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Breeding / Calving Issues
Old Cow...can I keep her alive long enough to calve?
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<blockquote data-quote="Wisteria Farms" data-source="post: 1115267" data-attributes="member: 6734"><p>Sorry Dun, I would estimate her at a BCS 2/3... THIN (hair starting to slightly wear off hooks). As mentioned, she is eating (3lbs a.m./p.m. or 6lbs/day cracked corn, pellet, oats, salt, mineral) I wanted to start slow with the grain as she HAD been on straight grass hay and I was worried about a digestive upset with too much too soon. She LOVES her grain so I'm going to try to continue to build it up in hopes of keeping her strength up. She runs between 1200/1300 lbs normally (we weigh all the cows at weaning). </p><p></p><p>Thanks for the replies... You hate to admit that you're attached to them but she's always been our "lead" cow... the one who will bring the rest of the herd anywhere we need them to go so, yes, I'm attached. I haven't stuck my hand in her mouth to feel the situation with her teeth but she's eating fine (including hay). She calved a little later last year (mid May) so by the time we weaned her calf, we were already into fall and she just never recovered her weight enough before going into winter but I think the temps this winter just had her using all her energy to stay warm. Hindsight is 20/20 and I wish I'd weaned the calf sooner and focused better on her additional requirements over winter.</p><p></p><p>She's as big as a house and I think she's laying so much simply because her old legs are just tired of holding it all up... I debated on graining her as I know its adding weight to the calf she's carrying but at her age she can pretty much squeeze out anything so I decided it was more important to keep higher protein food going in....But I hear whoever it was that said to watch her as I know she may not have the strength to push the calf out once it starts to come!... I just keep watching her bag/rear end for signs that she's going to calve...In all her life, she always took on first heat and while I didn't see her get "hit"...I'm fairly certain judging by her size that she will calve within the month...</p><p></p><p>Next question... there's been mixed reviews on CT but we decided (after she calves) to grind her into hamburger... can't bring ourself to send her to the sale barn so figure its most merciful to give her a quick end that we're in control of... Won't even try to get any better cuts but if I use the hamburger for chili and such, will it be good enough?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Wisteria Farms, post: 1115267, member: 6734"] Sorry Dun, I would estimate her at a BCS 2/3... THIN (hair starting to slightly wear off hooks). As mentioned, she is eating (3lbs a.m./p.m. or 6lbs/day cracked corn, pellet, oats, salt, mineral) I wanted to start slow with the grain as she HAD been on straight grass hay and I was worried about a digestive upset with too much too soon. She LOVES her grain so I'm going to try to continue to build it up in hopes of keeping her strength up. She runs between 1200/1300 lbs normally (we weigh all the cows at weaning). Thanks for the replies... You hate to admit that you're attached to them but she's always been our "lead" cow... the one who will bring the rest of the herd anywhere we need them to go so, yes, I'm attached. I haven't stuck my hand in her mouth to feel the situation with her teeth but she's eating fine (including hay). She calved a little later last year (mid May) so by the time we weaned her calf, we were already into fall and she just never recovered her weight enough before going into winter but I think the temps this winter just had her using all her energy to stay warm. Hindsight is 20/20 and I wish I'd weaned the calf sooner and focused better on her additional requirements over winter. She's as big as a house and I think she's laying so much simply because her old legs are just tired of holding it all up... I debated on graining her as I know its adding weight to the calf she's carrying but at her age she can pretty much squeeze out anything so I decided it was more important to keep higher protein food going in....But I hear whoever it was that said to watch her as I know she may not have the strength to push the calf out once it starts to come!... I just keep watching her bag/rear end for signs that she's going to calve...In all her life, she always took on first heat and while I didn't see her get "hit"...I'm fairly certain judging by her size that she will calve within the month... Next question... there's been mixed reviews on CT but we decided (after she calves) to grind her into hamburger... can't bring ourself to send her to the sale barn so figure its most merciful to give her a quick end that we're in control of... Won't even try to get any better cuts but if I use the hamburger for chili and such, will it be good enough? [/QUOTE]
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Old Cow...can I keep her alive long enough to calve?
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