gertman
Well-known member
Are dummy calves the result of management, genetics, or do some breeds have the problem more than others? Share what you know about the subject please.
dun":393s82gv said:There could be some genetics in volved and maybe managment. All of the dummys I've seen (I've only seen a few) were the result of prolonged labor.
There not so much dummies as just the stupidist breed of cattle imaginable. They make good oxen because they're so calm, almost to the point of being commotoseangie":32rzeova said:It has always been my experience, for whatever reason, that Brown Swiss calves are typically prone to beinbg dummies. So much so that I quit buying them.
angie":2zgb1fj5 said:It has always been my experience, for whatever reason, that Brown Swiss calves are typically prone to beinbg dummies. So much so that I quit buying them.
hillsdown":12i1r03q said:dun":12i1r03q said:There could be some genetics in volved and maybe managment. All of the dummys I've seen (I've only seen a few) were the result of prolonged labor.
Dystocia and mineral / vitamin deficiencies cause a lot of problems with new borns ;also the bigger they are the dumber they tend to be....Selenium deficiency is a major cause of dumb dumbs...
dun":6j58wrsd said:There not so much dummies as just the stupidist breed of cattle imaginable. They make good oxen because they're so calm, almost to the point of being commotoseangie":6j58wrsd said:It has always been my experience, for whatever reason, that Brown Swiss calves are typically prone to beinbg dummies. So much so that I quit buying them.
TexasBred":19jsnprd said:No mistaking the lack of milk production compared to holsteins and an appetite like an elephant.
CattleHand":1qirg4md said:what do you guys mean by dummy calves?
The only reason gestatyion length would cause it was if it made the calf so large that it had a hard/prolonged laborgertman":ngtmixd6 said:Thanks for the opinions, I believe it may have been a hard birth or a long gestation period, the cow looked as if she was going to bust 3 weeks before the calf arrived.