pulled one today on heifer--lost it. Warning--pic included

[greybeard]

1st one I've had to pull in a long long time. Heifer tried, front hooves and nose out, she just couldn't do it, and would run off every time I tried to get close. Finally got her penned in a stall and by then she was ready for some help. bull calf. I could tell it was dead when I went to attach the chains--seemed to be plenty of room in there tho and sure slippery enough. Fully formed, about 10 days overdue.
Out of a char bull that has never caused any calving problems--usually 75-85 lb calves. Weighed this one at 99 lbs. Got momma up, and she licked the dead calf a bit and sauntered off to a corner of the pasture and seems alright. May see if I can round up a bottle calf for her then sell the heifer later.
momma:

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Had the same problem last year when a first timer wouldn't lay down and try at all, but after a few hours she had it but it was too late of course. Sorry about the loss...like it always goes, maybe next year.

 

[kjonesel]

I lost my first one in years last year out of a first calf heifer. We had the pullers on it and the calf locked at the hips, it took 10 - 15 minutes to finally get it out. The calf died 3 hours later. No matter how many you have OK it makes you feel awful when you lose one, especially a pretty one like that.

 

[chippie]

Bummer. She's a nice looking heifer.

 

[Limomike]

Yep, I never get used to losing one. Lost one about the same size two years ago from a first time calver. She did good the next year though.

 

[inyati13]

Got the same puller. Hate to see you lose one. One thing I know for sure about cattle if I don't know anything else. "It is always something." I guess that is also why I love it. Gives me a hurdle chase to run almost constantly; just wish it would stop now and then so I could rest. :nod:

 

[greybeard]

I have a very much older puller that had begun giving me trouble on release and I never liked the yoke setup--to narrow and heavy--seemed to almost cut into the cow on a hard pull. This is the first time I used this one and it worked well but I think I will replace the strap setup--too dinky in regards to the plastic adjusting buckle. Also going to make a wooden carrying/storage case for it, with enough room for gloves, chains, antiseptic, and lube. Maybe if I go to a lot of trouble with it, I'll never need to use it again. :roll: I also find the chains that came with it are a bit short and light and I'm glad I bought some 60" chains not long ago.

Poor heifer stood in a corner looking out for her calf most of the night, but came up and ate some hay and feed this morning. I went ahead and gave her a shot of la200 today--just in case--hate to use it when not really needed but thought I better. If I keep her, those horns are going away too.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Sorry, but i do like the heifer.

 

[Caustic Burno]

GB that heifer might continue to have huge calf's out of your current bull.
I have seen this many time's sometime's the DNA just doesn't line up right .
You can have a cow that has produced great calf's change the bull and it goes out the window.
The biggest thing commercial cattlemen forget is hybred vigor start's at conception not birth.
Secondly heifer's are always a crap shoot.
Now I would cull her this is not like a proven cow with a track record.
You have the cost of the heifer purchased or retained let's say a 1500 buck's and she cost 1.50 a day to maintain.
So if you feed her another year you have put over 2 grand in her and she has produced no income.
With today's price's get her well rebred and run that problem through the barn IMO.

 

[greybeard]

I know that make sense $$ wise CB, but I'm not much on pushing my problems off on someone else. If I run her thru, she's going thru open.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I know that make sense $$ wise CB, but I'm not much on pushing my problems off on someone else. If I run her thru, she's going thru open.

I don't view it that way and I buy at the barn all the time. The barn is buyer beware.
There are good buy's at the barn and bum buy's and the boy's like me that buy there have to put our big boy pant's on to
play this game. Now I know several she is there kind of cow. She would never get a second look from me as she is horned.
I quit the horned game year's ago. She has a lot of thing's going for her, look's to have Brimmer, Hereford in the DNA woodpile and Lord only know's where the black came through.
I wouldn't have culled her for losing a calf they all can do that I am more concerned about size with your bull.
Put her on a good low BW English bull and she would most likely have years of production.
Get her rebred to a good English bull and run her through at 4 or 5 months bred put some froghides in your pocket.
Somebody will be willing to gamble on her.
She will bring good money open as well as she will have an H on her shoulder when she goes through.
Cow demand is starting to climb as price's are going up with grass.

