Somethings Happen....

[Buck Randall]

No calf eans she's just a cull and waste of time and money. Culling her will prevent any future problems out of her.

Could get rid of all the cows and never have a problem again.

Abortions, especially late in gestation, aren't usually recurring. She's not significantly more likely to abort her next pregnancy than any of her herdmates.

 

[True Grit Farms]

No calf eans she's just a cull and waste of time and money. Culling her will prevent any future problems out of her.

Could get rid of all the cows and never have a problem again.

Abortions, especially late in gestation, aren't usually recurring. She's not significantly more likely to abort her next pregnancy than any of her herdmates.

You don't know that, that's pure speculation. The fact is if you cull her she's gone and there's no chance she'll slip another calf on you. It's just sound management with no excuses. Who knows maybe she's contagious and will infect the rest of the herd.

 

[Buck Randall]

No calf eans she's just a cull and waste of time and money. Culling her will prevent any future problems out of her.

Could get rid of all the cows and never have a problem again.

Abortions, especially late in gestation, aren't usually recurring. She's not significantly more likely to abort her next pregnancy than any of her herdmates.

You don't know that, that's pure speculation. The fact is if you cull her she's gone and there's no chance she'll slip another calf on you. It's just sound management with no excuses. Who knows maybe she's contagious and will infect the rest of the herd.

It's not pure speculation, it's an understanding of the causes of abortion and statistics. There's a chance she'll slip another calf. There's also a chance that she'll get struck by lightning or swallowed up by a sinkhole. I'd take that chance.

 

[NEFarmwife]

No calf eans she's just a cull and waste of time and money. Culling her will prevent any future problems out of her.

Could get rid of all the cows and never have a problem again.

Abortions, especially late in gestation, aren't usually recurring. She's not significantly more likely to abort her next pregnancy than any of her herdmates.

You don't know that, that's pure speculation. The fact is if you cull her she's gone and there's no chance she'll slip another calf on you. It's just sound management with no excuses. Who knows maybe she's contagious and will infect the rest of the herd.

Agreed. Gone.

Not sure that the poster above me is truly a vet. If something can't/doesn't raise a calf, move on.

 

[Buck Randall]

Could get rid of all the cows and never have a problem again.

Abortions, especially late in gestation, aren't usually recurring. She's not significantly more likely to abort her next pregnancy than any of her herdmates.

You don't know that, that's pure speculation. The fact is if you cull her she's gone and there's no chance she'll slip another calf on you. It's just sound management with no excuses. Who knows maybe she's contagious and will infect the rest of the herd.

Agreed. Gone.

Not sure that the poster above me is truly a vet. If something can't/doesn't raise a calf, move on.

I think that's a reasonable policy on commercial herds where a sale barn cow can take her place and do exactly what you want. Not every farm operates that way, and that's okay. Some people here sure are aggressive about claiming everything that isn't their way is "wrong".

 

[bird dog]

Folks on here are quick to cull. Maybe they are correct to do so but it sure gets expensive if its a young cow.
A lot of my herd is probably other peoples culls. I have had a lot of success buying young open cows from the sale barn.

It seems out here in the real world if you get a heifer to calve on time, getting her rebred may be a problem. I am as guilty as anyone about putting to much pressure on my heifers by leaving their calves on them to long or not getting them extra groceries. From my experience I see the same type of young cows come through the barn. They are usually thin. I can be patient with one of these if I can buy at slaughter price. I picked up a nice open 3 or 4 y.o. red angus last week for $520.
If she doesn't work out, I will know in year or so and she will be bigger by that time and I will get most of my money back depending on the slaughter market.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Cows of all shapes and sizes are bought and every day. It not like a cow is family and your stuck with them to do you wrong again. She failed doing her most important job, and really, it's her only job in life besides becoming hamburger.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Some people are content with junk cows, others strive for quality through better genetics.

Great to live in a world where one can choose which he prefers.

 

[kentuckyguy]

Raven I would give her another chance regardless of what some of the experts here seem to think.

I've seen the heifer in person and she is a very nice heifer. I'm pretty sure this was just a case of bad luck. Replacing a cow of her caliber would be an expensive endeavor.

Last year I had a Hereford heifer that lost her first calf during birth. I debated getting rid of her several times but my father in law talked me into giving her another chance so she got another year to prove herself.

She had a very large calf this year effortlessly and is raising it great. She also let another calf (who's dam didn't milk good and got culled) nurse her for 3 months.

Her calf is by far one of the best spring calves we have. I would give her another chance at least so you don't always wonder what would have happened. If she gives you any more problems send her down the road.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Some people are content with junk cows, others strive for quality through better genetics.

Great to live in a world where one can choose which he prefers.

Some people don't know crap about cattle. The most important thing in the cattle business is a live calf.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I suppose much depends on one's financial condition.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Without a full diagnostic workup, one is only just guessing - but even with all the parts/pieces/samples available, veterinary diagnosticians only come up with a definitive diagnosis in far less than half of cases - and success is even less if placenta and paired maternal serum samples are not available.
My best guess, at that stage of gestation, in our part of the world, would be Neospora; doubt that the hickory leaves had any association other than just coincidental timing.
I see folks suggesting, all the time, that other cows butting could cause abortion... but I doubt that it EVER happens. That fetus is well protected by hide, abdominal wall, uterine wall, and the fluid environment they're floating in. Hit by a fast-moving car or truck on the highway, maybe, but just another cow butting... nah.

