Margo - Fire Sweep Simmental Heifer

[inyati13]

I bought Margo from Kris in the fall. She was bred to Steel, Kris' highly decorated bull. Margo was due to calve on 3/22/15; Sunday. I would keep Margo if she were sterile; the most unusual disposition of any cow I have. I don't want to think about life without Margo. :heart: I was beginning to worry about her getting past this first calving experience. I talked to Kris and she assured me, Steel was throwing small calves. Only one had been big and that was out of her heifer Lilly. The anxiety was too much so I scheduled the vet to palpate her on Thursday. I checked Margo 3 am Thursday morning. There was a big calf standing at her side. I got a syringe of Calf Guard and took my bathroom scales. I shot 3 mL of Calf Guard down his throat. Put down my 2x6 scale platform. Placed the scales and got on. I weighted 163 pounds. Picked up the calf. Wow. The guy is densely made. 268 pounds. The calf was 105 pounds. I walked Margo around a few times to make sure she was OK. About 2 hours later she cleared her placenta. I put out some feed and the only issue I saw was her small udder. I called Kris. She was doubtful of the weight and ask me to weigh him again. I did. 107 pounds. Not that much difference. Before I called her back, I laid two fifty pound bags of feed out where I could reach them without bending down. I set up the scales. Got one bag under each arm. The scales read exactly 100 pounds above my body weight.

Her are the pics. This is at daylight on the morning the calf was born. My friend Clint, stopped by on his way to work. He works at the nursing home where mom resides. This calf is only a few hours old.

This is the calf yesterday (2 days old).

 

[AllForage]

You would keep a sterile heifer??? Hobby ranch turning petting zoo??

Sounds like she is earning that money from the sale with customer support and consulting work

 

[FlyingLSimmentals]

Looks like the weight is in height and length, that's better than it being in width. Nice calf!

 

[branguscowgirl]

:shock: You are gonna give yourself a hernia picking up that big ole calf so much Ron! You ain't as young as Nesi! ;-)
Nice job. Wish she would have given you a heifer though, because I know that you will fall in love.

 

[retro]

AH YA the joys of the Simmental breed

 

[AllForage]

AH YA the joys of the Simmental breed

Oh boy! You better hide now the simmy mafia is going to be coming for you !!!

 

[highgrit]

Nothing wrong with a big live calf. The problem is when your not expecting a big calf. And it turns into a dead big calf or worse. I like live calves. And now Inyati has a very nice calf.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

We have had 8 calves from that bull so far, all 288 to 290 days gestation and all ranging from 68 to 75 pounds EXCEPT Margo and a heifer we have here, Lilly. Lilly had a 89 pound heifer calf, 290 days gestation.
Not sure why the heifers are throwing the biggest calves, but I will take the 70 pound calves and add 20 more on my 3 year old cows (the rest were dammed by 3 year olds). The calves hit the ground running and nurse like crazy! I am just glad Margo did it on her own...

 

[retro]

AH YA the joys of the Simmental breed

Oh boy! You better hide now the simmy mafia is going to be coming for you !!!

that breed has had a contract out on me for 6 years now. :lol: I ain't afraid of no simmy Mafia. :lol2:

 

[reeler]

We have had 8 calves from that bull so far, all 288 to 290 days gestation and all ranging from 68 to 75 pounds EXCEPT Margo and a heifer we have here, Lilly. Lilly had a 89 pound heifer calf, 290 days gestation.
Not sure why the heifers are throwing the biggest calves, but I will take the 70 pound calves and add 20 more on my 3 year old cows (the rest were dammed by 3 year olds). The calves hit the ground running and nurse like crazy! I am just glad Margo did it on her own...

Yes, Margo delivering that big boy on her own is wonderful! :clap:

 

[Alan]

We have had 8 calves from that bull so far, all 288 to 290 days gestation and all ranging from 68 to 75 pounds EXCEPT Margo and a heifer we have here, Lilly. Lilly had a 89 pound heifer calf, 290 days gestation.
Not sure why the heifers are throwing the biggest calves, but I will take the 70 pound calves and add 20 more on my 3 year old cows (the rest were dammed by 3 year olds). The calves hit the ground running and nurse like crazy! I am just glad Margo did it on her own...

All I can say is I'm sure fire sweep is happy you are broadcasting to all her "highly decorated" bull is throwing hundred pounders.

 

[Alan]

We have had 8 calves from that bull so far, all 288 to 290 days gestation and all ranging from 68 to 75 pounds EXCEPT Margo and a heifer we have here, Lilly. Lilly had a 89 pound heifer calf, 290 days gestation.
Not sure why the heifers are throwing the biggest calves, but I will take the 70 pound calves and add 20 more on my 3 year old cows (the rest were dammed by 3 year olds). The calves hit the ground running and nurse like crazy! I am just glad Margo did it on her own...

Yes, Margo delivering that big boy on her own is wonderful! :clap:

I may be wrong but isn't reeler and blue the same perso...... Ah dog?

