Eleanor (Profitability from Jersey cows)
- Thread starter MurraysMutts
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MurraysMutts
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Sometimes things don't go exactly to plan. This lil guy has had a wiggle in his back end since he arrived. He was sleeping alot. Started scouring on me and still had a wobbly rear. Almost like his hips are not quite right. He gets around ok. But idk if he is gonna be a top quality calf. Hopefully he grows out of it.
I took him off the cow over a week ago to work with him. Got some Sustain lll calf pills in him after the scours didn't go away and the heat and on/off rain had him breathing a bit wrong. He is taking a bottle ok. Tho it was sporadic for a bit there.
We will see how he goes.
I took him off the cow over a week ago to work with him. Got some Sustain lll calf pills in him after the scours didn't go away and the heat and on/off rain had him breathing a bit wrong. He is taking a bottle ok. Tho it was sporadic for a bit there.
We will see how he goes.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
Murry - do you give a shot of Selenium? He could have White Muscle Disease (lack of SE). It affects their large muscles, like leg, heart, lung, tongue.
If you don't give it, I sure would on this one.
If you don't give it, I sure would on this one.
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MurraysMutts
Well-known member
Thanks @Jeanne - Simme Valley
We are not in a selenium deficient area here. The place he came from keeps loose mineral out year round like I do. If he's not perked back up after/thru-out the weekend I'll be taking him to the vet. With hopefully a better outcome than Opal
Honestly, I'm almost certain he's developed a touch of pneumonia with the on again/off again rain and extreme heat waves we've been having. The pills may not cut it. May have to get some resflor gold in him or something.
The guy wanted to keep him for a herd bull because of his genetics. I'm not familiar with his genetic pool. But I'd personally never keep a bull I had to pull, out of a heifer or not, and especially not a 93lb birthweight bull!
Travlr
Well-known member
Isn't it odd how our Lithuanian contributor is having all these unassisted 120 pound calves, some from first time heifers, and thinks it's normal? And in the States a lot of people won't keep/use/want a bull if he weighs over 70 pounds...
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MurraysMutts
Well-known member
It is an interesting thing.
My COWS would handle it ok. I sure wouldn't want a heifer trying it tho.
Personally, I'd look at this bull with disgust every time I saw him, after killing his mother and making more work for everyone!
Whaddya do?
I also think that's where some folks won't keep a heifer calf for replacement out of a heifer. And that's because most folks use a solid low birthweight heifer bull. Makes a case for retaining replacement heifers out of cows instead of heifers, IF you use a good cow bull on your cows
@MurraysMutts, take its temp. And trust your gut - you know something isn't right. Sustain is labeled for shipping fever (pasteurellosis) but yup, go straight to the Resflor Gold, Draxxin, etc.
Travlr
Well-known member
I've always been more suspicious of retaining heifers if they were by a low birth weight/easy calving bull than if they were dropped by a heifer.
The reason I wouldn't keep replacements from heifers is because I wanted replacements from cows with a history. If a cow is ten and has never needed assistance and has always raised a 600 pound calf... that's the cow I kept replacements from. And I wouldn't breed her to an easy calving/low birth weight bull to generate replacements. I expected replacements to be 90ish pounds at birth, within ten pounds, and better at the high end than the low end.
But the replacements I kept/sold were always bred to low birth weight/easy calving...
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MurraysMutts
Well-known member
So lil number 69 I have failed!!
He developed navel ill. Turned to joint ill. I kept cleaning his umbilical to no avail. Antibiotics wouldn't turn him around either. He got his last bottle this morning. Dead as a hammer tonight.
Dammit all.
I have pics. But they are pretty nasty. His belly was open this evening when I went to feed him. I'm guessing there was a small hole there and I couldn't see it. But it was BAD tonight. And the maggots. Dang I feel bad...
He developed navel ill. Turned to joint ill. I kept cleaning his umbilical to no avail. Antibiotics wouldn't turn him around either. He got his last bottle this morning. Dead as a hammer tonight.
Dammit all.
