Down cow up

[Dave]

So 16 days ago today I was running some of the broken mouth cows I have been buying through the chute. One of them got down in the chute. I have a heck of a time getting the side door open so she was stuck for a while. Finally got her out and she was down on the front end. She ended up in the pen in front of the chute. She would move herself around some. Head always up and alert. She had a good appetite. She would move herself from one side to the other. I fed her hay twice a day and gave her water. Other than that I practiced what Dun referred to as benign neglect. If she had gone downhill at all I would have shot her and drug her out to the bone yard. I had no hope that she would recover. But she was always alert and ate her hay so she didn't get shot. This morning I went out to feed her and she was standing up. She had to have walked about 50 feet from where she was last night. I have hope that she might make it now.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

We had one dead by the hay ring yesterday. Got down in some mud and couldn't get up I suppose. Hope yours keeps making progress Dave.

 

[MurraysMutts]

At first I thought Dr. Seuss was here.
Down cow up
Up cow down

Some animals I will never understand...

 

[Dave]

I saw her lay back down this morning. I had to go to town today so I picked up a sack of wet COB. I figured it better have molasses because the vast majority of these range cows have never seen grain. She ate a couple pounds of grain while laying down. I got her hay. She was eating that laying down. I walked around to her side, just touched here behind the shoulder, and she stood up. Literally just touched her, no slap, no poke. She is standing there eating her hay out there now. In a day or three I will move her back to the big pen where I will keep giving her grain. In a couple weeks if she is getting strong I will move out to general population. Down for 16 days she should be dead. But it sure brings a smile to my face.

 

[TCRanch]

Well done, @Dave! She's a fighter, for sure.

Sorry about your girl, @TennesseeTuxedo.

 

[kenny thomas]

We had one dead by the hay ring yesterday. Got down in some mud and couldn't get up I suppose. Hope yours keeps making progress Dave.

Hay ring=mud=dead cow and its only December. Another reason I stockpile fescue

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Hay ring=mud=dead cow and its only December. Another reason I stockpile fescue

I can only hope to be you someday Kenny.

 

[kenny thomas]

I can only hope to be you someday Kenny.

I didn't mean that in a bad way. Just that I can't handle cows in mud. At least if I unroll it might be wet on top and they waste some but no getting hung in the mud.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I didn't mean that in a bad way. Just that I can't handle cows in mud. At least if I unroll it might be wet on top and they waste some but no getting hung in the mud.

I'd like to see a picture of your bale feeder.

 

[kenny thomas]

I'd like to see a picture of your bale feeder.

I have no bale feeders.
I either graze stockpile fescue or unroll hay.

 

[Dsth]

I bet she is grateful that you were patient with her. hope she continues to improve and all ends well. Good job of being her care taker.

 

[Allenw]

Stress of being handled might have wore her down but would have expected a faster recovery if that was the case. She did have you trained to feed her twice a day and may have just been taking advantage of you.

 

[Dave]

Stress of being handled might have wore her down but would have expected a faster recovery if that was the case. She did have you trained to feed her twice a day and may have just been taking advantage of you.

I figured all along that she injured something in her front end. She was down on the front in the chute. Then I told the wife that the cow was just lazy and she laid there so I would feed her twice a day. I am glad that she had enough strength in her to stand up. Being down that long they normally bloat, catch pneumonia, or something else that would cause me to put them down.

 

[Dave]

Here is a picture of #13 standing up today. Can't see it very well in this picture but her left front ankle is curled back a little. I am sure that is what she hurt in the chute. She isn't going to set any land speed records but she does get around.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Here is a picture of #13 standing up today. Can't see it very well in this picture but her left front ankle is curled back a little. I am sure that is what she hurt in the chute. She isn't going to set any land speed records but she does get around.

Glad she's up and moving.
What do the blue line and Orange line represent?

 

[Dave]

I bought her at the sale on 12/3. The location of the blue line means that she is broken mouthed. The orange line? I think that was from the previous owner probably noting one to be sold. I see that same mark on other cows, including ones in the kill pen. It might be something that one of the vets does when preg checking.

 

[Hardnosecattleco]

That's awesome! Heck I've seen it go both ways. Some go down then they never stand and then I've seen what you described and it still amazes me

 

[Lee VanRoss]

Years ago when I was still at home we had a cow (heifer if I remember right) go down . She floundered around for a day or two then wound up
in a large farm pond we had. She got to where she would swim all over that pond and eat off grass and whatnot off the bank. One day my
brother went check cows and said she was grazing with the herd. I know it was warm because there were lily pads. I had forgotten it until
I saw the 'down cow' topic. Good to remember how it turned out..

 

[Silver]

Glad she's up and around. Last cow I had down was over 2 weeks. Packed her water, feed, bedding, turned her over regularly. On the last day she was down I packed her feed and she showed her appreciation by jumping up and chasing me out of the pen. The gate was open so she headed out to the herd and never looked back.

 

[Dave]

Glad she's up and around. Last cow I had down was over 2 weeks. Packed her water, feed, bedding, turned her over regularly. On the last day she was down I packed her feed and she showed her appreciation by jumping up and chasing me out of the pen. The gate was open so she headed out to the herd and never looked back.

This one was pretty waspy by the time I got her out of the chute. The entire time laying down she would shake her head when I got close. Since she is up she gives me the evil eye. I stay to the side with the bad front leg. I figure she can't move too quick to that direction.