I was recently at an auction and three calves that were about 150 to 200 lbs each came through that all had stiff back legs. One of them could only hop his back legs along behind him. They all looked like they came from the same farm and were healthy and active, just a little slow in the rear. What is the most likely cause of this and why to so many calves from one place? Would the condition most likely stay the same, get better or get worse? They only sold for $0.21 per lb which was tempting. Could they have been fattened enough to butcher or would they be good for veal only? :tiphat:
Hop Along "Calf"ity
- Thread starter SCRUBS620
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larryshoat
Well-known member
The cause of this is most likely an untreated navel infection.It is a management issue.These calves are not worth the trouble. Take the money you would waste on these calves and buy one good one. You will have more in the end.
Larry
Larry
larryshoat
Well-known member
Yes, infection in the joints hard to treat if not impossible.
Larry
Larry
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
why people ship animals like is so beyond my comprension.
rockridgecattle":h0vev6ec said:
9 times out of 10 it is either a lack of knowledge (coupled with the unwillingness to spend the time/money to find out what the problem is), or an unwillingness to spend the necessary money to get them over it.
usernametaken
Well-known member
SCRUBS620":14iefo40 said:
Could lack of Selenium cause it ?
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
msscamp wrote
I'm nasty with quotes, got the idea...now that i did that forgot what i wanted to say...think think think...
...and the unwillingness to realize when something is suffering and wanting to make a buck on it no matter what...after what you said msscamp
I'm nasty with quotes, got the idea...now that i did that forgot what i wanted to say...think think think...
...and the unwillingness to realize when something is suffering and wanting to make a buck on it no matter what...after what you said msscamp
larryshoat
Well-known member
rockridgecattle":34zecfey said:
The sad part is that with a few inexpensive changes in management many of these problems could be avoided.All too often the people that "dump" this livestock on less experienced buyers lack the courage to make those changes.
Larry
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
thanks for fixing the post Larry. And how true
hopalong
Well-known member
rockridgecattle":34ni2y29 said:
So what would you have them do with them?
I know people who buy this type of animal for freezer beef
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
hopalong wrote
first i would suggest get a vet opinion before it gets that bad. Treat the darn thing. Get it better.
Next if the treatment did not work or the treatment was to late or the treatment never happened and a calf got that bad that it was hoping it's back legs...your own freezer beef or euthanize it. It's painful for the animals. It's inhumane treatment of animals to prolong suffering nevermind shipping and furthering more suffering nevermind the problems down the road when it gets bigger..."oh wait i shipped it, not my problem anymore." If it going to be shipped, ship rail grade direct to the packers, the inspectors will deal with it then. Why pass your problems on to some one else.
Let me tell you it's everyones problem. Peta is out there trying to discredit us cattle farmers. Peta and others like them would stop at nothing to put an end to our way of life. Treatments like this only furthers their cause. And for what to make a buck on a downer animal?
Good grief wake up and get our dung together.
Buy the way if an animal was shipped to the stock yards in Canada like that they would be sent back to the farm of origin and possible charges for inhumane treatment of animals
first i would suggest get a vet opinion before it gets that bad. Treat the darn thing. Get it better.
Next if the treatment did not work or the treatment was to late or the treatment never happened and a calf got that bad that it was hoping it's back legs...your own freezer beef or euthanize it. It's painful for the animals. It's inhumane treatment of animals to prolong suffering nevermind shipping and furthering more suffering nevermind the problems down the road when it gets bigger..."oh wait i shipped it, not my problem anymore." If it going to be shipped, ship rail grade direct to the packers, the inspectors will deal with it then. Why pass your problems on to some one else.
Let me tell you it's everyones problem. Peta is out there trying to discredit us cattle farmers. Peta and others like them would stop at nothing to put an end to our way of life. Treatments like this only furthers their cause. And for what to make a buck on a downer animal?
Good grief wake up and get our dung together.
Buy the way if an animal was shipped to the stock yards in Canada like that they would be sent back to the farm of origin and possible charges for inhumane treatment of animals
hopalong
Well-known member
Don't know about Canada, also do not have enough information about the animals in question to say the needed a vet to examine them.
Of the several sale barns that i attend on a regular basis none allow a terminally ill animal go through, I have seen cattle with pinched nerves, broken legs, pink eye, prolapse, broken horns, etc etc go through and there is a vet in attendance at 3 of them.
But then these are not the kind of sale barns that cater to the folks that raise show cattle, instead these are the kind of barns that have range cattle go thru.
Lots of those animals mentioned go to order buyers and go to slaughter.
Sorry to disillusion you but not all livestock are sold as show stoppers but as meat for human consumption as well as some for animal food!