Do you recommend blood testing the heifer for Neospora?

I'll second that recommendation.From someone who has had a run of it in the past.The positive thing you did(if it is Neosporia) was getting that calf out of the field and,hopefully,burying it. Animals such as dogs,coyotes,foxes etc feed on it and then pass it on to other cattle through the manure.It is not given from one cow to the next except in the case of a cow carrying a heifer calf to term and then the heifer retained for breeding.
The way we caught mine was having some" late calvers" preg checked and blood tested for Lepto.When the Lepto showed OK for the open ones,the vet suggested testing for Neospria since he'd seen a case in his brother's cattle.
Someday we'll have a cure or vaccine but for now the only cure in the stockyard.
I suspect more people have it than we know but some of them either don't keep up with the fact a certain cow hasn't raised a calf in several years or,if one comes up dry a end of calving season,she gets sold no matter why.

I have had my turn with neosporia.
Usually there is an abortion storm .
If it is neosporia and you only have one abortion consider yourself lucky.
Neosporia will not cause her to abort again she is now a carrier.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I suppose much depends on one's financial condition.

What does that have to do with proper cattle management? There's very few if any CT members that can't afford to keep a cow as a pet if they choose. It's just not what your supposed to do. I'm guilty of doing it myself but I sure won't promote the practice.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I suppose much depends on one's financial condition.

What does that have to do with proper cattle management? There's very few if any CT members that can't afford to keep a cow as a pet if they choose. It's just not what your supposed to do. I'm guilty of doing it myself but I sure won't promote the practice.

Some people aren't that caught in worrying about pennies.

 

[76 Bar]

She got past her first calf.

She certainly did and with nothing to show for it. IMLTHO, with a few exceptions, any heifer/cow who fails to wean a coupon in a timely manner should be eliminated post haste and especially those from the purebred sector. Often as not, the latter is wishful thinking.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

I have a moment longer to reply now.

In 2012 we bought 15 registered bred heifers in the fall for Feb/March 2013 calving. In late November one of them aborted for reasons we were unable to ascertain. Since we ran a bull year round back then he serviced her and she calved successfully in early October. She has given us a calf every fall since then.

Her 14 "classmates" all delivered in the Spring as planned. If we ran a tight ship like some of you guys do then perhaps culling would have been the correct call. Since I'm not terribly concerned with pinching pennies I'm very happy we kept her in the herd.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

if your vet didn't find anything wrong with her I'd give her another chance. yes aggressive culling can be a good strategy, but having animals adapted to their herd and location is also a factor in success. one miss for a good cow (especially a first calf heifer) is allowed in my book. that is just me, and I have "room" to allow such things. I just wanted to point out that there is more than cash invested in a heifer/cow. and that some get more return than just money. that is why goals usually aren't listed as "I just want to make as much money as possible, period." Way better ways to do that than raising cows. LOL

 

[CattleMan1920]

Raven I would give her another chance regardless of what some of the experts here seem to think.

I've seen the heifer in person and she is a very nice heifer. I'm pretty sure this was just a case of bad luck. Replacing a cow of her caliber would be an expensive endeavor.

Last year I had a Hereford heifer that lost her first calf during birth. I debated getting rid of her several times but my father in law talked me into giving her another chance so she got another year to prove herself.

She had a very large calf this year effortlessly and is raising it great. She also let another calf (who's dam didn't milk good and got culled) nurse her for 3 months.

Her calf is by far one of the best spring calves we have. I would give her another chance at least so you don't always wonder what would have happened. If she gives you any more problems send her down the road.

He's right Ron, I would ignore the "sage wisdom" of the CT members who cull if a cow looks at them wrong, or stays too long in the shade to stay cool.

You are welcome anytime to stop by and grab a straw of SAV President 6847 and breed her in a few months, and quiet all the Doubting Thomas types on here.

Heck, I feel so bad about your loss that you can bring your gal over here whenever you would like, and we will let President 8422 of Branded settle her, gratis, who makes that kind of deal? Nobody on CT, that's for sure.

 

[CattleMan1920]

She got past her first calf.

She certainly did and with nothing to show for it. IMLTHO, with a few exceptions, any heifer/cow who fails to wean a coupon in a timely manner should be eliminated post haste and especially those from the purebred sector. Often as not, the latter is wishful thinking.

If it happens, big deal, breed her back via AI or a bull. A purebred calf is worth multiple "coupons" of the other variety. I'm siding with TT on this one. The truth is, nobody knows what happened except God on this one, move on.

We had a cow that lost Baldridge Colonel twins, imagine that! We bred her back in 70 days and now she is nursing a Byergo Titus daughter. That's a FAT coupon!

You guys kill me with the machismo! I picture some of you ranching with no shirt, smoking a carton of Camels a day, and drinking whiskey to stay hydrated.

 

[wbvs58]

Yeh, maybe shoot for twins next time to catch up Ron.

Ken