Retained Heifers & Pelvic Measurments

[TCRanch]

Always exciting getting our retained heifers BANGS & pelvic measured. But it amazes me how one can outweigh another by a good 150 lbs & still score the same pelvic size. The average was 12 x 13 & should easily calve 72 lbs. 9 of them made the cut; one measured 10.5 x 11 & can probably only calve up to 62 lbs. Naturally she's one of my faves but that's too much of a risk, even with a calving ease bull. Still happy with the outcome

 

[Till-Hill]

Good looking group. Have never done it. Always wanted to. Been weighing calves tho. Last year all heifers calved unassisted had 72, 77, 78, 90 and 93 # calves. Year before 59, 74, 76 pulled and came back few hours later to find a 67 twin! 81, 92, 93, 94 pulled with vet help, and 95. Not saying we want all 90# calves out of our heifers but we expect them to do it on their own or they get shipped in fall.

 

[dun]

Our minimum 160 at 11-12 months. Personal preference.

 

[TCRanch]

Our minimum 160 at 11-12 months. Personal preference.

76 lbs is a little more than we want for our heifers & yet we always have a few in that range & beyond. Really just depends on the heifer - it's basically a gamble (which begs the question why we measure in the 1st place :bang: ).

 

[Bigfoot]

I have mine measured, and will usually keep one irregardless of measurement. I guess I should stop.

 

[dun]

Our minimum 160 at 11-12 months. Personal preference.

76 lbs is a little more than we want for our heifers & yet we always have a few in that range & beyond. Really just depends on the heifer - it's basically a gamble (which begs the question why we measure in the 1st place :bang: ).

Every once in a while you will get one of those oddballs that just don;t measure up. A couple of years ago we had one that came from a breeding that we had done a lot of in the past. Her sisters all ran 160-170. Externally she looked just like the rest. Her pelvic was 123. Without the measurement we would have kept her and had one helluva mess come calving time. At AI time we would have caught it, just because it would have been a tight fit with my hand. But by then we would have had a little more feed in her (about 3 months worth). When she would have been shipped she would have been a one calf lot instead of being in a group, possibly a little less money that way. She;s the only one that failed that miserably, but that in itself to me made it worth the 75 cents a head that the vet charges to do the RTS. I see it as just one more step in a management process.

 

[JMJ Farms]

Our minimum 160 at 11-12 months. Personal preference.

76 lbs is a little more than we want for our heifers & yet we always have a few in that range & beyond. Really just depends on the heifer - it's basically a gamble (which begs the question why we measure in the 1st place :bang: ).

Every once in a while you will get one of those oddballs that just don;t measure up. A couple of years ago we had one that came from a breeding that we had done a lot of in the past. Her sisters all ran 160-170. Externally she looked just like the rest. Her pelvic was 123. Without the measurement we would have kept her and had one helluva mess come calving time. At AI time we would have caught it, just because it would have been a tight fit with my hand. But by then we would have had a little more feed in her (about 3 months worth). When she would have been shipped she would have been a one calf lot instead of being in a group, possibly a little less money that way. She;s the only one that failed that miserably, but that in itself to me made it worth the 75 cents a head that the vet charges to do the RTS. I see it as just one more step in a management process.

Dun, is that what you meant to type?

 

[DOC HARRIS]

Another justifiable reason for carefully observing AND using Calving Ease EPD's , balanced with observation and common sense. "Pinched Butts" and "Funnel Butts" usually have birthing difficulties. Calving Ease heritability EPD is a low-moderate EPD, but it is a factor which transmits to BOTH genders, as do ALL genetic inheritance traits and characteristics. Also, this is another example of why I continue to persist in MULIPLE TRAIT SELECTIONS when making breeding decisions! Sentimentality and favoritism usually costs one money.

DOC HARRIS

 

[dun]

Every once in a while you will get one of those oddballs that just don;t measure up. A couple of years ago we had one that came from a breeding that we had done a lot of in the past. Her sisters all ran 160-170. Externally she looked just like the rest. Her pelvic was 123. Without the measurement we would have kept her and had one helluva mess come calving time. At AI time we would have caught it, just because it would have been a tight fit with my hand. But by then we would have had a little more feed in her (about 3 months worth). When she would have been shipped she would have been a one calf lot instead of being in a group, possibly a little less money that way. She;s the only one that failed that miserably, but that in itself to me made it worth the 75 cents a head that the vet charges to do the RTS. I see it as just one more step in a management process.