 

[greybeard]

I know that make sense $$ wise CB, but I'm not much on pushing my problems off on someone else. If I run her thru, she's going thru open.

I don't view it that way and I buy at the barn all the time. The barn is buyer beware.
There are good buy's at the barn and bum buy's and the boy's like me that buy there have to put our big boy pant's on to
play this game. Now I know several she is there kind of cow. She would never get a second look from me as she is horned.
I quit the horned game year's ago. She has a lot of thing's going for her, look's to have Brimmer, Hereford in the DNA woodpile and Lord only know's where the black came through.
I wouldn't have culled her for losing a calf they all can do that I am more concerned about size with your bull.

I'm the same way buying CB, and have said so several times here at CT. When the trailer gate shuts behind one--it's mine. It dies on the way home, it's my dead cow. Won't settle--it's my cull cow. A fence breaker--it's still MY fencebreaker till I haul it to the barn.
Selling tho, I tend to be a little different. Honest and open in all things, avoiding even the appearance of impropriety is what I was taught decades ago and what I try to follow today and I won't change that. It might cost me some $$ but what good to profit the world and lose..? --well, you know the scripture as well as I do.

She's out of a horned, docile, red & white marked BM bull--that's where the horns & brahma looking head came from, and maybe where the hereford type pheno pattern too. Her Dam was a long dark brindle cow--out of what I don't know, but might be the momma cow that my nephew bought from a Big Springs sale some years ago. I got the heifer from nephew.

 

[highgrit]

I feel she won't have anymore troubles calving. A big calf in a heifer is bad news, if you could of caught her sooner the calf would of made it. I would buy her bred in a heart beat. A heifer with horns will sell cheap, going to be a deal for somebody. A Char bull is not good for heifers.

 

[greybeard]

Well, a year later-----she had bred right back on 2nd heat after losing the calf, bred to the same bull, due date according to 283 days was March 17 2014. Been bagged up pretty good for a few days now, so I penned her this time and I was checking her every few hours for the last few days.
Checked her at 8pm tonight and she was eating hay, looked back in on her at 10pm tonight and she had already popped out a pretty grey calf, and was busy cleaning it up. Sometimes it pays to keep one I guess, but it's a load off my mind now. I didn't weigh this one, but he looks to be a lot lighter than the one I lost last year. Might weigh it tomorrow after things settle down a little.
The only thing I did different this time, was I cut the feed way back on her this winter. I had come to the conclusion, that I had let her get too heavy/fat last year especilly in the last 3 months, and she just couldn't have that 99lb calf.

 

[Nesikep]

Good to hear she had it right this time! I we haven't lost any to being too big since 1992, but we were darned close on a heifer with a 125 lb'er.. we don't have a calf puller, but my old man and I were working at him for an hour, we were lucky he started to breathe when he got half way out, but he was badly hiplocked.. Finally we got him out, cow had some bad tears in her, and got LA 200, but the calf stopped breathing as soon as we got him out.. heart was still going, I was out of breath and I just about blacked out blowing into his nose, but he came back around again. Cow got some dex too, and was real unsteady on her feet the next few days... she bred back fine but her next calf was a ordinary size at birth, but a dink at weaning and we shippped her.

 

[cowgirl8]

If you dont pass off your 'problem' cows onto someone else, what do you do with them. if you dont mind me asking?

 

[greybeard]

With calves & cows, I eat my problems or otherwise, let the buyer know what he is getting into, whether it be a vehicle, equipment or animal.

 

[cowgirl8]

Do you have many cows? We dont eat enough to eat all our problems..lol

 

[greybeard]

Currently about 20 pair, 2 bulls, and a handfull of young heifers.

 

[greybeard]

The newest little one.