Surprise!!!

[cypressfarms]

Last week we lost the paint calf that I had posted about. he was just too weak, and didn't make it. Picture of paint calf below.

My middle daughter took it hard because she helped me so much with the calf and was pulling for it.

Well to our surprise, the next day we went to the daughter's softball game, and upon our return found this running around:

In an hour and a half the above heifer calved, had the calf sucking and was running around. This was not supposed to be a heavy bred heifer so I called up the man I bought him from. Ooops, looks like he has a beefmaster daddy. Oh well. Now the new mom can coast in the winter, and I'll rebreed her early spring 2007.

 

[msscamp]

He's a cutie! Is that a bath tub sitting in your pasture? :???: It sure looks like one from the rim.

 

[Beefy]

thats stinks about the paint calf Cypress. as small and slick as he was i knew he had to be early. what are you going to do with the cow?

Where did you get that heifer?

 

[cypressfarms]

msscamp, that's a feed trough!

Beefy, I wrote a letter to the farm expressing my disappointment about the cow. Now I have a 7 year old that is stuck between seasons that I won't really be able to breed until early next year to get her in with the other cows. What was bad was that she was certified by a vet as "fall calving". I think the calf was just some type of weak dwarf. He never had enough strength to stand up by himself. I always had to lift him.

So now I have:

1. A 7 year old cow that won't be back into season until likely August.

2. A dead calf. He was full term, just really small. I actually brought a scale out and he was in the low 60's. Wrong guess earlier.

3. An incompetant vet. Unless he felt the calf and judged it by size to calf in fall and didn't realize that it may be some sort of dwarf, which is very possible.

4. A mad customer (me), because I kind of feel cheated.

I wrote the owner a nice letter, and I'll await his response. I know that the moment I bought the cow, she is my full responsibility, but I never expected this.

What do you guys think???

By the way Beefy, bought the heifer from a friend. Supposed to braford.

 

[Beefy]

its definitely not a dwarf, it was just premature. i would have guesstimated its weight to be #62. the thing that bugs me is the vet getting the palp so far off.

 

[msscamp]

msscamp, that's a feed trough!

Beefy, I wrote a letter to the farm expressing my disappointment about the cow. Now I have a 7 year old that is stuck between seasons that I won't really be able to breed until early next year to get her in with the other cows. What was bad was that she was certified by a vet as "fall calving". I think the calf was just some type of weak dwarf. He never had enough strength to stand up by himself. I always had to lift him.

So now I have:

1. A 7 year old cow that won't be back into season until likely August.

2. A dead calf. He was full term, just really small. I actually brought a scale out and he was in the low 60's. Wrong guess earlier.

3. An incompetant vet. Unless he felt the calf and judged it by size to calf in fall and didn't realize that it may be some sort of dwarf, which is very possible.

3. A mad customer (me), because I kind of feel cheated.

I wrote the owner a nice letter, and I'll await his response. I know that the moment I bought the cow, she is my full responsibility, but I never expected this.

What do you guys think???

My mistake, sorry! :lol: :lol: It sure looks like a bath tub in the picture.

As far as the calf goes, I'm thinking it's just the luck of the draw. The first thing one should expect when one gets into the cattle business is the unexpected - you already know this. We bought back 8 head of bred cattle that had been sold a year or more ago (newbie owner who put them in a pasture with an electric fence without fence training them, and got tired of chasing them down), one of them is a 3 year old that subsequently had twins (heifer approx 60 pounds, bull approx 90 pounds and had to be pulled), the bull died because he was hugh, backwards, the second calf out of a tired momma, and had a problem with his neck due to the cramped space. Is that the fault of the previous owner? I don't think so, it's just one of those things that happens with cattle. I know this is not what you want to hear, but it is what I believe.

 

[cypressfarms]

Beefy,

I have to believe that a calf three months early would not be fully developed in many areas, right? Cow was supposed to calf in September. Actually calved 05/22/06. That's a big difference. Could a calf that premature have a suck reflex at all? When I first put moma in the chute, the calf did suck for about 20 minutes. After that it just wasn't strong enough to get up on it's own. I tubed it twice, but it still died the second day.

msscamp, don't get me wrong, I don't want a refund or handout from this farm, but I feel that I'm owed at least some sort of explanation. The moment I bought the cow, she was mine, for good or bad.

 

[msscamp]

Beefy,

I have to believe that a calf three months early would not be fully developed in many areas, right? Cow was supposed to calf in September. Actually calved 05/22/06. That's a big difference. Could a calf that premature have a suck reflex at all? When I first put moma in the chute, the calf did suck for about 20 minutes. After that it just wasn't strong enough to get up on it's own. I tubed it twice, but it still died the second day.

msscamp, don't get me wrong, I don't want a refund or handout from this farm, but I feel that I'm owed at least some sort of explanation. The moment I bought the cow, she was mine, for good or bad.

A calf that was 3 months early would not have hair down to his hoofs, would have soft hooves and maybe (I've never seen a calf that premature, so I'm not sure on this) would not be able to stand. Based on the pictures I don't think this calf was 3 months premature. Based on your description, I'm wondering if this calf didn't come from a selenium deficient area and that is what the problem was.

