Hooves grown out on 600 lbs heifer.

[Ky hills]

Like I mentioned in another post I made this morning, the weather wasn't freezing cold or rainy so I must have paid more attention to details this morning. When feeding our heifers and steer calves (most of them purchased) this morning I noticed a heifer that was walking labored like. Her front hooves were grown out long and the toes starting to crisscross each other. I haven't seen a calf that young have that kind of grown out hooves like that for many years. That was from a Hereford steer years ago that was said to have been foundered. The calf now is a commercial Angus heifer. I have been feeding them about 8 lbs roughly total per day since its been cold, little less before. Broken up into two times a day, This calf weighs 600+ and was purchased in a group of 8, the other calves from that group and from other purchases or homeraised ones don't show any signs of feet issues. I am hoping that it is just an isolated instance and will cull her out. I have seen older cattle like that but that young seems unusual.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

8 pounds of what?

 

[Ky hills]

8 pounds of what?

It's a ration comprised of corn gluten pellets, soy hull pellets, cracked corn, and dried distillers grain. I don't know the exact percentages but I think I have them listed in order of most to least amount.

 

[Bright Raven]

8 pounds of what?

It's a ration comprised of corn gluten pellets, soy hull pellets, cracked corn, and dried distillers grain. I don't know the exact percentages but I think I have them listed in order of most to least amount.

Is that the Hinton Mills Blue Ribbon mix?

Bill, only a thought. It is probably genetic. That is one I think should be "dipped" out of the genetic pool.

 

[Ky hills]

8 pounds of what?

It's a ration comprised of corn gluten pellets, soy hull pellets, cracked corn, and dried distillers grain. I don't know the exact percentages but I think I have them listed in order of most to least amount.

Is that the Hinton Mills Blue Ribbon mix?

Bill, only a thought. It is probably genetic. That is one I think should be "dipped" out of the genetic pool.

It's a ration from Winchester Feed Co. They call it Potters mix, could very well be a similar ration to what Hinton sells. I'm not sure if I have been in Hinton Mills or not, but used to get our feed delivered here from Rips Farm Center. And have bought chelated mineral from Rips until I started getting it at Southern States.
I am inclined to agree with you about the calf I figure it's genetic too by being that young. I will definitely cull her, don't want that kind of problem multiplying. At the rate she is going I doubt she could get around even as a two year old.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Doesn't make any difference what you are feeding at 8# for 600# animals. Not enough of anything that I know of to founder or hurt them. That's just over 1% of their body weight.

 

[Ky hills]

Doesn't make any difference what you are feeding at 8# for 600# animals. Not enough of anything that I know of to founder or hurt them. That's just over 1% of their body weight.

Thank you Jeanne, I feel vindicated by your statement. If had a dollar for every time somebody thought I fed too well, I'd be a rich bearded man instead of just a bearded man. I have always tried to supplement our growing calves without over doing it. Sometimes hard to strike a balance in a group of heifers and steers mixed. I like to push the steers more but this time only have a handful of steers so I'm gearing towards the heifers. I have found giving them some feed helps them to develop and be ready to breed, but u don't want to over condition them.

 

[MRRherefords]

My guess too would be genetic.

 

[wbvs58]

My money is on nutritional. I had two pregnant heifers a couple of years ago go like that just before calving. I had grazed them pretty heavily during winter on cereal crops of oats and rye. Periodically it gave issues with broken wall and infection but they have come good now, feet not pretty but functional and no issues. Look up Fescue foot.

Ken

 

[jehosofat]

My money is on nutritional. I had two pregnant heifers a couple of years ago go like that just before calving. I had grazed them pretty heavily during winter on cereal crops of oats and rye. Periodically it gave issues with broken wall and infection but they have come good now, feet not pretty but functional and no issues. Look up Fescue foot.

Ken

I'm not an expert by any means, but I agree with this. I overfed some heifers trying to get them ready to breed on my fall calving window. I fed em pretty hard, had 3 or 4 like this, trimmed em, bred em, then put em on my regular program. They have maintained proper hoof length for two years now.

 

[Putangitangi]

I had a 2012-born heifer we had to shoot at 20 months. She had some weird (presume genetic) abnormality where her feet, front and back, wouldn't stop growing. She became so slipper-footed that she had to kneel to eat. I kept hoping she'd come right and the guy with the gun was injured, so I gave her some time. She cycled ok, was in good enough condition but going into winter, a decision had to be made.

Got any pictures of your heifer's feet? I could dig mine out from somewhere if this sounds at all like yours. Mine was first noticeable with pained walking at about 14 months, just before I was due to put them up for mating. Seemed to have some odd neuro symptoms associated too, although that may have been coincidental - quiet heifer became weirdly alert all the time, trembly too.

 

[Ky hills]

I had a 2012-born heifer we had to shoot at 20 months. She had some weird (presume genetic) abnormality where her feet, front and back, wouldn't stop growing. She became so slipper-footed that she had to kneel to eat. I kept hoping she'd come right and the guy with the gun was injured, so I gave her some time. She cycled ok, was in good enough condition but going into winter, a decision had to be made.

Got any pictures of your heifer's feet? I could dig mine out from somewhere if this sounds at all like yours. Mine was first noticeable with pained walking at about 14 months, just before I was due to put them up for mating. Seemed to have some odd neuro symptoms associated too, although that may have been coincidental - quiet heifer became weirdly alert all the time, trembly too.

I can try to get some pictures, but then I haven't been able to figure out how to get pictures posted here.
Several years ago I had a steer that got to where he couldn't hardly get around and seemed trembly as well.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

I don't know what happened to the post I made, long and drawn out. Disappeared.

Anyhow, I'm leaning towards NOT being feed related.

 

[gcreekrch]

Matters not what caused it, get her as heavy as you can as quickly as you can and put her in the freezer.