Dun, is that what you meant to type?

That's what our vet charges us.

 

[JMJ Farms]

Every once in a while you will get one of those oddballs that just don;t measure up. A couple of years ago we had one that came from a breeding that we had done a lot of in the past. Her sisters all ran 160-170. Externally she looked just like the rest. Her pelvic was 123. Without the measurement we would have kept her and had one helluva mess come calving time. At AI time we would have caught it, just because it would have been a tight fit with my hand. But by then we would have had a little more feed in her (about 3 months worth). When she would have been shipped she would have been a one calf lot instead of being in a group, possibly a little less money that way. She;s the only one that failed that miserably, but that in itself to me made it worth the 75 cents a head that the vet charges to do the RTS. I see it as just one more step in a management process.

Dun, is that what you meant to type?

That's what our vet charges us.

I wasnt calling you you out, I just was a little shocked. I didn't even know a vet would get outta the chair for 0.75. That's money well well spent :tiphat:

 

[dun]

Dun, is that what you meant to type?

That's what our vet charges us.

I wasnt calling you you out, I just was a little shocked. I didn't even know a vet would get outta the chair for 0.75. That's money well well spent :tiphat:[/quote]
Our LA and SA vets are are married and work out of the same clinic. They have this warped philosophy That if their prices are more reasonable pepole will take better care of their animals and be willing to pay for it. I don;t know that the 75 cents is a fixed charge, he did 10 heifers and the line item was 7.50. The going rate around here to spay a dog is 200 bucks. Liz charges 65 and does a half dozen or more 5 days a week. They're basically country vets that put animal welfare ahead of making lots of money.

 

[TCRanch]

Last year our vet charged $100 for 10 heifers: $30.00 trip charge which included the pelvic exam, $40.00 BANGS, $30.00 Express 5 VL5. Plus he's right there working the head gate, whatever needs to be done. Love him!

Couple years ago we had a huge, beautiful heifer that had an oops baby when she was probably about 10 months old - even after 2 shots of Lutalyse. Doc tried to pull but the calf was breech & already dead, ended up performing a c-section. Really wanted to keep her & give her another chance but there was just too much scar tissue when she was pelvic measured, scored around 140 if I remember correctly. There was always the possibility the scarring would go down but I wasn't willing to gamble & risk potential additional injury &/or another dead calf. After having our heifers measured, the only calves we have ever had to pull were compliments of our neighbor's bull (hate him!) & once when the heifer tried to gank another calf; evidently she thought it would be easier than to have her own & simply quit pushing & started nursing the other calf. Ummm, no!

 

[dun]

Last year our vet charged $100 for 10 heifers: $30.00 trip charge which included the pelvic exam, $40.00 BANGS, $30.00 Express 5 VL5. Plus he's right there working the head gate, whatever needs to be done. Love him!

Couple years ago we had a huge, beautiful heifer that had an oops baby when she was probably about 10 months old - even after 2 shots of Lutalyse. Doc tried to pull but the calf was breech & already dead, ended up performing a c-section. Really wanted to keep her & give her another chance but there was just too much scar tissue when she was pelvic measured, scored around 140 if I remember correctly. There was always the possibility the scarring would go down but I wasn't willing to gamble & risk potential additional injury &/or another dead calf. After having our heifers measured, the only calves we have ever had to pull were compliments of our neighbor's bull (hate him!) & once when the heifer tried to gank another calf; evidently she thought it would be easier than to have her own & simply quit pushing & started nursing the other calf. Ummm, no!

I used to always be poo pooed on these boards because I told newbies to develop a good relationship with a "good" LA vet.
I see our vet as almost a partner in our herd. He knows the health requirements and history of every cow/calf/bull. I'm not exactly a newbie, but I still find it comforting at times to talk with him.
As far as I'm concerned he's worth his weight in silver.
A couple of times we had strange issues and I was all spun up and my wife even worse than I. The vet being calm and explaining stuff calmed us down. He is great! His wife the SA vet is in the same class.

