Sometimes the apple....

[Silver]

....doesn't fall far from tree.
Had a heifer calve yesterday, it was supper time and there were feet showing so put her in the chute to pull the calf to get it out of the way. Well that's when her personality really started to shine through. Dang near brought the barn down getting her to the squeeze. Pulled out a nice heifer calf, pulled the calf around front to introduce it to her and gave the heifer a shot of oxytocin. No motherly reaction from mom. Dragged the calf back to a stall and let momma out of the chute. Well holy he!!. Somewhere in the calamity she made her way into the stall with the calf and I made like Gretzky and got the puck out of there before I witnessed something that would give me nightmares.
Midnight check the calf was out of the stall and momma was having a fit. Carefully slid calf under the stall rails, said a prayer and beat a retreat. 2:00 check calf was out of the stall, and took a run at me as soon as I opened the door. Decided to leave it out for the rest of the night and see if momma would calm down. 4:00 am calf was climbing the barn walls just like mom so decided that as the barn is getting old and shaky and I'll likely be needing it for the foreseeable future I better put them in a stout pen in a different shed where they could have a chance to be better acquainted on their own terms. No luck.
To make a really long story somewhat less really long, I kicked that dirty son of a so and so heifer out with the pairs and have a bottle feeder that wants to kill me. But I'm guessing if I don't have need for it shortly I can sell it online for $400 and wash my hands of the whole deal.
My wife tells me this heifer is on the cull list, and I don't believe I will argue with her on this one. :nod:

 

[W.B.]

You were more patient than I would have been. They can’t all be barn pets but there are lines that can’t be crossed here. If they are aggressive as two year olds I don’t want them in the cowherd period.

 

[Coosh71]

You were more patient than I would have been. They can’t all be barn pets but there are lines that can’t be crossed here. If they are aggressive as two year olds I don’t want them in the cowherd period.

Agree 100%!!! Everything here is calm around here or they are rowdy elsewhere. I just haven't patience for cattle that has that type personality. I'd cull her before the next bottle was feed to her calf.

 

[Silver]

You were more patient than I would have been. They can’t all be barn pets but there are lines that can’t be crossed here. If they are aggressive as two year olds I don’t want them in the cowherd period.

Agree 100%!!! Everything here is calm around here or they are rowdy elsewhere. I just haven't patience for cattle that has that type personality. I'd cull her before the next bottle was feed to her calf.

I guess I'm even less patient than you guys, she was culled in my mind before she got to the stall.
The wonderful thing about calving heifers is you don't always know what you really have for temperament until they calve.
We don't have the luxury of "putting wheels under them" like you folks down south. Therefore they are carefully documented and shipped in the fall with everything else.

 

[greybeard]

One word.
Veal

 

[76 Bar]

Consummate wreck and PITA. Wife is spot on. :clap:

 

[Nesikep]

Yep, no room for them here either.. I have a few older cows that are a bit ornery after calving but a day later they're settled down pretty good

I have one that had to go to the vet to get dehorned when she was 2 years old.. she will absolutely destroy the crowding pen (where we often put new mommas) because she must remember what happened the last time she went down that alley! She's 12 years old now.

She's one that calved yesterday.. I handled her the least I could and everything is fine

 

[76 Bar]

As much as I enjoyed your hands on descriptive experience Silver, I'm acutely aware it wasn't fun and more than a little frustrating. That aside, it was a breath of fresh air and a great read. Head & shoulders above the various & sundry collective angst of those chasing the biggest & brightest. :lol2:

 

[gcreekrch]

Those kind get a Rompun and a nice, relaxing 12 hours with their calf here. An observation I have made is after one shot of it, these goofy little bags never seem to be quite as bad as they were.

Ken wbsv……. is there any correlation to giving a shot of Xylazine and permanent effect on the brain?

Don't get me wrong Silver, I am not putting you down one bit, there have been lots of those kind leave here for the same reason. Just saying there are some still here too.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Those kind get a Rompun and a nice, relaxing 12 hours with their calf here. An observation I have made is after one shot of it, these goofy little bags never seem to be quite as bad as they were.

Ken wbsv……. is there any correlation to giving a shot of Xylazine and permanent effect on the brain?

Don't get me wrong Silver, I am not putting you down one bit, there have been lots of those kind leave here for the same reason. Just saying there are some still here too.

I would think that cows need to be a little snorty to fend for themselves all summer. We look after our cows daily and don't have anything roaming the woods that can kill a cow.

 

[wbvs58]

Those kind get a Rompun and a nice, relaxing 12 hours with their calf here. An observation I have made is after one shot of it, these goofy little bags never seem to be quite as bad as they were.

Ken wbsv……. is there any correlation to giving a shot of Xylazine and permanent effect on the brain?

Don't get me wrong Silver, I am not putting you down one bit, there have been lots of those kind leave here for the same reason. Just saying there are some still here too.

Sounds like a good strategy Dave. I don't know of any long term effect of Xylazine but maybe the anti anxiety effect lasts longer than the sedative effect. I know in other species if xylazine is used by itself it will sedate but if you excite them some animals may go a bit ballistic like large dogs can suddenly get aggressive and so is usually used in combinations of opioids or promazine. As with most sedatives the quiter you are around them the more profound will be sedative effect. Your strategy of then leaving them be possibly helps with the long term effect. Like they learnt that all is OK after all and by not putting them in a confronting situation also helps.

Ken

 

[Silver]

I would dearly love to have some Rompun on hand here, I don't really have any excuse for that. And to be clear, this heifer was not on the fight, she was really on flight mode in a big way, which never showed up until her water broke. I think a sedative (other that Oxy) could have made a big difference in the outcome.

 

[W.B.]

There is something that Rompum and Ace together that rewires them.

 

[JMJ Farms]

There is something that Rompum and Ace together that rewires them.

Had a wife and several girlfriends that I wish I’d have tried that concoction on :hide:

 

[True Grit Farms]

There is something that Rompum and Ace together that rewires them.

Had a wife and several girlfriends that I wish I’d have tried that concoction on :hide:

Careful now, in Montana they call a shot of 4/10ths Rompum and 6/10ths Ace a love potion.