pulled dead calf on 15 month old heifer

[ANAZAZI]

we pulled the bull out when she was 6 months old but she still got breed.....now I have a dead calf and she's down with a weak rear end and can't stand.....this was a heifer that I was keeping and was gonna breed this summer....not cool....what's the earliest y'all have had one breed? I thought we were safe at that age but I guess I was wrong.

Update on her condition? If she gets up there is a good chance she will be bred this summer and everything will work fine. :2cents:

 

[JSCATTLE]

Your calves wont be old enough to wean by the time their mothers should be rebred. If you're having the problem, the only solution other than AIing the cows is to give a $2 shot of Lutalyse to the heifer calves at weaning. For an additional dollar, you can add about 10ccs of dexamethasone to guarantee,well, that it gets the job done.

Unless its like my case . I bought cows over about a 3 year period that were bred at all different times of the year . I put my bulls in mid march to the end of may and mid oct to the end of nov . So some heifers are big enough to be bred . I'll have to give lute to the ones I'm keeping from now on .

 

[Roadapple]

Had one calve 5 days short of 13 mos., unassisted. As others have said, they all get luted at weaning. Everyone said to cull her as she would be stunted. I kept her as I figured if she could have a 74lb calf at that age and size, calving was'nt going to be her biggest problem. She's now one of my bigger cows and has calved every year since, so I would'nt necessarily cull one.

 

[Massey135]

wonder if the indians were there to lute the buffalo heifers

 

[moloss]

well the news on the little heifer isn't good......she is still unable to stand.....she does have a little movement in one of her back legs but the other doesn't....last night I picked her up her back end with a tow strap and the tractor and got her to stand but it didn't seem to help.....a ton of urine came out when she was up......I've been giving her decadron to decrease the swelling.....she is still eating and drinking but I'm afraid she's terminal

 

[Massey135]

DO NOT GIVE UP ON HER- I brought feed and water to a heifer for 17 days before finally I walked out and her calf was nursing her standing up. I fed the calf a bottle for about the first week then one morning I went out there and the calf was nursing the cow while the cow was still down. I had never seen that but im sure glad it worked.

My grandpa told me he kept one around for almost 3months in the late 60s. A fullblood char heifer. Finally gave up on her when ground sores got infected.

 

[JSCATTLE]

I have a older cow that I bought from a friend a fee years ago . She swings her back legs when she walks . It is from nerve damage she was bred to young by a char . Bull she stayed down for a week . Now she's not pretty to look at but she raises one of the best calves every year and she breeds back in 45 days

 

[highgrit]

Whats wrong if a heifers growth get stunted? What matters to me is the calf she raises, and how long before she gives me another one.
We leave the bull in year round and don't seperate the heifers from the herd. So far the youngest heifer to have a calf was 17months old. We have not had to pull a calf yet from a heifer. The last 2 bulls I used weighed over 2k when we sold them. I feel we try to make it harder than it really is sometimes. Mother nature is an amazing thing and I want her on my side.

 

[fitz]

Had one calve 5 days short of 13 mos., unassisted. As others have said, they all get luted at weaning. Everyone said to cull her as she would be stunted. I kept her as I figured if she could have a 74lb calf at that age and size, calving was'nt going to be her biggest problem. She's now one of my bigger cows and has calved every year since, so I would'nt necessarily cull one.

The one I mentioned wasn't stunted either. Turned out to be a real nice cow and gave us some good calves while she was here.

fitz

 

[moloss]

Talked to the vet today and he said to give her at least two weeks.....I have moved her up to the house so we can see her easily....I picked her up with the tractor and some tow straps to move her, do you think if I picked her up a couple times a day that it would help her? I would also like to know the longest y'all had one down and recover.......thanks Chris.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Yes, picking her up is supposed to be helpful.
Just a comment on the heifer being able to "hold" the weight of a big bull. Now, let's think about this for a minute. A little heifer would just squat a little & the bull would be STANDING on his front legs.

 

[dieselbeef]

what happens in a free range hers...i run my bull all yr..never had this happen..either the heifers get oput at 6 mos or they get shipped...course what do i know///

 

[JSCATTLE]

The shorter the heifer the more of the bulls weight she has to hold . When the bull is riding a cow most of his weight is on his back legs .

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

The shorter the heifer the more of the bulls weight she has to hold . When the bull is riding a cow most of his weight is on his back legs .

Yes, I agree with what you are saying, but if the heifer is young/short enough, his weight could be on his own front feet. I see cows riding calves all the time. They don't mush them down to the ground, because the calf is too short compared to the height of their chest, especially if the calf scrunches down like they do.
I don't have a lot of experience with "breeding bulls", but I do know this happens - not a lot - but it does happen. So, they are getting it done somehow. You know - where there's a will - there's a way!