 

[retro]

We have had 8 calves from that bull so far, all 288 to 290 days gestation and all ranging from 68 to 75 pounds EXCEPT Margo and a heifer we have here, Lilly. Lilly had a 89 pound heifer calf, 290 days gestation.
Not sure why the heifers are throwing the biggest calves, but I will take the 70 pound calves and add 20 more on my 3 year old cows (the rest were dammed by 3 year olds). The calves hit the ground running and nurse like crazy! I am just glad Margo did it on her own...

All I can say is I'm sure fire sweep is happy you are broadcasting to all her "highly decorated" bull is throwing hundred pounders.

Ya i was thinking the same thing :dunce: I guess I would think twice about posting a picture of my beloved heifer if that is what she was carry'n for a udder . But that's just me

 

[Nesikep]

Good to hear all's well with them

As long as the udder is good, the proof of it is in how the calf grows.. for calf sizes, as long as the cows don't have problems calving I don't mind big calves, this year the only ones I've had to help were the first timers, most of the others have been able to conveniently make their calves between checks.

 

[inyati13]

We have had 8 calves from that bull so far, all 288 to 290 days gestation and all ranging from 68 to 75 pounds EXCEPT Margo and a heifer we have here, Lilly. Lilly had a 89 pound heifer calf, 290 days gestation.
Not sure why the heifers are throwing the biggest calves, but I will take the 70 pound calves and add 20 more on my 3 year old cows (the rest were dammed by 3 year olds). The calves hit the ground running and nurse like crazy! I am just glad Margo did it on her own...

All I can say is I'm sure fire sweep is happy you are broadcasting to all her "highly decorated" bull is throwing hundred pounders.

Ya i was thinking the same thing :dunce: I guess I would think twice about posting a picture of my beloved heifer if that is what she was carry'n for a udder . But that's just me

She has come into her milk in the past 48 hours. Reached up and grasp her udder tonight. There is More there than meets the eye. Nesi, I too have noticed - The size of the calf at weaning is not a direct relationship to the size of the udder. I will post updates on Margo and the Little Steel calf. We shall see how she does. I am optimistic on her ability to raise a great calf. But if she don't, she will still be my beloved heifer, To Quote retro, "But that's just me"

 

[Nesikep]

The cow that I've been keeping my intact bulls from started with a modest udder, and for the first several calves, in the middle of winter she looked like she was an oversized heifer.. her udder would completely get tucked up, but every calf she raised was impressive.. Now 9 years old the udder is a lot more prominent, but very well shaped.
My 2 first timers that have calved have pretty hungry calves still, they aren't going to be very impressive in the fall, but they're also small framed heifers, I think next year they'll do much better, both are from good lines.. Maybe if they don't make too big a calf this season they'll grow a little themselves and have more to give next time.

 

[inyati13]

We have had 8 calves from that bull so far, all 288 to 290 days gestation and all ranging from 68 to 75 pounds EXCEPT Margo and a heifer we have here, Lilly. Lilly had a 89 pound heifer calf, 290 days gestation.
Not sure why the heifers are throwing the biggest calves, but I will take the 70 pound calves and add 20 more on my 3 year old cows (the rest were dammed by 3 year olds). The calves hit the ground running and nurse like crazy! I am just glad Margo did it on her own...

All I can say is I'm sure fire sweep is happy you are broadcasting to all her "highly decorated" bull is throwing hundred pounders.

He is not the only Bull that in the right mix will sire a big calf. Recently a calf delivered caesarean by Dr. Stansfield in Mason County, KY tipped the scales at 182 pounds. The cow was a Charolais. So far here are my spring birthweights:

Price - 100 pounds
Stocky - 80 pounds
Short Ear - 87 pounds
Margo - 105 pounds
Skunk Tail 89 and 82 pounds (twins)
Duchess 96 pounds (delivered last night)
ALL UNASSISTED BIRTHS

I am beginning to believe that anything less than an 80 pound calf is a myth. How many seedstock producers accurately report birthweights? How many cook the numbers? How many report fabricated numbers?

 

[AllForage]

Sssshhhh, Ron! You are getting too close. You better just walk away from this birthweight thing and pretend it never happened. Highly decorated Bulls are not just going to sit there and take your accusations. You can't handle the Simmy truth!!!!

 

[retro]

Sssshhhh, Ron! You are getting too close. You better just walk away from this birthweight thing and pretend it never happened. Highly decorated Bulls are not just going to sit there and take your accusations. You can't handle the Simmy truth!!!!

And the truth being ??? what that Simmy's are just a spin off of the cross breeding of Holsteins ?? that can't really walk very well.. ?? You know the world famous Simmental shuffle ?? That truth ??

 

[highgrit]

I'm not going to bash the Simmental breed. Our first bull was a Simmental, out of the Onward bloodlines. His calves were perfect, and sold at the top of the sale. I wish I still had him, just to green to know what we had.