Lost a Momma....

[CCCowman]

Found one of my best momma's dead yesterday. She'd been dead a couple days (Been away for the weekend so just now found her). She was looking good when I last saw her (Thursday afternoon). Suspicious looking hole right in the center of her chest. No way of really knowing if she'd been shot or not but I think so and the deputy (yes, I filed a report) said it looked a lot like a bullet hole.

Now I have a 4 month old calf to worry about. He looks real good and healthy. Hanging with the other calves. I fed a little to check him out and he stuck his nose in there and got what he could. He should be alright shouldn't he? Should I put him up and feed him for a while?

 

[M-5]

He will most likely steal some milk but if you want him to grow with the rest he needs a little extra feed.

 

[JMJ Farms]

Hate to hear that. The things some people do to get their rocks off. I agree with Dash to a T on the calf. Depending on what he weighs I might go ahead and ship him. Do you have any insurance? Don't know if it will pay on this or not. Might be worth checking though.

 

[TCRanch]

Glad you filed a report and I also hate to hear that, sorry for your loss! I lost a fave first calf heifer to lightning last year and brought her 3 month old calf to the barn for a while until she learned I was her primary source of food. When I let her rejoin the herd I did see her rob every once in a while (and suspect it was considerably more) and she would come running to me as soon as she heard my Polaris for her cubes. She was definitely one of the smaller heifers when I sold her but she did okay.

 

[M.Magis]

Check the carcass with a metal detector. If it was shot, a cow is large enough that the bullet is unlikely to pass through.

 

[farmerjan]

Sorry to hear that. There was a neighbor who lost a bull to a gunshot and they did have ins on him. There have been a few over the years around here; we are lucky that most of our animals are far from the roadways, and on the rented places, usually there are owners around. Still it is something you worry about and have to deal with.
If your grass is good, then hopefully it might steal off a cow also. If you have anyway to set up a creep feeder, it would definitely benefit that calf. Otherwise, if it is calf you were going to sell, I would probably bring it back to the barn, feed it a month or two and sell; if the market is decent now you might be better off selling it now.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Sorry for your loss. Many years ago had lost a cow, when her calf was only five weeks old. Left her be with her herd. She started stealing from other cows in a short time, but it took a very long time for her to be in a good condition. She looked way skinnier than other calves until around weaning time. She was growing and grew into one of the biggest cow in the herd, but she had a spirit to fight and exceptional growth in her genetics. Sure, she would have done even better if she was raised by the dam. However for another calf it might be a disaster. Or an orphan calf can be too good stealer and the other calf might stop growing. Had such situation last year. An orphan heifer started stealing from a first calver and that cow's calf was very small at the weaning...
So it'd be the best to give it extra feed yourself.

 

[CCCowman]

Hate to hear that. The things some people do to get their rocks off. I agree with Dash to a T on the calf. Depending on what he weighs I might go ahead and ship him. Do you have any insurance? Don't know if it will pay on this or not. Might be worth checking though.

Good news is I had insurance and they will pony up. Was able to get the lil feller up in the barn and gave him a big helping of feed. He was mighty hungry.... Ate it all and followed me around wanting more. I believe the best thing will be to take him to the market Saturday. He'll probably go 400ish.

First time this has ever happened to me and it's killing me. I know they are just cows but I like to take care of my animals best I can. I hope I never find out what happened... especially if it was done on purpose.

 

[76 Bar]

Sorry for you loss and glad the calf survived. I've had a number of cattle shot over the years. Everything from shattered legs to found dead. A word to the wise...always make sure to contact the sheriff's dept. ASAP and likewise, if in a brand state, your local inspector.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Bummer - there sure is a lot of evil out there!
Glad the little one is doing ok. Word of caution - don't give it too much feed. All the hay it wants but not more than 1% of its body weight in grain/day. So, if it's 400#, 4# of grain per day.
As others said, you can leave the calf with the herd and it will "survive" - but, it might be at the sacrifice of a really good keeper heifer.

 

[JMJ Farms]

Hate to hear that. The things some people do to get their rocks off. I agree with Dash to a T on the calf. Depending on what he weighs I might go ahead and ship him. Do you have any insurance? Don't know if it will pay on this or not. Might be worth checking though.

Good news is I had insurance and they will pony up. Was able to get the lil feller up in the barn and gave him a big helping of feed. He was mighty hungry.... Ate it all and followed me around wanting more. I believe the best thing will be to take him to the market Saturday. He'll probably go 400ish.

First time this has ever happened to me and it's killing me. I know they are just cows but I like to take care of my animals best I can. I hope I never find out what happened... especially if it was done on purpose.

400 pounds will get you a pretty decent check. And I feel the same as you. They're just cows. But they're my cows and my responsibility to care for. IMO, provided this wasn't accidental, and this don't make me right, but that cow was worth more than the sorry POS that shot her. As Grit would say "he needs a bullet behind the ear".

 

[snoopdog]

Glad the insurance will pay , and sorry for your loss. I would ship the calf , the market is decent for that size and you'll do ok.

 

[Nesikep]

Hate to hear that. The things some people do to get their rocks off. I agree with Dash to a T on the calf. Depending on what he weighs I might go ahead and ship him. Do you have any insurance? Don't know if it will pay on this or not. Might be worth checking though.

Good news is I had insurance and they will pony up. Was able to get the lil feller up in the barn and gave him a big helping of feed. He was mighty hungry.... Ate it all and followed me around wanting more. I believe the best thing will be to take him to the market Saturday. He'll probably go 400ish.

First time this has ever happened to me and it's killing me. I know they are just cows but I like to take care of my animals best I can. I hope I never find out what happened... especially if it was done on purpose.

400 pounds will get you a pretty decent check. And I feel the same as you. They're just cows. But they're my cows and my responsibility to care for. IMO, provided this wasn't accidental, and this don't make me right, but that cow was worth more than the sorry POS that shot her. As Grit would say "he needs a bullet behind the ear".

And it's one of the few times I might beat Grit to the trigger!

I would be bloody livid.. that really sucks.