Tiny Tina

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

First calf heifer calved this morning, to AI sire SC Pay Back (flush brother to Pay The Price). Vet called bred heifer safe 30 days back in September (she ran with the bull over the summer since we were out showing and I could not get her bred). I did the math, and 30 days prior would have been a breeding date of around 8/22, and we picked up the heifer from the bull on 8/26. Bred heifer had two bouts of pneumonia treated by the vet late winter, one episode I thought we were going to lose her. She lost a bunch of weight, so I pulled her in and started her on a grain ration after the vet checked her while he was here working calves (calfhoods). Vet said her calf was very small (at that time, she was about 10 days out from her due date, end of May). He said that if he did not know us (we have no bulls around, only AI), he would have said she slipped her calf and would be due in another 30 days to the herd bull.
When we first brought her in from the field:


This is a few weeks after we started her on grain.


This week, two weeks after her due date of 285 days (6/3), she started putting on a nice bag. I pulled her up in the steer pen so I could watch her closely, and give her grain still. Well, she calved this morning... and boy is that calf SMALL!






I had to put the cow in the chute to get the calf to suck, since dumb first calf heifer kept kicking that tiny thing off. Once she got ahold of that nipple, she went to town on two quarters!
Here she is, all weighed up. Care to guess her weight??


Smallest FULL term calf we have ever had. She was even two weeks late. And, this is the ONE cow I have left in a partnership with Ron. I am sending the pair back to KY when he brings out bulls for farm fest, we are going to roll the cow to fall calving since she is so late. I hope this little dink grows at least! Kids are going to call her Tiny Tina, since Tiny Tim would not work with her gender... :lol:

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

42 pounds.

 

[callmefence]

43 pounds

 

[Son of Butch]

Smallest Simmental ever born... hmmm... 92 lbs and the girl holding her is actually a photo shop
Amazon princess. Am I right?

 

[76 Bar]

35 #'s. After all that grief the only place I'd roll the dam would be onto the trailer headed to a sale barn. :roll:

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Funny Butch!

We have had numerous talks about sending her down the road. Might still, depending on how she does over the next few weeks.

And the calf was 31 pounds. She just nursed again, and the dam is allowing her to suck without assistance.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

The best calf is a live calf.

 

[Katpau]

I'm confused??
You say she ran with the bull all summer while you were showing and you removed her from his company on August 26th. Her estimated time of conception based on Vets exam was August 22nd which would give a gestation of 297 days, or about 2 weeks longer than average. So I understood you to be saying she was bred by the bull shortly before she was removed.

I am confused when you later write that the vet said:
"... if he did not know us (we have no bulls around, only AI), he would have said she slipped her calf and would be due in another 30 days to the herd bull."

I thought you said she was with a bull and was bred by him. Huh?? Am I somehow reading this wrong?

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

I'm confused??
You say she ran with the bull all summer while you were showing and you removed her from his company on August 26th. Her estimated time of conception based on Vets exam was August 22nd which would give a gestation of 297 days, or about 2 weeks longer than average. So I understood you to be saying she was bred by the bull shortly before she was removed.

I am confused when you later write that the vet said:
"... if he did not know us (we have no bulls around, only AI), he would have said she slipped her calf and would be due in another 30 days to the herd bull."

I thought you said she was with a bull and was bred by him. Huh?? Am I somehow reading this wrong?

We TOOK her to a bull, since we do not have one. She was there for maybe 45 days? We picked her up as stated.

 

[Redgully]

That really is small. I would have thought 45 pounds. Could bvd be a possibility, looks super healthy though. There is a hibiscus called tiny tina.....random fact!

 

[Katpau]

Thanks FireSweep. Now I understand....it wasn't your bull.
My smallest calf was a 50 pound twin out of a small frame cow. 31 pounds is really tiny. It must be kind of scary having one so tiny. I hope she keeps doing good. It will be interesting to see how she grows.

 

[wbvs58]

I think it will be worthwhile verifying the sire.

Ken

 

[Nesikep]

I think it will be worthwhile verifying the sire.

Ken

I'd do paternity tests to make sure the sire isn't a buck!