I have pics. But they are pretty nasty. His belly was open this evening when I went to feed him. I'm guessing there was a small hole there and I couldn't see it. But it was BAD tonight. And the maggots. Dang I feel bad...
Murray, I am very sorry to hear your calf died. However, it is not your fault that the calf was born with a herniated umbilicus. That is one of the birth defects that began occurring on wild grazing animals in the late 1990s. Prior to 1997, I had not seen that condition on a wild ruminant and I began rehabbing them in 1969. That is not to say it never happened prior to the 1990s, but it became more common after 1994.
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MurraysMutts
Well-known member
1st time I've had any dealing with it 1st hand.
I suspect it was partly caused by the delayed birth and a hard pull. I believe a come-a-long was involved.
I really should have inspected his navel a bit close when I got him. He still had his cord and was urinating normally so I didn't think much of it, aside from his rear legs a bit wobbly.
Double R Ranch
Well-known member
I am very sorry @MurraysMutts. Try not to beat yourself up about it too hard. Take the lessons and use them in the future.
We got a holstein heifer calf from a dairy as a graft some years ago. They put a metal tag in her ear. Didn't think much of it. Ended up getting infected and I didn't catch it right off. Didn't appear noticeably swollen or anything. It spread. Somehow got into her knees etc. It was a very long hard fight for her including draining her knees and flushing. She did end up surviving but we shipped her to a feed lot post weaning. Vet said she could have lasting damage that could show up when she's heavy bred. Lesson learned for sure. The holstein I am currently grafting has a pretty thick umbilical stump. Watching it close.
Don't forget! You have given many calves a chance and a good life while in your care. We are only human. Very sorry for the loss.
We got a holstein heifer calf from a dairy as a graft some years ago. They put a metal tag in her ear. Didn't think much of it. Ended up getting infected and I didn't catch it right off. Didn't appear noticeably swollen or anything. It spread. Somehow got into her knees etc. It was a very long hard fight for her including draining her knees and flushing. She did end up surviving but we shipped her to a feed lot post weaning. Vet said she could have lasting damage that could show up when she's heavy bred. Lesson learned for sure. The holstein I am currently grafting has a pretty thick umbilical stump. Watching it close.
Don't forget! You have given many calves a chance and a good life while in your care. We are only human. Very sorry for the loss.
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MurraysMutts
Well-known member
If at first u don't succeed, try and try again!
The lil red bull sure got it figured out straight away! The black heifer just wanted to bawl and bawl and bawl. She finally latched on after Red pretty much drained Eleanor. I pulled the bwf heifer off Eleanor last night and penned Eleanor with her born steer last night. I'm sure her own calf has already nursed this morning too. He's 3 months old. And poor as can be. I'm gonna sell him after these 2 are grafted solidly.
I also sold the last calf off of the Eleanor/Bessie combo tho I can't remember if it was the black steer or the heifer. They both been grazing the neighbors and getting some feed in exchange for my bull use/pasture use for his single heifer. I'm sure she bred back in June. She's still here. Bessie's first calf btw. They plan on keeping a single cow. I got room for her each summer for breeding. And she can winter and calve at her own home. They really like her. Pet cow and all that.
Anyway. It was a fun day yesterday!
The lil red bull sure got it figured out straight away! The black heifer just wanted to bawl and bawl and bawl. She finally latched on after Red pretty much drained Eleanor. I pulled the bwf heifer off Eleanor last night and penned Eleanor with her born steer last night. I'm sure her own calf has already nursed this morning too. He's 3 months old. And poor as can be. I'm gonna sell him after these 2 are grafted solidly.
I also sold the last calf off of the Eleanor/Bessie combo tho I can't remember if it was the black steer or the heifer. They both been grazing the neighbors and getting some feed in exchange for my bull use/pasture use for his single heifer. I'm sure she bred back in June. She's still here. Bessie's first calf btw. They plan on keeping a single cow. I got room for her each summer for breeding. And she can winter and calve at her own home. They really like her. Pet cow and all that.
Anyway. It was a fun day yesterday!