 

[JMJ Farms]

Last year our vet charged $100 for 10 heifers: $30.00 trip charge which included the pelvic exam, $40.00 BANGS, $30.00 Express 5 VL5. Plus he's right there working the head gate, whatever needs to be done. Love him!

Couple years ago we had a huge, beautiful heifer that had an oops baby when she was probably about 10 months old - even after 2 shots of Lutalyse. Doc tried to pull but the calf was breech & already dead, ended up performing a c-section. Really wanted to keep her & give her another chance but there was just too much scar tissue when she was pelvic measured, scored around 140 if I remember correctly. There was always the possibility the scarring would go down but I wasn't willing to gamble & risk potential additional injury &/or another dead calf. After having our heifers measured, the only calves we have ever had to pull were compliments of our neighbor's bull (hate him!) & once when the heifer tried to gank another calf; evidently she thought it would be easier than to have her own & simply quit pushing & started nursing the other calf. Ummm, no!

I'm guessing you mean that she was probably bred when she was around 10 months old correct?

 

[Kingfisher]

Our minimum 160 at 11-12 months. Personal preference.

Why are his measurements and yours expressed so differently?

 

[wbvs58]

TCRanch, I am interested in what that O.K. Corral setup is all about. Would you have a few photos of it you could post and tell us about it?

Ken

 

[dun]

Our minimum 160 at 11-12 months. Personal preference.

Why are his measurements and yours expressed so differently?

He is giving the height and Width and am giving the sq centimeter. 12 x 13 = 156

 

[TCRanch]

Last year our vet charged $100 for 10 heifers: $30.00 trip charge which included the pelvic exam, $40.00 BANGS, $30.00 Express 5 VL5. Plus he's right there working the head gate, whatever needs to be done. Love him!

Couple years ago we had a huge, beautiful heifer that had an oops baby when she was probably about 10 months old - even after 2 shots of Lutalyse. Doc tried to pull but the calf was breech & already dead, ended up performing a c-section. Really wanted to keep her & give her another chance but there was just too much scar tissue when she was pelvic measured, scored around 140 if I remember correctly. There was always the possibility the scarring would go down but I wasn't willing to gamble & risk potential additional injury &/or another dead calf. After having our heifers measured, the only calves we have ever had to pull were compliments of our neighbor's bull (hate him!) & once when the heifer tried to gank another calf; evidently she thought it would be easier than to have her own & simply quit pushing & started nursing the other calf. Ummm, no!

I'm guessing you mean that she was probably bred when she was around 10 months old correct?

Yes

 

[TCRanch]

TCRanch, I am interested in what that O.K. Corral setup is all about. Would you have a few photos of it you could post and tell us about it?

Ken

Ken, we bought ours in '09 & had it customized because the alley was too wide/too easy for the cattle to turn around. Looking at the website they now have a number of sizes. We generally haul ours around to different pastures with the tractor instead of the truck/flatbed; had a ball welded on the back. Wouldn't know what to do without it! It's heavy-duty but easy to open/move/utilize. We have the palp cage but not the auto head-gate. They do make tubs but not necessary for our operation. It does help that our cattle are very docile but if we need to catch one in a remote pasture we simply open one side of the corral & typically don't even bother with opening the alley; just back the trailer to the opening & load (okay, sometimes I bribe them with cubes inside the trailer then bail out the side door). It's a good investment for our operation because our main herd has access to appx 360 acres & it's not always an option to just walk them to the barn if there's a health issue plus it's not considered a permanent structure - a bonus for tax purposes.

http://www.titanwestinc.com/products/okcorral.html

 

[ez14]

Dun, is that what you meant to type?

That's what our vet charges us.

I wasnt calling you you out, I just was a little shocked. I didn't even know a vet would get outta the chair for 0.75. That's money well well spent :tiphat:

Our LA and SA vets are are married and work out of the same clinic. They have this warped philosophy That if their prices are more reasonable pepole will take better care of their animals and be willing to pay for it. I don;t know that the 75 cents is a fixed charge, he did 10 heifers and the line item was 7.50. The going rate around here to spay a dog is 200 bucks. Liz charges 65 and does a half dozen or more 5 days a week. They're basically country vets that put animal welfare ahead of making lots of money.[/quote]


I have not had to have the vet out yet but talking to other cattle men they say its a $75 to pull in your driveway and $2 a minute for being there plus the charge for any meds or things like that :shock: