It happened again.

[RanchManager]

No, there are no sure fire signs that you can count on 100% other than a calf on the ground for sure. I just heard a person here ask for ideas. If I wanted to post a smart aleck post I would have said something similar like: last year I had a cow that was so loose for three weeks I just finally put a halter on the calf and led it out.

Sorry about your animal too.

 

[backhoeboogie]

when I see feet and a nose, I'm pretty sure they're getting close.

And that's the only dead bang certain sign

There are a few that drive me nuts. They look like they are about to pop for two weeks.

When you see a heifer lay down, get up, lay back down, then get up again only to lay back down in a few minutes - she's gone into labor. Cows don't seem to do this and not all heifers do.

 

[Bez+]

a problem when the cow lay down on a gentle slope and could not get up because her legs were pointing uphill. Fortunately we discovered it in time and were able to turn her around

I had never heard of such a thing but it happened again this time with fatal consequences.

We call it being "cast"

Trapped and cannot get up - happens more often than you might realize.


Bez+

Had it happen here last February. My nurse cow (Jersey). She left me with a 3 week old heifer to raise. She'd done this one other time a couple of years ago, in a different pasture but I saw her right away and got her turned around in time. Last Feb. she did it during the night.

I had more people telling me that they'd never heard of such a thing. :roll: I did have a few tell me they had lost cows the smae way.

It happens, and when it does, it usually bites, and its usually one you don't want to lose.

Sorry for your loss. You're not alone.

Katherine

We get a lot of posts on this board that start out with something like "She was fine yesterday" or "Does anyone know why" or "What could have happened?"

I always figured being cast is quite common - especially to a heavy bred or a large cow full of grass or one that lays down and slides into a very shallow depression - it often only needs to be 5 or 6 inches off level from the rest of the ground - almost unnoticeable to the eye. It can, in the worst case scenarios with a really round cow be even less of a depression in the ground.

Once they get over on their side it is a short trip to being on their back - then it is often less than 30 minutes until they are dead.

Most folks just do not recognize it. But if you look at the ground around them you will see a few scuff marks and there will often be cow schitzen piled up against their backside or along the ground as they turn their body in an attempt to get their feet back under them.

So the next time an apparently healthy cow gets down and has dead cow disease take a close look - you might just find she was unlucky the day she laid down for a nap.

Bez+

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Most folks just do not recognize it. But if you look at the ground around them you will see a few scuff marks and there will often be cow schitzen piled up against their backside or along the ground as they turn their body in an attempt to get their feet back under them.
Bez+

:nod: :nod: Yup, what he said.

Katherine