Thoughts about this heifer

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lithuanian farmer

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Have 14 months old heifer. She's Limox out of 1/4x (Angus, Salers, BB, dairy) cow. She has injured her right rear leg last autumn after weaning. Called for the vet to come and look at her, but he never came, however told us that he'll arrive. Put a plaster cast by ourselves, but as she had a wound on her leg had to take it of after some time. Heifer spends more time laying, but she can perfectly run and jump. Let her out from the barn yesterday and she was very happy girl jumping around. Thought about culling her, but now think about keeping her, but not letting her with cows and using AI not bull for her. She's even halter trained. She will put even more meat on grass.
What do you think if we should try to keep her? Maybe somebody had similar experience.

Plan about using an easy calving Angus for her, but still wonder if it won't be too much for her.


 
Go with your gut it is normally right. One of the things I found is second guessing yourself when it comes to cattle is rarely the right choice.
 
Have looked at many of your pictures and you have alot of nice cattle. I think she should be beef and not take the chance on that foot/leg. I have seen many of your pictures of heifers and cows that I would keep to breed, and not have to take the chance that this one could wind up getting down then be a loss in the end.
 
We've talked with one vet. She looked at the heifer and said that she should be fine. Heifer most likely has severed ligaments and tendons in that place, possibly abit dislocated joint.
It'd be easier to cull her if she wasn't my personal heifer. I'm building my own herd separately from parents and she's my the 3rd girl. Won't have any more calves from her dam by the same bull.
 
If would not sell her because if it is anything there like it is here they are going to dock you real bad and get next to nothing for her. I would eat her or if I don't need the meat and was kind of fond to her , like it sounds you are , try breeding her what's to loose ??
 
If you weren't so attached to her, I would just send her to slaughter and if it were mine I would just breed her to a mini Zebu bull for 1st calf.
 
lithuanian farmer":36io1b2s said:
Have 14 months old heifer. She's Limox out of 1/4x (Angus, Salers, BB, dairy) cow. She has injured her right rear leg last autumn after weaning. Called for the vet to come and look at her, but he never came, however told us that he'll arrive. Put a plaster cast by ourselves, but as she had a wound on her leg had to take it of after some time. Heifer spends more time laying, but she can perfectly run and jump. Let her out from the barn yesterday and she was very happy girl jumping around. Thought about culling her, but now think about keeping her, but not letting her with cows and using AI not bull for her. She's even halter trained. She will put even more meat on grass.
What do you think if we should try to keep her? Maybe somebody had similar experience.

Plan about using an easy calving Angus for her, but still wonder if it won't be too much for her.



I would keep her and breed her to a low birthweight bull. I have kept a few like her and they all made nice cows.
 
Hate to see an injury like that on a nice female but that injury concerns me about her longevity. That looks like a lot of stress on a joint that will bear a lot of weight and not sure what your summer pasture situation is but I worry about how she is going to get around if she has to walk long distances. Like someone else said go with your gut on the decision you make but if you have to cull some cows to cut down on numbers that injury would be enough to cut ties on what could become a potential problem for you. Just like cows with big teats you have to milk out, if you have to give special attention to a cow the time and effort you spend may not be worth it.
 
It's always hard to decide when it's one you've got an attachment to. My concerns would be if she might injure it worse if bred natural, and the added weight when she is heavy bred might really bring her down. That being said, you see her day in and day out, and have the best idea the progress she has made and how she appears to be feeling.
 
I would think you would get a calf or two out of her but I would not expect her to last too long. She is taking most of the weight on her heels and would think it would be easily abraded in poor conditions.

Ken
 
very rare I keep a heifer who has had problems before even making it to a cow. Costs enough to get them to cow age, I don't need another gamble on top of it.
 
Basically you are doing what i often do.. you have planned to breed her and thats what you should do. Its interesting to talk about things but i think there are more posts in favour of beef than breed but you want to breed so take the gamble qnd do it.

Maybe you could get 2 or 3 calves and sell her earlier than a normal cow. I have recently kept a heifer who gave me a dead calf as i only have 3 heifers and would like to percevere with her and see a live calf on her in 9 months.

Good luck. There is no wrong decision.
 
Gonna keep her with smaller/younger heifers this year. Not letting with her age heifers. Don't graze heifers in big pastures.
Today let her with other 8 smaller heifers in the field. She run and was kicking easily like others. Her injury is slightly noticable in her walk, but not something very obvious. When she stands still you can see that she often keeps most of her weight on other legs. We aren't 100% sure yet, but gonna watch her during summer until she'll be big enough for breeding. Would breed her when she'll be over 1300lbs. Would like to get at least one heifer from her.

The bulls we would choose from for her first calf.
http://www.naturalgen.cz/DOC_SEMEN4/ZAA-788_Offer.pdf
http://www.litgenas.lt/lt/buliai/mesiniai/smuggler
 
The big problem I have with both bulls is that neither one of them has any calving information at all. They don't have so much as their own birth weight given. ABS Genus has a couple of bulls like Americano and Elivator that would work from the UK.
For an EU qualified Charolais bull look at: https://issuu.com/semex2010/docs/semex_beef2017/145. Most of the Angus bulls imported to the EU from North America tend to be power bulls not calving ease bulls.
Do any of the Red and Black angus breeders have any suggestions on EU qualified bulls he may look at at?
 
I hate those kinds of choices.. but I think I'd get rid of her unless she has some spectacular bloodlines (Like WalnutCrest's frozen hoof heifer)... Also agreed that IF kept, I'd breed her this year.. I don't think she'd do well past about 6-8 years, so you might as well see if you can get the heifer you want sooner rather than later.. she's a nice size so it shouldn't be a problem.
 
We would breed her this year. Probably in september- october.
That's the most info we can get from the AI here. If you want more you need to buy semen from abroad yourself where are more information. Have used once easy calving Angus bull from the same company on heifers. All calved well. Definitely not using anything bigger than Angus for her. She can bring muscles on calf almost from nowhere.
She does have quite valuable genetics. Her dam is a top breeder in our herd and this heifer is in total her 3rd daughter. Have this girl's full sister incalf to our Limo bull due in fall. She has abit less muscles, but also has bigger birth weight and was born quite meaty,~ 110lbs. This girl was born very slim, 90lbs and in general we like this one much more.
So far she looks fine being out in the field with other heifers, but will watch her. She has injured her leg in October.
 
Given what I have used in the past on similar heifers I would use a calving ease Red Angus on her. here are two Red Angus bulls that are worth looking at:
Proffit Builder: http://bullbarn.com/angredepd.asp?ID=467 Very good metrics on this bull.
000 Sirloin: http://bullbarn.com/angredepd.asp?ID=494 Note this bull has sexed semen available important if you want a heifer. Note the prices for these bulls are upfront.
Have you considered becoming adealer for AI companies once you become a vet? You could expand the quality of gentics available to Lativian beef producers and have viable business.
 
We wouldn't buy semen from abroad just for one heifer. At the moment can't afford spending much.

Not sure. Most likely just will be an AI technician. It'd take quite alot of time to be a dealer, while I want to work more in my own farm.
 
So, the heifer has been AI'd today with Black Angus. She's ~1150lbs+. Doing really fine, very mobile. She's now a nanny of weaned heifers. It looks that her injury won't affect her life much, except that she'll never meet bull.

Re-uploading her photo. Photo taken in summer. Will try to upload her recent photo later.
DSCF3095.jpg
 

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