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Low Birth Weight Question
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<blockquote data-quote="Katpau" data-source="post: 1202950" data-attributes="member: 9933"><p>I always wonder how many of these little 60 to 70 pound calves I hear about had their weights actually measured with an accurate scale. My first calf was born last week. I usually calve in February but I bought a couple bred heifers last summer. The place I purchased them reported mostly small calves in the mid 60 to 80 pound range. I was curious if these calves would be smaller than my average. When I first saw this little heifer I guessed her maybe 65 pounds. She could easily run beneath her heifer mom. I was surprised when we lifted her and got a weight. She actually weighed 78 pounds which adjusts to 85 pounds for an adult cow. I thought maybe my scale was off, so I reweighed her with both a digital scale and the hanging scale two days later, and she was at 82 pounds, so it was right. She was stout and her weight was pretty deceptive.</p><p>I suspect many use eyeball estimates and others may use tape measure estimates. I tried the tapes along with scales for a number of years and found the tape often underestimated the weight of the calf by as much as 10 or more pounds. I calve about 40 to 50 cows per year and weigh every single calf with a hanging scale that I verify against a digital scale. My cows are small to average in size with most at a 4 to 5 frame score. My average birth weight last year was 90 pounds. That varies a bit from year to year depending on weather and bulls, but is usually in the mid 80's to low 90's. I very rarely need to assist. Occasionally I might observe a backward calf or a leg back, and I will help if I see that, but assistance is very rare. The only one I lost last year was a 60 pound calf out of a first calf heifer. It was born in a storm that was switching back and forth from rain to snow. I found that one in a puddle probably dead of hypothermia. My cows are on pasture and not near the house, so I can't watch them every minute and I would not want to. If they can't have a decent size calf even as a heifer, then they don't have a place here.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Katpau, post: 1202950, member: 9933"] I always wonder how many of these little 60 to 70 pound calves I hear about had their weights actually measured with an accurate scale. My first calf was born last week. I usually calve in February but I bought a couple bred heifers last summer. The place I purchased them reported mostly small calves in the mid 60 to 80 pound range. I was curious if these calves would be smaller than my average. When I first saw this little heifer I guessed her maybe 65 pounds. She could easily run beneath her heifer mom. I was surprised when we lifted her and got a weight. She actually weighed 78 pounds which adjusts to 85 pounds for an adult cow. I thought maybe my scale was off, so I reweighed her with both a digital scale and the hanging scale two days later, and she was at 82 pounds, so it was right. She was stout and her weight was pretty deceptive. I suspect many use eyeball estimates and others may use tape measure estimates. I tried the tapes along with scales for a number of years and found the tape often underestimated the weight of the calf by as much as 10 or more pounds. I calve about 40 to 50 cows per year and weigh every single calf with a hanging scale that I verify against a digital scale. My cows are small to average in size with most at a 4 to 5 frame score. My average birth weight last year was 90 pounds. That varies a bit from year to year depending on weather and bulls, but is usually in the mid 80’s to low 90’s. I very rarely need to assist. Occasionally I might observe a backward calf or a leg back, and I will help if I see that, but assistance is very rare. The only one I lost last year was a 60 pound calf out of a first calf heifer. It was born in a storm that was switching back and forth from rain to snow. I found that one in a puddle probably dead of hypothermia. My cows are on pasture and not near the house, so I can’t watch them every minute and I would not want to. If they can’t have a decent size calf even as a heifer, then they don’t have a place here. [/QUOTE]
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