Getting the Young Cow Rebred

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Anonymous

In the May 2002 Cascade Cattleman, Heather Smith Thomas (of "A Guide to Raising Beef Cattle" fame) has written an article based on the title of this message. I was intrigued with a study that they have been doing. In short length labor, they pulled every calf once the heifer was in labor, and the calf's feet are visible, protruding from the vulva. They pulled the calf whether the heifer needed it or not. The Long-labor group heifers were only pulled in EXTREME situations. The short labor group of heifers bred back at a thirteen percent increase. I thought you would want to know. ALSO... the calves gainmed more rapidly between birth and weaning. I wonder how that would work with a three or four year old cow having her second or third calf. The article on a whole was on par with all of Heather Smith Thomas' writing.... very good and easy to understand.

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If the calf is going to be born quickly and easily pulling won't improve your results.

A calf that isn't born quickly, will be slow to get up and nurse, will have less energy may get less colustrum and have less imunity transfer and will get a slow start over the first few weeks of life.

Pulling the calf aviods these problems.

A cow or heifer that spends too much time straining to have a calf, will take longer to heal after the birth and can't be expected to breed back as soon.

Because heifers have most of the delivery problems they would be targeted for pulling quickly.

Certain cows could benefit also. If the cow usually has a hard time. (We won't ask why you are still breeding her!) If the cow was bred to a high birth EPD bull. If she is a week or more past her due date, or if you see huge paws coming out! I would target her for a pull too.

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> If the cow usually has a hard
> time. (We won't ask why you are
> still breeding her!) ****** Because... I need something to practice on. The most head of mama cows that I ever expect to run on this place is twenty-five. I started out with four heifers. One was deleted because of being bred at six months by her own father. I bought an older cow carrying a calf. She is a problem for prolapse, so I have her heifer calf, but she is destined for the platter. I have a steer that is destined for the platter, and of the three original heifers.... only two mothered up. I will keep the two year olds for the practice of AI and other things that go along with owning cattle. Next year, I will only get three calves, but have three replacement heifers to breed up, and if these three two-year olds prove good, then I will have six to breed. Depends on how hungry I get between now and the 2003 breeding season. I know you didn't want to know, but I wanted to tell.... lol .... I can hear the sighs of exasperation going now. I plead guilty of having too much time on my hands which allows me to "play". Some day, though, I want to be a REAL rancher.

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***** It does sound sadistic, doesn't it? How else would I get experience, though. Perhaps I will only the pull the calves on the cows that make me mad. Depending on the day, that could be most of them.... you know how that goes.... LOL.

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Our rule of thumb is pull if the feet show for half an hour and no progress, check them out if the strain hard for half an hour with no progress. Haven't had to pull a calf from our herd in years, but we're ready. Pulled a lot of them for other people. If you want practice pulling, get a bunch of goats, cheaper to feed, cheaper to buy, multiple births, and it's just the same as a cow except for size.

dunmovin farms

> ***** It does sound sadistic,
> doesn't it? How else would I get
> experience, though. Perhaps I will
> only the pull the calves on the
> cows that make me mad. Depending
> on the day, that could be most of
> them.... you know how that
> goes.... LOL.
 

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