Of the several sale barns that i attend on a regular basis none allow a terminally ill animal go through, I have seen cattle with pinched nerves, broken legs, pink eye, prolapse, broken horns, etc etc go through and there is a vet in attendance at 3 of them.
But then these are not the kind of sale barns that cater to the folks that raise show cattle, instead these are the kind of barns that have range cattle go thru.
Lots of those animals mentioned go to order buyers and go to slaughter.
Sorry to disillusion you but not all livestock are sold as show stoppers but as meat for human consumption as well as some for animal food!
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
Sorry to disappoint, Just a comercial cow calf producer who would not sell anything i wouldn't buy
hillsdown
Well-known member
The stockyards here won't even pay 10 cents a pound for an eye cancer cow. AND there is nothing even close to it being a downer. You definitely never see a sick calf go through they are stopped at the trailer. What stockyard does sell show cows/calves if is not through a special consignment?Never seen that.
I agree with RR if it won't be good enough for my freezer I don't expect anyone else to eat it either.
I agree with RR if it won't be good enough for my freezer I don't expect anyone else to eat it either.
rockridgecattle":27nkv0c6 said:
so what do you do with your culls?
hillsdown
Well-known member
These cattle probably aren't sick so they most likely will be slaughtered right away.
I don't know how you can load up a cow with a broken leg how do they walk? So that would be a downer and would be turned away.
The prolapse probably is questionable because to get her in shape so she can travel a vet was probably called and the cow was sewn up and treated so you would have a withdrawal time.
Broken horns, victim of circumstance would have to be treated and fixed before they are sold.
Pink eye same thing as long as they are not completely blind they should also be slaughtered asap.
Pinched nerves most of us would treat and then there would be a withdrawal time, also downer cow possibly, again how do you load it if it cannot stand and walk?
Just wondering out loud.
rockridgecattle
Well-known member
If they are old and still walking well with no serious arthritis, they go the sale barn.
If they have troubles getting up but once they do they are ok they go to the slaughter house directly, where they will be inspected for human consumption.
This way they are not on the truck from the sale barn to a far away slaughter house where they may go down in the truck.
Lumpy jaw to the slaughter house directly.
Not had any other types of cases.
Calves now have a spend limit on medical and drugs. The spend limit is reviewed case by case. Getting better continue. Not, euthanize, unless it could make it to withdrawl without being in pain then our freezer. Would not sell anything that is not 100%. Would not sell anything that i would not buy. Would not pass my problems on to someone else.
We have only had to euthanize one case which would not heal. A navel ill, our first case. Did not treat quick enough and had damaged the back legs. We kept him and treated several more times because he would get better with treatments and then when the drug wore off get worse again. So we, after a vet inspection, we euthanized. I would never dream of sending my hopy calf to someone else. It was in to much pain, and could only sort of drag sort of hop it's back legs.
If they have troubles getting up but once they do they are ok they go to the slaughter house directly, where they will be inspected for human consumption.
This way they are not on the truck from the sale barn to a far away slaughter house where they may go down in the truck.
Lumpy jaw to the slaughter house directly.
Not had any other types of cases.
Calves now have a spend limit on medical and drugs. The spend limit is reviewed case by case. Getting better continue. Not, euthanize, unless it could make it to withdrawl without being in pain then our freezer. Would not sell anything that is not 100%. Would not sell anything that i would not buy. Would not pass my problems on to someone else.
We have only had to euthanize one case which would not heal. A navel ill, our first case. Did not treat quick enough and had damaged the back legs. We kept him and treated several more times because he would get better with treatments and then when the drug wore off get worse again. So we, after a vet inspection, we euthanized. I would never dream of sending my hopy calf to someone else. It was in to much pain, and could only sort of drag sort of hop it's back legs.
hopalong
Well-known member
hillsdown":d5q2eose said:
No one said these were downer cows, no sale barn I am aware of will unload a downer.
Nexr time you are at a sale barn wahtch the people around you. 90% of the time there will be some order buyers there, these are the guys that are buying for the slaughter houses. If you notice they buy some nasty looking stock that ends up on the shelf of your local market, and or the hamburger joint.
I am one of those order buyers, and probabaly attend more sales in a month than most folks do in a yr. I buy lots of the very kinds of animals you are claiming shouldn't be there for pennies on the dollar thus saving my client money even if they have to put a few bucks in meds and feed to get them ready for slaughter.
The problems you are saying get passed onto someone else very seldom get passed onto some one who doesn't know what the problem is.
larryshoat
Well-known member
How can you say that? Read the posts on this board ,it is full of people that don't know what the problem is.hopalong":16yyr7ye said:
Larry
