new calf

[tnmorcat]

Thought this experience might be helpful to some:

Had to pull a calf on Dec. 4. The calf was coming right but labor had not progressed. We thought the calf had died as it's tongue was sticking out. We made the decision to help the cow. Got the head of the calf out and it blinked. The calf's head was swollen and it's tongue was hanging out but it was already attempting to stand up right after delivery. The calf was able to suck and head swelling is gone. It can put it's tongue inside it's mouth but the tongue does stick out more often than other calves. I have read that the swelling is due to a hard birth where the front legs constrict the jugular vein. Calf is good and healthy.

This is the cow's third calf and third assisted delivery she is Pinzgauer. The second calf was breech. The first and third calf are by different bulls. We are thinking of using another different bull that we have access to that is low birthweight for her. We know this bull sires tiny calves. We do not want to sell her and have someone buy her not knowing the problem as we think it may be her. We know to keep a close eye on her even if breeding to the low birthweight bull. Another reason we are choosing to keep her is that she is very easy to handle.
Here is the calf he is a week old in these pictures.

 

[snake67]

Two posts so you get two answers:

On this place that cow would be tossed so fast your head would spin - she is trouble with a capital T

Turn her into burger and get another one

Not worth the trouble and certainly not worth keeping

Next one you might lose them both

Bez

 

[Alan]

Yup, three calves three assisted births, time for the cow to grow wheels and go.

 

[Taurus]

I would ship her after her third assistated birth. Something tells me that she don't have right reproductive structure. But its up to you to do something with this cow.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

See my reply on the other thread with the same title.

Katherine

 

[tnmorcat]

Can the moderator delete one of these? I didn't mean to double post. Thanks for the advise about selling her. I think that the cow may be the problem. We are beginners and just want to make sure it is her. We started with three cows and a red angus bull we raised on a bottle. She is one of the original cows.

 

[tnmorcat]

Also, if i were going to sell her to slaughter would I wait until this calf is weaned? Does it make a difference if she gets rebred before I sale her? How does selling her as slaughter only work?

 

[Alan]

Don't worry about the double post, I think most here including myself has done it more than once. Sorry about your cow, but three pulls in a row is plain enough.

 

[Alan]

Also, if i were going to sell her to slaughter would I wait until this calf is weaned? Does it make a difference if she gets rebred before I sale her? How does selling her as slaughter only work?

My :2cents: , yes wait until the calf is wean. As far as slaughter cows go here, when I haul a cull cow to the auction yard I just tell the person filling out paper work when I drop off. I declare the cow as slaughter, back to farm, they will also preg ck the cow for a small fee and declare her bred or not. But as stated before, it's not good to pass her problem on to others, she should be a slaughter cow in my opinion ... She'll still help pay the feed bill for the rest of your herd.

Alan

 

[Taurus]

Since you are selling her, I wouldn't get her bred as I'd rather leave her open.

 

[tnmorcat]

I was wanting to know if they would take a bred cow for slaughter. From what I understand from your post, they don't preg. check them unless the seller wants to? I would have to separate her and the calf from the herd to ensure that she does not get bred. If they do take bred cows would they send her directly from the sale to the slaughter plant or would she go to a feed lot?

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Pregnant cows do go to 'slaughter'.

Do wait until the calf is weaned.

Katherine

 

[snake67]

I was wanting to know if they would take a bred cow for slaughter. From what I understand from your post, they don't preg. check them unless the seller wants to? I would have to separate her and the calf from the herd to ensure that she does not get bred. If they do take bred cows would they send her directly from the sale to the slaughter plant or would she go to a feed lot?

Do not worry about separating them - wean the calf - send the cow to market and it will be done - yes, it really is that simple. Do not get all "questioned up" as in this case none of them really matter

If it is in calf it will not matter one hill of beans - she will grind up as good as one that is not bred

As soon as the calf is on grass - she can be loaded and shipped - be sure to kick her in the azz as she is leaving - she deserves it.

Bez

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

If that calf is a bull, make sure you cut him. Look at how big the shoulders are on it! No wonder it needed to be pulled. Big shoulders = hard birth! Are all your calves by the same sire? Do any of the others have big shoulders? I would be interested to see pics of the cow...

 

[Alan]

If that calf is a bull, make sure you cut him. Look at how big the shoulders are on it! No wonder it needed to be pulled. Big shoulders = hard birth! Are all your calves by the same sire? Do any of the others have big shoulders? I would be interested to see pics of the cow...

The OP stated in their post, the cow has had three calves all had to be pulled. The first and third calves were by different bulls and the second calf was a breech.

Not trying to be rude, just trying to clarify things.

Alan

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

If that calf is a bull, make sure you cut him. Look at how big the shoulders are on it! No wonder it needed to be pulled. Big shoulders = hard birth! Are all your calves by the same sire? Do any of the others have big shoulders? I would be interested to see pics of the cow...

The OP stated in their post, the cow has had three calves all had to be pulled. The first and third calves were by different bulls and the second calf was a breech.

Not trying to be rude, just trying to clarify things.

Alan

Then maybe I had better clarify. Are there any calves sired by the same sire of this calf that are also big shouldered? My point Alan is that the calf is bold shouldered, thus hard birth. Can it be blamed only on the dam, or is there a trend of "bigger than normal shouldered" calves and the rest of the cows can handle it. I never said keep the cow, but look at the whole picture. That is why I asked to see a picture of the dam. Even a picture of the sire might be helpful. From my understanding, Pinzgauer cattle typically spit out little calves.

 

[Alan]

I understand that, It's a small operation. I guess my view is if I have to pull a calf from a cow once that's okay it happens. If I have to pull a calf twice from the same cow it had better be a dam nice cow or it's gone. If I do try her again it will be with a bull I trust. If I have to pull a third calf from the same cow, I kicking my own butt and cussing myself and the cow is history period. No need to muddy the waters with how much it's the bull fault. The cow is three failed deliveries in a row no more needs to be said. I also realize if your pulling the majority of your calves it's the bull that goes.

Three births three pulls, that's plain enough.

 

[tnmorcat]

This is the only cow we have that has any trouble. We have only have two calves by this bull and they are heifers. This is the biggest calf, the others were smaller and more slender throughout the body at birth. This calf is a chunk, I realize that. The other cows have never had problems having calves but they are angus, charolais, and a couple char x pinz. This is the cow in question.

This is the bull


pictures of his other two calves are in my post on the beginners board titled I am new. they are the first two pictures.

 

[tnmorcat]

That should read we have two other calves that are heifers from this bull. This calf is a bull but will be banded. We band all our bull calves as steer sell for more.

 

[Rafter S]

I agree with pretty much everyone else. Sell her. I would wait until the calf is weaned and then evaluate her. If she's in good shape sell her right away, and if she's thin hold her for a few weeks so she can gain some weight. And I wouldn't worry about selling her if she's bred. I don't know about your part of the country, but around here if you take a cow to the auction and don't tell them to palpate here she will be sold by the pound. If someone looks at her, thinks she might be bred, and wants to take a chance of taking her home, then that's what he/she is doing; taking a chance, and I believe almost anyone bidding will understand that. Of course I wouldn't feel right about having her palpated at the auction, but if you just drop her off to sell across the scale I wouldn't worry for one minute about what the buyer is going to do with her.