
If a calf is born HEALTHY with enough body condition, no dystocia, & gets colostrom in a timely manner, it doesn't make any difference how little they are.
EDIT - Maxwell - I just read your own thread. If cows are in good BCS and shots up to date, maybe you are having a run of malpresentations or calves are too big for cows. Have you been there when anyone of them was in labor to see what might be wrong? Cows can end up getting a hard calving calf OUT, but calf may die in process or shortly afterwards because they are too weak to get up & suck.
You say "all 5 of the bull calves have been stillborn (near as we can tell)." Have you seen any of them at calving? Possibly if you were there when they were in labor, you might have been able to assist and save the calves. I would think after 1 DOA calf, I would vigilantly be watching for any sign of labor and ASSIST as needed - let alone having FIVE DOA.
Maxwell Farms - first thought on your problem is possibly "weak calf syndrome" which is usually because of thin cows.
If a calf is born HEALTHY with enough body condition, no dystocia, & gets colostrom in a timely manner, it doesn't make any difference how little they are.
EDIT - Maxwell - I just read your own thread. If cows are in good BCS and shots up to date, maybe you are having a run of malpresentations or calves are too big for cows. Have you been there when anyone of them was in labor to see what might be wrong? Cows can end up getting a hard calving calf OUT, but calf may die in process or shortly afterwards because they are too weak to get up & suck.
TREY-L
Well-known member
CB has it dead on, the shape of the bull calves is your problem. I feel your pain I went through the exact same thing last summer, 22 bred heifers... lost 3 of my heifers due to calving problems, all 3 were having bull calves, all the rest of the heifers that were bred calved unassisted and had heifer calves. I contacted the seller and told him to go out in his pasture and shoot his low birth weight bull...... we haven't talked since.
I would advise getting plenty of lube and a good calf puller, along with someone very knowledgeable in its use.
Trey
I would advise getting plenty of lube and a good calf puller, along with someone very knowledgeable in its use.
Trey
