Got some more

[Dave]

I got 2 more cows on Wednesday and 5 on Thursday. All 5 months bred. 5 are broken mouth and 2 are solid mouth cows. The averages are holding up. Cows weighing a hair under 1,200 lbs with some room to add weight. My goal is keeping cost under $1,500 and with 22 cows I am still well below $1,400. Vale was advertising a bred cow sale for next week. It seems like I don't get many bought at these bigger advertised sales. Lots of buyers show up and they are willing to pay more. On the other hand I have been doing this long enough to know how to stick to my budget.
Calf prices were real good on Wednesday (especially light calves) and off some on Thursday. Hmmmm same buyers? Kill cows were up some but they said there was 400 weigh cows to sell after the bred cows so I wonder if prices held up.

 

[Dave]

22 cows down the chute for a brand, ear tag, 2 shots, and pour on. Done is less than a hour. Plus one cancer eye Hereford that B brought over to join the herd. She is a good cow except for the cancer eye. He figured to gamble on getting a calf out of her and then shoot her in the fall. Cancer eye just got the pour on.

 

[WFfarm]

What are your plans for these cows? Do you plan to put some condition on them and calve them out? Do you sell the cows after the calves are weaned or keep the better ones for long term? I assume these are mostly fall cull cows guys are getting rid of for age or not enough winter feed to carry the numbers?

 

[farmerjan]

@WFfarm not to speak for @Dave , but if you follow him, he buys "one and dones"... calves them out in the early spring, runs them out for the summer... brings them in mid Aug normally... they have to be off the lease land by Sept 1st... ships the cows to kill, keeps the calves, weaned, on the regrowth of the irrigated hay fields, and they get sold a month or 2 later. This past year of the horrific fires, caused them to ship the pairs off to one buyer I think, a bit earlier than planned....

 

[Travlr]

22 cows down the chute for a brand, ear tag, 2 shots, and pour on. Done is less than a hour. Plus one cancer eye Hereford that B brought over to join the herd. She is a good cow except for the cancer eye. He figured to gamble on getting a calf out of her and then shoot her in the fall. Cancer eye just got the pour on.

I've never had a cancer eye. Don't know enough about how fast it develops to take a chance like that. Please keep us updated as that develops. I'd like to know if it pans out.

 

[farmerjan]

We had a cancer eye cow... it developed pretty slow and we calved her out and weaned the calf about 5 1/2 months as it got worse... then put her down. She had shown some signs with the previous calf, but came up nearly 6 months bred so kept her... and she did pretty good. Had another cow with a bad eye, looking like it might go "cancerous"..... retired vet friend actually took out the eye, eyelid and such, sewed it shut... and she raised 3 or 4 more calves for us, came up open and got sold...

 

[Dave]

What are your plans for these cows? Do you plan to put some condition on them and calve them out? Do you sell the cows after the calves are weaned or keep the better ones for long term? I assume these are mostly fall cull cows guys are getting rid of for age or not enough winter feed to carry the numbers?

Jan did a pretty good description of the program. I have learned the less the hard way. The day we ship to the plant, they all get on the truck.
The only thing she got wrong that this year because of the fires we had moved the cows off the normal summer range a little over 2 weeks early. They went on to irrigated pasture. Right about our normal shipping date we hauled all 83 pairs straight to the sale. Needed to save that irrigated ground for long term cows who would be coming along later. The cows we worked today are now eating grass where we would normally wean the calves. l should say what is left of the grass in that field. Cows coming down out of the black have been finding temporary refuge in that field so they probably ate half the grass there.

 

[bird dog]

I had a cancer eye one similar to Jan. It developed when she was long bred. She calved out, raised the calf, came right back into heat and had another one 10 months later. She got that one raised up about 4 months before it really got bad and she was euthanized. I left her alone for that long as it never seemed to bother her. There was really nothing to lose by keeping her as the carcass would be rejected at the packing plant.

 

[MurraysMutts]

I'll be danged if I'm gonna kill a cow that'll still bring a few bucks. She can ride with something else along the way and at least pay for my fuel.

Never understood that. Whole lot less work to haul it to the sale than drag it off to some place too. Nevermind attracting the coyotes as well.

 

[gcreekrch]

22 cows down the chute for a brand, ear tag, 2 shots, and pour on. Done is less than a hour. Plus one cancer eye Hereford that B brought over to join the herd. She is a good cow except for the cancer eye. He figured to gamble on getting a calf out of her and then shoot her in the fall. Cancer eye just got the pour on.

If the eye isn’t that bad I would take it out. I’ve done a few. Fairly simple but more blood than a c section.

 

[farmerjan]

Most of the stockyards here will reject a cow that has cancer eye....if it is pretty advanced.... so wasted trip to take her to town.

 

[bird dog]

Murray, the USDA inspectors will reject the carcass most of the time. If you catch them real early you can get them to accept them and thats what most folks try to do.

I'm not sure what a vet would charge to remove the eye and sew it up but vet work around here has gotten expensive to where even getting a dog fixed will cost you $400.

 

[Dave]

If the eye isn't that bad I would take it out. I've done a few. Fairly simple but more blood than a c section.

Not my cow. So as the saying goes, not my monkey, not my circus. My guess it would be time right now. He has more and bigger issues to deal with than dealing with one cancer eye cow. Maybe later, I don't know and didn't ask.

 

[Dave]

Here is my first 22 cows out in the front field. Picture taken with wife's tablet so not close up enough to see anything other than happy cows gazing in the field. Actually 23 cows. That cancer eye Hereford cow is out there somewhere.

 

[elkwc]

We had a cancer eye cow... it developed pretty slow and we calved her out and weaned the calf about 5 1/2 months as it got worse... then put her down. She had shown some signs with the previous calf, but came up nearly 6 months bred so kept her... and she did pretty good. Had another cow with a bad eye, looking like it might go "cancerous"..... retired vet friend actually took out the eye, eyelid and such, sewed it shut... and she raised 3 or 4 more calves for us, came up open and got sold...

Our old vet took out many like you stated and sewed them shut. Many raised 3-4 more calves and no more issues. He would only do if it hadn’t advanced too far