Travlr
Well-known member
Pics of Ele
Pics of Eleanor's "poor as can be" calf? (side shots please)
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MurraysMutts
Well-known member
I was gonna add that! But didn't wanna ruin the fun post! Here ya go..
Only got one right now. I'll get a couple pics of the big heifer she raise too. She looks great!
I don't know. Maybe he just looks like a full jersey calf. But her calving while raising calves probly had something to do with it.
Travlr
Well-known member
What was she bred to? Calf looks pretty gimpy... for sure.
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MurraysMutts
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He was ai sired. Full jersey. I don't know the specifics.
She was not even supposed to be bred. I'm sure the sire is from good milk producing lines.
He's awful.
He's got one helluva underbite too. Idk. It is what it is.
I tried to buy a new girl yesterday. But a 980lb 3 yr old jersey in milk brought 1200 bucks. I wasn't ready for that. And I didn't get any info before the sale. So it was a hard pass
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MurraysMutts
Well-known member
Little snots both think they're cute!
I'll get em tagged, de-stickered, and band that bull here sometime today. These have no umbilical. Couple or few weeks old maybe.
I'll get em tagged, de-stickered, and band that bull here sometime today. These have no umbilical. Couple or few weeks old maybe.
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MurraysMutts
Well-known member
The main purpose of this thread was to see if any money could be made on this type deal. Seems to have worked. The cow is paid for. And in the black for sure. After one lactation!
I've got her first 2 calves (her born full jersey steer and the bwf heifer that I pulled to wean) they will sell shortly and I'll post prices. I think I gave 275 for the bwf heifer but I'll check to be sure. I sure complained about having to give that much for baby calves but after selling the last ones, it all penciled out. They averaged about 800 bucks. Edited to add, sorry, those were Bessies calves I just sold. Eleanor had a hand in one of them tho. Eleanors real calves sold a while back and those numbers have already been posted!! So we did ok !
These 2 I just bought I gave 240 each.
Eleanor has started her kicking crap this morning. But these 2 calves are HUNGRY AND AGGRESSIVE!
For a few more days, I'll keep the calves penned separately. (I don't want them sneaking under panels and chasing them all over the place) I feed Eleanor and release the calves! Then re-pen after the calves get a tummy full. Sort Eleanor back into the bigger pen with her own calf. After the 2 new ones get acquainted and bonded, I'll keep Eleanor and all 3 calves together a few days. Then I'll pull her born calf out to sell. He won't bring much but he's a helper to get her to take the new calves. I could've just as easily sold him as a bottle calf and bought a better quality calf. That would be more profitable! But my feelings got in the way. I like that she got to raise her own calf for 3 months anyway.
I've got her first 2 calves (her born full jersey steer and the bwf heifer that I pulled to wean) they will sell shortly and I'll post prices. I think I gave 275 for the bwf heifer but I'll check to be sure. I sure complained about having to give that much for baby calves but after selling the last ones, it all penciled out. They averaged about 800 bucks. Edited to add, sorry, those were Bessies calves I just sold. Eleanor had a hand in one of them tho. Eleanors real calves sold a while back and those numbers have already been posted!! So we did ok !
These 2 I just bought I gave 240 each.
Eleanor has started her kicking crap this morning. But these 2 calves are HUNGRY AND AGGRESSIVE!
For a few more days, I'll keep the calves penned separately. (I don't want them sneaking under panels and chasing them all over the place) I feed Eleanor and release the calves! Then re-pen after the calves get a tummy full. Sort Eleanor back into the bigger pen with her own calf. After the 2 new ones get acquainted and bonded, I'll keep Eleanor and all 3 calves together a few days. Then I'll pull her born calf out to sell. He won't bring much but he's a helper to get her to take the new calves. I could've just as easily sold him as a bottle calf and bought a better quality calf. That would be more profitable! But my feelings got in the way. I like that she got to raise her own calf for 3 months anyway.
Hpacres440p
Well-known member
You oughta post him on CL-who knows? Someone may want a small Jersey bull for their backyard dairy herd? Tire kickers would be annoying though.