I've had quite a few born at 297 days, but never at that weight.. Longest I've had is about 304

 

[cowgirl8]

We've had heifer bulls that threw many 30ish pounder sized, angus though. So so cute.. wished they all started out that small..lol.. JK.. BUt, love when our heifers calves are all tiny since they are right here at the house. The smallest this year was a tiny red bull calf, in the 30 pound range. Bless his heart, was towered by most of the others calves, but in his brain, he was the biggest. When we got them up to castrate/vac he followed them into the alley and into the tub(small ones i'll try to keep separated). The other calves all backed up onto him, I saw and ran other to move them off. I thought he was dead, he was limp and lifeless. I pulled him out through the slats, he was still that small at 2 mo... I said, "They killed him." and then his eyes opened.. I felt so bad that I was unable to keep him safe..He was ok, but, he sure looked dead. We almost left him a bull. Daughter wants something that she'll only get 30 pound calves out of, but, we couldn't get in touch with her and castrated him..

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I was going to guess 45#. Wow, she is REALLY little.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

I was just digging through some files, and prior to Tiny Tina, our smallest was Taylor. Taylor was born in 2014 and topped the scales at 49 pounds (she is SimAngus - sired by Beef Maker).



Same calf at Regionals before she was a yearling



She is one of my top cows now, and averages 1300 pounds.

Here is a video I took today of Tiny Tina, and a calf that is two weeks old.
https://youtu.be/5ljSv0o-xjg

She is doing great, and the only issue we are having is that she walks right under our hot wire fence without getting zapped. Her dam woke me at 5:30 this morning mooing for her. I found her about 100 feet away laying by the tire of the livestock trailer (I have found her in my orchard several times laying under one of my fruit trees!). She acts like she owns the place already! :heart:

 

[True Grit Farms]

51 - 52lbs she was our smallest calf ever. I didn't think she'd make 40lbs. I can't imagine how small tiny must be.

 

[Buck Randall]

Is her head shaped a little funny, or does it just look that way in the picture?

I once saw a pair of twins that were smaller than her. The farmer called because he had cows that were dying and couldn't figure out why. They were so parasitized and poorly fed that cows were dying of starvation. That's obviously not an issue at your place.

 

[Bright Raven]

First calf heifer calved this morning, to AI sire SC Pay Back (flush brother to Pay The Price). Vet called bred heifer safe 30 days back in September (she ran with the bull over the summer since we were out showing and I could not get her bred). I did the math, and 30 days prior would have been a breeding date of around 8/22, and we picked up the heifer from the bull on 8/26. Bred heifer had two bouts of pneumonia treated by the vet late winter, one episode I thought we were going to lose her. She lost a bunch of weight, so I pulled her in and started her on a grain ration after the vet checked her while he was here working calves (calfhoods). Vet said her calf was very small (at that time, she was about 10 days out from her due date, end of May). He said that if he did not know us (we have no bulls around, only AI), he would have said she slipped her calf and would be due in another 30 days to the herd bull.
When we first brought her in from the field:


This is a few weeks after we started her on grain.


This week, two weeks after her due date of 285 days (6/3), she started putting on a nice bag. I pulled her up in the steer pen so I could watch her closely, and give her grain still. Well, she calved this morning... and boy is that calf SMALL!






I had to put the cow in the chute to get the calf to suck, since dumb first calf heifer kept kicking that tiny thing off. Once she got ahold of that nipple, she went to town on two quarters!
Here she is, all weighed up. Care to guess her weight??


Smallest FULL term calf we have ever had. She was even two weeks late. And, this is the ONE cow I have left in a partnership with Ron. I am sending the pair back to KY when he brings out bulls for farm fest, we are going to roll the cow to fall calving since she is so late. I hope this little dink grows at least! Kids are going to call her Tiny Tina, since Tiny Tim would not work with her gender... :lol:

Cute calf. I look forward to having Lady here.

 

[76 Bar]

35 #'s.

Do I get a prize for being within 4 lbs of the BWT?

I look forward to having Lady here.

All things considered, and especially since you've hung out a seed stock shingle, why?