Texas calf loss during blizzard?

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mncowboy

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I haven't found any articles or discussion in regards to the livestock/ cow calf industry down south and the recent winter weather and its impact. Is it known yet what if any calves were lost in southern states because of the weather they had? I can only imagine the cattle weren't accustomed to it and the calving season is run drastically different than the Dakotas and Minnesota. Does anyone know how if at all the cow calf guy has been effected?
 
Heard something about it this morning but no details. I'm sorry for the producers who got caught in this and are bearing the losses. It could happen to all of us in different ways. I had a run of neosporosis in my cows a few years back. Nothing to do to prevent it and caused a substantial loss that year.
 


I did see something on newbreak a man was talking about all the livestock, milk, eggs, chickens, crops, Citrus, ect being lost not sure if he had a total.
 
I would think the Brahama based herds would show the most stress from the cold but having no experience with them
I would appreciate comment from those who are closer to the situation.
 
I would think the Brahama based herds would show the most stress from the cold but having no experience with them
I would appreciate comment from those who are closer to the situation.
No calf losses here and we feel fortunate. Got some 4 month old calves and they did great. Got down to zero for a couple of days and then went to the teens. A little research showed this storm created the lowest temps in 100 years. And, we needed the moisture from the snow.
 
I would think the Brahama based herds would show the most stress from the cold but having no experience with them
I would appreciate comment from those who are closer to the situation.
I would have thought the same.
However on my very mixed herds the brahman and mexican ( longhorn and corriente influenced) cattle faired well. My losses where char and angus x hereford cattle. I attribute it to a higher intelligence in the cattle. They seem to put themselves in a better position in the unfamiliar weather.
Just my observation, doesn't make it fact.
 
I was lucky with a dozen calves under 2 months old. A couple only 2 weeks old. I was worried but no losses here either. Brangus herd. They just hunkered down mostly in the woods. Temps down to zero as well. Second snow of this winter. Snow is not very common here. All my tanks, and ponds froze over.
 
No death lose here. Had calves born everyday and somehow they all survived. We did have to give one electrolytes and a couple shots of dex to get his strength back. I did notice my more Angus based cattle faired better than the Brangus type. I've got a couple Hereford bulls that acted like it was sunny and 75. Horses also acted like it was no big deal.
 
A friends neighbor that lives in northern OK lost 50 calves. Kansas, OK, MO, surrounding states are used to brutal weather, but only for a couple of days. Two weeks of epic, brutal cold/wet/ice/snow/wind was too much.
 
A friends neighbor that lives in northern OK lost 50 calves. Kansas, OK, MO, surrounding states are used to brutal weather, but only for a couple of days. Two weeks of epic, brutal cold/wet/ice/snow/wind was too much.

DANG
 
I would have thought the same.
However on my very mixed herds the brahman and mexican ( longhorn and corriente influenced) cattle faired well. My losses where char and angus x hereford cattle. I attribute it to a higher intelligence in the cattle. They seem to put themselves in a better position in the unfamiliar weather.
Just my observation, doesn't make it fact.
Fence I had three 7 year old brangus cows all calve the night it went to -6 below. They are all doing fine. Surprised they didn't freeze to the ground.
 
I think the calves freezing to the ground has allot to do with the mother cow. Some get them up quick and dry them off some are not as good mamas. I could be wrong though,?? We definitely got lucky, probably had 8 born during the cold snap and another 25 or so less than a month old.

A few weeks ago I bought 12 really nice heifers that are 8 months bred. they were fat and pretty before the freeze and now they look poor and rangy looking. Luckily they started calving after the bad weather. Not sure why they took the cold so hard since they are alone and being overfed.
 
callmefence> Your comment on cattle intelligence is duly noted. I hesitated to acknowledge what I have seen and experienced first hand as it
will no doubt be refuted by chart, graph and ridicule. The intelligence level of the few Corriente I have been around is by far, greater
than any other type of cattle from my experience. It is not my intention to hi-jack this thread as I am interested in how the
different types of cattle handled the cold, especially in Texas where there was no opportunity for preparation of the conditions.
Perhaps we can return to the subject at another time...LVR
 
I was very fortunate. Guess my losses came earlier in the year. 😔

A couple friends lost several. I dont know exact numbers but it was more than a few.
And not just calves. A few cows too.
Brangus type animals. Heavy on the brahman influence.
 
There were quite a few around here that lost some.

Mostly babies born in the single digit and below zero temps when there was a good bit of snow on the ground, and a lot of those were from first calf heifers. A lot of folks were watching constantly, picking up calves soon as they dropped to get them warm and dry. Some didn't, and some that were trying just couldn't get to all of them. Mature cows, especially those with some shelter, mostly seemed to take care of business on their own.

The other big losses came from cattle of all ages and sizes falling through the ice on frozen ponds. Some of the worst of this came when it started warming up and ice that cattle had been walking on started thawing.

We didn't lose any, but we weren't calving, and don't have much deep water...
 
Fence I had three 7 year old brangus cows all calve the night it went to -6 below. They are all doing fine. Surprised they didn't freeze to the ground.
That coldest night seemed to be the easiest with light wind and snow. We lost a calf on the freezing rain night. Froze to the ground. Two cows on the night of the snow storm. I take the blame on the cows. I let them get to old. One more calf you know.
Glad you made it through unscathed.
 
I haven't found any articles or discussion in regards to the livestock/ cow calf industry down south and the recent winter weather and its impact. Is it known yet what if any calves were lost in southern states because of the weather they had? I can only imagine the cattle weren't accustomed to it and the calving season is run drastically different than the Dakotas and Minnesota. Does anyone know how if at all the cow calf guy has been effected?
Haven't heard any state-wide numbers. I doubt there will be any, since everyone out here does his/her own thing pretty much. I heard this morning that my neighbor here northwest of Ft Worth lost 5 newborn calves due to the cold. Some they didn't even know about until their pre-teen granddaughters found them. They saved a few that they knew about by getting them into the barn. My Charolais calf was 2-1/2 weeks old when the worst of it hit and, as everyone here assured me, it was fine.
 
I would think the Brahama based herds would show the most stress from the cold but having no experience with them
I would appreciate comment from thoseo are closer to the situation.
Another neighbor has most Brahamas. When the north winds were blowing and in the single digits, they all had their noses to the south side of a barn. The Angus were acting like nothing was happening. My big Charolais cows were pretty much unconcerned too. They did want their feed and were right there when I broke ice off the water trough.
 
Just talked to a slaughter cow buyer and he said cows that lost calves during the storm are going to start hitting the market and the slaughter price is going down. He is talking thousands of extra cows from TX and OK all the way to the east coast.
 

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