Here's some bad luck

[Bigfoot]

I personally don't sweat a little bad luck on the farm. Things happen that can be discouraging, but I don't confuse my side line with things that really matter. My son (12 years old), has had a terrible run of luck in 2017. About as bad as I've ever heard of.


Only had 5 cows to begin with:
11 year old cow went long between calves twice/sold in early January
9 year old cow had February calf/all is well
5 year old cow/lost calf to coyotes
second calf cow/still born. Back feet first and long delivery is my guess
2 year old heifer tested open this morning

Because the kids are starting their herds, I've always tried to see that they had the best. To insure a good start. Sure seems to have backfired for him. He's taking it in stride. I put 2 Holsteins on his second calf cow . That'll save her goose hopefully. I think I'll swap his 5 yo for one of mine that did calf. We'll sell the heifer next week.

Worst luck I ever heard of. One live calf on 5 head. Shame for somebody in the building phase.

 

[SteppedInIt]

It's a shame I agree. It willl be a good lesson though when he keeps working and things turn for the better.

 

[Nesikep]

I don't know why it is, but starting off in cattle always seems to be a steep learning curve with high losses,... Sometimes I can chalk it up to ignorance (our case), but not in yours.

 

[wacocowboy]

That is some hard luck. Hopefully things will start to look up for him. How is his bucking bull doing?

 

[Bigfoot]

That is some hard luck. Hopefully things will start to look up for him. How is his bucking bull doing?

Real good. Late bloomer on growth. He's really filling out.

 

[wacocowboy]

That is some hard luck. Hopefully things will start to look up for him. How is his bucking bull doing?

Real good. Late bloomer on growth. He's really filling out.

That's good at least he is having some good luck.

 

[farmerjan]

It is a real shame that he seems to have hit the "bad luck lottery" but really a testament to his upbringing ( YOU ) that he is taking it in stride. This may be his run of bad luck for the next 5 years too....Good luck on whichever way you go and congrats for getting the 2nd calf cow to take the 2 holsteins.

 

[SIMMGAL]

It is a real shame that he seems to have hit the "bad luck lottery" but really a testament to his upbringing ( YOU ) that he is taking it in stride. This may be his run of bad luck for the next 5 years too....Good luck on whichever way you go and congrats for getting the 2nd calf cow to take the 2 holsteins.

I agree! Gotta be able to take it in stride! I had some bad luck starting out and if I would have quit as soon as I got discouraged I wouldn't still have cattle! :lol2:

Best of luck with the others. Sorry to hear about your losses!

 

[Supa Dexta]

Because the kids are starting their herds, I've always tried to see that they had the best.

There's your problem right there. The good ones always die - its the junk that hangs on forever.

 

[AdamsCreek]

My story is similar. My grandpa gave me my first supposed to be bred heifer. When I finally got her bred and calved out she wouldn't breed back on time. My next one was born blind. Next year had a first calf heifer that wouldnt milk and another one born windswept and had one die from pneumonia. Those first couple years nothing went right but it taught me how to deal with tough times. It'll eventually get better. You sound like a pretty stand up guy. I wish someone would've give me a start when I was 12 year old. No telling where I could've been by now.

 

[Ojp6]

My first little herd of cows I had as bad of luck as anyone I know. I bought 7 cows when I was in high school to turn out on a little spot by my house. One cow had one when she was only about 6 months along. One hung a leg when she was calving and I didn't get there fast enough to get it out alive. One had a calf that lived for 2 months before bloating and dying one day. My only heifer had a hard pull and I got the calf out but the heifer died, the calf died a few days later. I had one calf get pneumonia at about 300 lbs and died during some bad weather. Out of the two calves that lived to weaning one weighed about 650 and one weighed 250 and they were the same age.

I started the spring with seven bred cows and ended it with 6 cows and 2 calves.

 

[cow pollinater]

I see that as a great start. He has enough to rebuild with but he's learning early on about counting hatched chickens. Better that that happens now than when he's thinking cows will always pay the mortgage.

 

[boondocks]

Maybe his run of bad luck will cure him of the cow disease and he can go find bigger and better things to do! :lol:
Seriously, though, I'm sorry for his bad luck and hope things turn around. Will def teach him perserverance!