I knew my smallest heifer ( about 1000 pounds) was getting pretty big and getting close. So I put her in the coral, and when I checked her at 5 am yesterday, she was starting contractions.
She was not making much progress, so I put a call into the vet, which had a few emergencies ahead of me.
A few hours she just laid down and stayed there for a few hours, not really laboring or working at it.
The vet came about noon, and oh no twins, the first was backwards and both were trying to come out at once. We were able to push the other back enough and pull the first one.....dead.....and then the second....dead. These were both fairly big calves and a bit disappointing.
The cow recovered as nothing happened and went to eating. The vet said she was stressed and with so much calf in her she was unable to eat like she should, and so much energy was going to calves.y
I am not sure if there was anything I could have done, maybe I should not have waited for the vet, but not sure I could have done it by myself.
I do have a question....or two.
The vet said she could have had one calf just fine, and this angus had room, and would recover. I need to get rid of a few, because there are just to many. Would you keep this first time heifer or would it be a concern to you? Keeping a new calf puts breeding a year further out, where as this one could calf in a year. These are all angus, bred to our registered Murray grey bull, and very well cared for, plenty of food, no mud, and live in park like conditions.
What would you do with this one?
Then there is the other first time heifer that is a big beautiful animal, that had the dink 33 pounder. Which another family is bottle feeding and growing and running around .....amazing?
This cow is very nice, big, and just had this dinky calf.
Would you be concerned about a repeat? Or she she be on the short list???.
We have a couple of older cows, 10 and 11 that have always had great calves, are in good shape, good mothers, good teeth.....but older.
I am not sure which way to go, keep the two first time heifers that had less than ideal first calves, or the old prove older cows??????
Any thoughts? Thank you,
She was not making much progress, so I put a call into the vet, which had a few emergencies ahead of me.
A few hours she just laid down and stayed there for a few hours, not really laboring or working at it.
The vet came about noon, and oh no twins, the first was backwards and both were trying to come out at once. We were able to push the other back enough and pull the first one.....dead.....and then the second....dead. These were both fairly big calves and a bit disappointing.
The cow recovered as nothing happened and went to eating. The vet said she was stressed and with so much calf in her she was unable to eat like she should, and so much energy was going to calves.y
I am not sure if there was anything I could have done, maybe I should not have waited for the vet, but not sure I could have done it by myself.
I do have a question....or two.
The vet said she could have had one calf just fine, and this angus had room, and would recover. I need to get rid of a few, because there are just to many. Would you keep this first time heifer or would it be a concern to you? Keeping a new calf puts breeding a year further out, where as this one could calf in a year. These are all angus, bred to our registered Murray grey bull, and very well cared for, plenty of food, no mud, and live in park like conditions.
What would you do with this one?
Then there is the other first time heifer that is a big beautiful animal, that had the dink 33 pounder. Which another family is bottle feeding and growing and running around .....amazing?
This cow is very nice, big, and just had this dinky calf.
Would you be concerned about a repeat? Or she she be on the short list???.
We have a couple of older cows, 10 and 11 that have always had great calves, are in good shape, good mothers, good teeth.....but older.
I am not sure which way to go, keep the two first time heifers that had less than ideal first calves, or the old prove older cows??????
Any thoughts? Thank you,