Making Money Now?

[ENNOT]

Had a first calf heifer abort her calf sometime last night. AAARRRRRGH

Saw that she was looking like she was going to calve, but we shouldn't start until calving heifers until 1/10/07. Penned her up and checked her around midnight. Not much I was going to be able to do anyways this far from when she should've calved. Checked her this morning and she had it, no hair it.

Went and grabbed a calf from a dairy not far from here to stick on her. Hopefully she'll take it, he's a pretty aggressive sucker, so we'll see.

The best part? On my way back home I blew a tire on the rear, went into the barrow ditch and ruined the rim. What a day!!!????!!!

 

[MoGal]

Sorry to hear of your loss, but this was an interesting article (I thought) ....... but I also wonder why the calf had no hair?? Wouldn't it normally have hair at the 8th month?? Is that a mineral/vitamin deficiency to cause that?


An article in the last show me select heifer sale held 12/02....

The North Dakota State University Dickinson Research Extension Center. In reviewing cow records, center research specialist Keith Helmuth compiled all the cows with absolute breeding dates and sire of calf. In other words, 462 cows were artificially inseminated and conceived to the unit of semen she was inseminate with. Because of the different breeds used, the parentage of this calf is not questionable. No DNA test or judge was needed to identify the father.

Of these 462 cows, the average gestation length was 282.5 days. Of the 462 cows only 87 actually calved on the expected date. These cows were expected to calve 283 days after breeding, on March 1st. In reality, the first live calf arrived February 11, then one on the 13th and one on the 16th. Three calves arrived on Feb 17th, three on the 19th, one on the 20th, three on the 21st, nine on the 22nd, eight on the 23rd and a rush on the 24th produced 17 calves.

The calving crew is starting to sweat. On the 25th, 19 calves were born, 36 on the 26th, 38 on the 27th, 39 on the 28th and finally on the due date of March 1st, 87 calves were born. More sweat, despite the cold weather. On March 2nd 53 cows calve, on the 3rd 25 calves, on the 4th 16 calves, on the 5th 22 calves, on the 6th 20 calves on the 7th 15 calves and on the 8th only four calves. Just as their appeared to be a let up, on the 9th 15 calves were born, on the 10th 12 calves and on the 11th one calf. The season finished with 2 calves on the 12th, three calves on the 13th, four calves on the 14th and one calf each on the 15th, 16th and 17th. The last 2 calves were born on the 19th of March.

All 462 cows conceived on the same day, but the calving season lasted 32 days. Approximately 80 percent calved within an 11 day window, 95 percent in a 19 day window and 98 percent within a 28 day window.

I think the article was written by Kris Ringwall who is a ND State Univ Extension Beef specialist, Director of the NDSU Dickinson Research Center. He authors the Cow Herd Appraisal Performance System Computer program that incorporates and analyses data collection from conception through consumption.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Sorry Ennot - days go like that sometimes.
Not to be an alarmist - but I would be major concerned with the health of the farm raised newborns. Remember, no matter how healthy that Holstein calf is/was - it is carrying bugs that your newborns will not have immunity from their dams colostrum.
If there is anyway to keep your newborns away from any exposure to this calf for at least the first few weeks (months would be better!).
MoGal - good article - soooo accurate!
As far as the calf being 8 months - it could be much less than that depending on how long he bred the heifers - if he bred them for 60 days - it could be 6 months.

 

[ENNOT]

Thanks Jeanne. We moved the heifer to a different corral at another place we have that's closer to home. I understand totally about bringing in bugs. I just wanted to give this girl a chance to raise a calf to maybe re-coup part of the lose.

MoGal, here's my thought on the calf. Even though we were supposed to start calving on 1/10, this heifer was a little younger and was probably not bred to calve as close to this date(natural service).

Something happened that caused her to abort when the calf was not fully developed. She was in a group of heifers we had bought last winter, so she was not rasied here.

I am not sure if something she ate caused it or what. They've been on pasture, getting a little grass hay and we have a protein supplement for them to lick on.

It's hard to tell what happened. I know one thing though, she'll leave.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Thanks Jeanne. We moved the heifer to a different corral at another place we have that's closer to home. I understand totally about bringing in bugs. I just wanted to give this girl a chance to raise a calf to maybe re-coup part of the lose.

MoGal, here's my thought on the calf. Even though we were supposed to start calving on 1/10, this heifer was a little younger and was probably not bred to calve as close to this date(natural service).

Something happened that caused her to abort when the calf was not fully developed. She was in a group of heifers we had bought last winter, so she was not rasied here.

I am not sure if something she ate caused it or what. They've been on pasture, getting a little grass hay and we have a protein supplement for them to lick on.

It's hard to tell what happened. I know one thing though, she'll leave.

Get her checked for neospora if she is positive cull.

 

[ENNOT]

I sent Caustic a pm to have him explain it, but maybe he would elaborate for others to get information concerning this incident and neospora.

The heifer will be sold after we are done with her this spring or late summer. Depends if she'll take a calf, when we will send her.

 

[txag]

he's posted it lots of times before. a search for "neospora" will bring up plenty of hits, including this one:

http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... t=neospora

 

[ENNOT]

dang you're fast txag!

 

[txag]

dang you're fast txag!

so are you. i went to correct a typo & you had already posted. :lol: