loosing a calf

[newcattleman]

I am just getting into raising beef cattle this year. I bought 4 bred cows from the sale barn ( 2 in march late 2nd stage, and 2 in may 3rd stage). I didn't give them any shots an am pasture raising them. Yesterday 1 had a calf and was dead. Then this morning a second one had a dead calf (I think pre-mature because there was no hair on it). Both calves were the ones i bought in March. Does anyone have any advice or insight to what, if anything, I am doing wrong? Could this be normal? Also should i get rid of the cows, and do i need to do anything for the ones that lost the calves?
Thanks I need some advice.

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

First, sorry for your losses. Secondly, it's hard to say why...

- do you know the vaccination history of the cows?
- where did you buy them and under what terms?
- how are the girls getting along? (the March and the May group... playing head buttsy? also side shots to one another?)

some will tell you to instantly get the calves posted by a vet... and I'll tell you that you can do that and the majority of the time the results will be "inconclusive"

So here's my assumption (right, wrong, or indifferent) -- you bought these cows at a sale barn and they either had some foo-joo (yes that's a technical term) prior to going to the barn or picked it up AT the sale barn... could be lepto, could be your current weather issues where you're at, could be these girls got into a pecking order battle with the other two and took a head shot at the precise location to abort, they ate pine needles, etc.

Unfortunately because this accounts for 50% of your herd it's serious... however, it's only 2 and I wish better luck to you with the May girls.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I am just getting into raising beef cattle this year. I bought 4 bred cows from the sale barn ( 2 in march late 2nd stage, and 2 in may 3rd stage). I didn't give them any shots an am pasture raising them. Yesterday 1 had a calf and was dead. Then this morning a second one had a dead calf (I think pre-mature because there was no hair on it). Both calves were the ones i bought in March. Does anyone have any advice or insight to what, if anything, I am doing wrong? Could this be normal? Also should i get rid of the cows, and do i need to do anything for the ones that lost the calves?
Thanks I need some advice.

If you have cows your going to loose them. Most cattlemen figure 10% loss in a calf crop.
You might go years and not loose one and the next year, trainwreck after trainwreck.
There a lot of things from they got into or do that can cause abortions.

 

[Caustic Burno]

It could be trich, neospora, etc to eating moldy hay, pine straw, nitrate posioning and so on . The list is pretty long on this hard to diagnose over the internet. Best thing to do is talk to your vet.

 

[Angus Cowman]

could be nutrition or lack of nutrition,type of feed amount of feed
there is 1000s of possibilities