Questions on Heifers/young bull/keep or cull

[insurman]

This will prob be wordy and to much info but I am trying to learn as much as possible..

So brief background..herd of about 30 momma cows, mostly commercial Beefmaster. About 3 years ago we get a 3/4 Simbrah, great set of EPD's all of the maternal #'s are top 1o to 5%. Was told to keep every heifer I could from this bull

We kept 3 heifers from his first group of calves. These heifers mommas are still in the herd and all of them have calves with ease every 12 months or less.

At the same time we are weaning these girls I am raising a nice purebred Simbrah bull calf whose sire has top1% in CE, BW, MCE and API with about a 95% accuracy. This bull calf's momma comes from good stock and has had 4 calves all under 63 lbs for us including the bull who was 62lbs.

Fast forward to the last 3 weeks. This set of heifers were 2 yrs old in Feb, March and April. They were bred by this young bull...I know that is risky but I was trusting the numbers..

Feb heifer has a 67lb bull calf, no problem. April heifer has a 55lb heifer, no problem. Both have great udders and are looking like excellent mommas. Two weeks pass and the March heifer really does not appear to be showing much, smaller bag, etc.. then I get a call late Friday night that she is missing (walking the woods and my mother-n-law just does not see her) I haul ass to the farm, we find her but I cannot get her penned (it is now around midnight and pitch black and the fields are sopping wet...central Texas) so I make the decision to let her be..

Well I get back to the field around 5:30am Saturday and as I see her in the darkness I see she is up and nose on ground licking, well my excitement is brief...calf is dead. 85lb bull calf.

The poor gal is trying to get him up at the same time she is dealing with the afterbirth. She is puppy dog gentle and I am just sick for her..after dealing with the dead calf I start trying to connect the dots..Is it the bull, was she a week or so late (is that possible) is it to late in May (with so much green grass) did her letting a another calf briefly nurse her (which I found out after the fact) have anything to do with it?

Do I keep her and give her another chance or cull? I feel like if I could have got her penned and either pulled it my self or called the vet then maybe the calf is OK.

Thoughts?

 

[branguscowgirl]

I see your dilemma. It is kind of hard to place blame on the heifer if you did not see what happened. Heifers can panic a bit with the first calf and do stupid things. But be fine on the second one. It sounds like she just needed a little bit of help because after all, she did end up having it on her own just maybe not fast enough.
As for the size of the calf, 85 lbs isn't all that big. But I don't know anything about the size of your heifers. Mine always have calves that size. (Brangus) I don't think that there are any guarantees on birth weights. And if you don't know an actual breed date, she could have been over due.

I personally would give her another chance, or breed her back then sell her.
I am sure others will disagree.

 

[Rafter S]

I agree with bcg. Give her one more chance.

 

[LauraleesFarm]

I would also giver her another chance. Many things can happen in delivery that wouldn't be her fault.

 

[hillbillyhammer]

Keep her. I bet you will have a nice calf next year.

 

[Chris H]

Had a heifer calve 1/1/14. Husband saw her start and went on with feeding. When he caught up with me I went and checked on her. Calf was in a normal presentation but was a 85+ calf. She took a breather when the calf was halfway out. The sack was tight over the calf's head and she suffocated before I got there. She stood up when she saw me, calf came on out, and she started mothering it. Yes, we kept her. She has an outstanding heifer this year.
This year we had another heifer calve 10 days early, normal for that cow line, in subzero weather and the calf froze. She's going to someone who wants a cow on their 5 acre yard. I wouldn't sell her if I wasn't confidant she'll do just fine next year. We're only selling her because I need to cut the herd numbers.

 

[Black and Good]

If you like the heifer a lot, keep her. If not, sell her. Sometimes calves are just born to die. B&G

 

[bigbull338]

that really dont sound like the heifers falt.so keeping or culling her is up to you.yes youll lose anther year waiting on her.but youve already lost 2yrs raising breeding and calving her out.

 

[Angus Cowman]

85 lb calf shouldn't of been the problem
$hit happens to keep or cull only you can make that decision

 

[Stocker Steve]

If you like the heifer a lot,

re breed her.

If you don't like her turn her into freezer beef. Twenty eight month old grass fat heifers are extremely good eating.

 

[Big Cheese]

I would keep her and give her another chance. Stuff happens sometimes.

 

[insurman]

Thanks for the opinions/advice, have decided to keep her and try again.

 

[gizmom]

I think I would give her another chance if you have the space for her.

gizmom

 

[insurman]

UPDATE...

We decided to keep her and Saturday morning I go out to check on things and this is the first thing to greet me....so so happy and relieved at the same time. She had this bull calf almost 1 year to the day and is doing a great job with him.

 

[frieghttrain]

Love when stuff turns out :clap:

 

[Nesikep]

Nice! she should raise it well for you, she's probably a good size now with the extra year of 'holidays'

 

[Big Cheese]

Awesome! its always good when everything works out!

 

[talltimber]

Good for you! It's good to hear something can work out sometimes.

 

[gizmom]

I would have to give her one more shot, she did have the calf she stayed with it trying to mother it even after it died. It would have probably turned out differently had you been able to get her up and give her some assistance. Sure sorry for your loss it is heartbreaking when it happens, but if your in the cattle business for any length of time it will happen. I can tell you after 30 years it still sucks to find a dead calf.

gizmom

 

[LauraleesFarm]

Glad you kept her. I would have given her another chance. So many things can and do go wrong with any birthing. Its a miracle that we get as many live ones as we do when you consider all the ways it can go wrong.