 

[Beefy]

the palp was obviously off. the calf was not 3 months premature, i'd say about a month-month1/2. (judging by the size, and slickness)and weak. I didnt think the cow was in the best shape when you got her. she also looked older than 7 but its hard to tell. they would know and have records i guess...

 

[Beefy]

a 3 month early calf would likely be DOA or pretty quick b/c the lungs would collapse. it would be obviously underdeveloped- think a 6 month abortion..if you ever seen that. eyes would be underdeveloped-cloudy. i doubt it would stand much of a chance. the smallest calf i've seen live was about 35-40 lbs.

 

[msscamp]

a 3 month early calf would likely be DOA or pretty quick b/c the lungs would collapse. it would be obviously underdeveloped- think a 6 month abortion..if you ever seen that. eyes would be underdeveloped-cloudy. i doubt it would stand much of a chance. the smallest calf i've seen live was about 35-40 lbs.

That's what I was thinking, too, but having never seen one I wasn't sure.

 

[Beefy]

on another note, the new calf--i know you said HE has a beefmaster daddy but i'm wondering it was a bull calf or heifer. judging by the navel i would have thought heifer? its a nice calf.

 

[Beefy]

i'd throw the cow and heifers out with the bull. whats wrong with march-april calves? normally when they lose one they breed back pretty quick.

 

[cypressfarms]

on another note, the new calf--i know you said HE has a beefmaster daddy but i'm wondering it was a bull calf or heifer. judging by the navel i would have thought heifer? its a nice calf.

Already banded HIM. If it was a heifer I would think about keeping her. I thought the dad was a hereford or charolais from the coloring, but the guy tells me beefmaster.

I'm trying to get this herd to calve a little earlier in the year, Jan/Feb. Most calve in March now. I'll put the cow that lost the calf with my angus plus bull, but I'm guessing 60 days or more from now before she cycles. hadn't made up my mind about the heifer/new cow, but she may visit the other angus plus as well. My grass is good, so I may just let the bull in on them. They may cycle earlier, hopefully.

 

[milkmaid]

I'm trying to get this herd to calve a little earlier in the year, Jan/Feb. Most calve in March now. I'll put the cow that lost the calf with my angus plus bull, but I'm guessing 60 days or more from now before she cycles. hadn't made up my mind about the heifer/new cow, but she may visit the other angus plus as well. My grass is good, so I may just let the bull in on them. They may cycle earlier, hopefully.

Cypress, I've seen several cows cycle recently at 10-14 days past calving. Unless the cow had serious calving problems even these dairy cows will usually have their first cycle 30 days after calving - don't always breed back then, but some of them do. If they're not cycling 60 days after there'd better be a good reason. After all, if you want a one year calving interval with those beef cows they need to settle 85 days after calving, and they've usually had more than one cycle by then.

 

[mnmtranching]

Oh ya, if that cow is on good feed and had no problems calving she could come around soon.

mnmt

 

[cypressfarms]

The cow concerns me, because she isn't in as good of shape as my other cows. She's only been on my place for several weeks. We'll see, though. She may cycle earlier than I expect because she is going up in condition instead of down, which will usually result in better fertility.

With the heifer, she's still growing herself. She had a calf too young IMO, even though easily, that she will have to care for, and still go through her "difficult" 2's. My grass is pretty good, so She'll go in with the bulls. If the grass weren't good, I'd have to think about holding her back.

MM, hope your right. Had three girls this past year which jumped two months (calved two months earlier than the previous year). Most of the rest were within 2 or three weeks from their previous years calving date. Already culled several that fell back.

mnmtranching, no feed for these girls, just grass.

 

[Beefy]

most of the time mine that lose calves breed back about 20 days later. if i dont want them to breed back, they may only take 10 days to breed back, ha!

i'm still amazed that he doesnt have more sheath being out of a beefmaster and that cow. i would have guessed he was maybe from a simmental bull.

 

[Double R Ranch]

its definitely not a dwarf, it was just premature. i would have guesstimated its weight to be #62. the thing that bugs me is the vet getting the palp so far off.

I don't hold a lot of water against what the vet says durring a palp. I have had way to many palped 3-5 months off. Bought one 2 years ago from the butcher pen. Good young cow 3 months bred. Our auction is run pretty badly. Anyways this is a common thing. Anything under 5 months bred usually ends up in the butcher pen. At 3 months bred she would have been right with the rest of my herd. Less than 2 months later she calved a full term baby.
This last season we had our cattle checked ( I am teaching myself and wanted to make sure I was correct) He pregged two cows within a month of calving. The bull had only been our with them for 4 months. They could have only been 4 months preg. and only if he got them right away. That was last year. They all calved on time at the end of feb. of this year.
And the ONE that I am still waiting on........... According to the vet she should have calved in december of last year.
How a man who pregs. thousands of cattle a month for the last 20+years can get it so far off is beside me. Must just be lazy these days.

Just my 2 cents on that......

Double R

 

[Horticattleman]

Hey Cypress nice looking calf. I was just wondering what crosses you used to get that beautiful colored paint calf. I have a few blacks but really want some of those colors.