Wanna hear a story ???

[hillsdown]

OK and I am not breed bashing it could be any breed ..

SOOOOOOO I was speaking to my mom a while ago today and she had just spoken to her very good friend in Sk who are well known blk Angus breeders.

She told my mom what was new etc and what was new today was that they had the hoof trimmer out to trim hooves on all of their yearling and 2 year old bulls for sale before they take pics for the catalog. They have done this every year as "that is what you need do" she said.

Well you can imagine what I had to say about it. :lol2:

Thoughts anyone ??????

Again no breed bashing please, I was just saying what they breed it could have easily been a Gv or herf breeder etc. doing the same thing.

BTW they do not let their buyers know that the bulls have been trimmed either..

 

[3waycross]

No surprise at all, and you're right it could be any breed and anyone who says different is full of s---!

 

[upfrombottom]

I just had a flash back of my mom licking a handkerchief and smoothing down a wild hair just before a picture.

 

[3waycross]

The real question is did she put corrective shoes on you before you walked into the studio so you could walk straight.

 

[upfrombottom]

Hey, I'm from Arkansas. What shoes?

 

[3waycross]

Hey, I'm from Arkansas. What shoes?

OK you win. I know when I am bested.

 

[AudieWyoming]

The audacity that people would sell young breeding bulls that already needed their feet trimmed is mind boggling to me but I have at least 2 similar stories.

One year at a state association sale of mainly yearling bulls, for a breed that shall remain anonymous, a well known breeder who held their own sale every year consigned a 2 year old. While we were out looking at the bulls before the sale I over heard the breeder talking to a buyer who obviously knew the bull. The buyer commented "I see you corrected his feet" I looked to see an obvious hatchet job on both front feet. Amazingly the guy bought him as one of the high sellers!

I stopped by to see a close friend who had just replaced his whole bull battery with 5 yearling bulls at an out of state breeder's sale the weekend before. They had all 5 in the chute trying to fix the banana boat feet. He was so embarrassed; "It was a cold sale day and all the pens were standing in beautiful yellow straw up to their belly's. I just didn't think about looking at their feet." @

 

[dun]

Shouldn;t be unexpected from a place that pushes the snot out of the bulls with hot feed for max gain

 

[hillsdown]

Shouldn;t be unexpected from a place that pushes the snot out of the bulls with hot feed for max gain

What is worse Dun is that these bulls were not pushed at all ..... :?

 

[regolith]

Wish they'd done that with two of my Angus bulls.

Then they'd have known better than to send them out as service bulls. Or at the very least, fixed their feet up (they're crossing over dairy, so no worry about perpetuating the genetics).
The stock agent told me they drafted the bulls in deep mud. That's why they didn't see one of them. The other you wouldn't have known about without lifting his foot.

 

[novatech]

Never will understand why people think that because people want their cattle for sale to look their best when being sold is somehow deceitful. But then the same people that complain wouldn't dare leave the house without their make up. And for you guys , what do you think your boss would say if you came to work dressed like you just sloped the hogs?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Novatech - I know what you are saying - we used to trim feet on our show calves. It was the thing to do. Well, slowly we noticed a pattern of cows with hoof problems - were ones that had been trimmed as calves - not all - but some.
Now, if they don't have good feet, they don't get shown & most likely don't stay a breeder. Haven't trimmed a foot for many years. Hmmm - seems like it hasn't hurt us in the showring. :banana:

 

[cypressfarms]

Never will understand why people think that because people want their cattle for sale to look their best when being sold is somehow deceitful. But then the same people that complain wouldn't dare leave the house without their make up. And for you guys , what do you think your boss would say if you came to work dressed like you just sloped the hogs?

Nothing wrong with making stock look nice, but trimming like was done here could be interpreted as a "cover up". Washing and polishing a cow/bull is one thing, but this is changing the animal. That's not right. Kind of like the guy who takes "extenze" while he's dating a lady, then quits once he's married to her. Just isn't right :lol2:

For the record, I don't wear makeup, it wouldn't do any good.

 

[hillsdown]

Nova I understand, but the thing is are you trimming to make them look pretty or are you trimming to correct bad feet because of a genetic issue.. I have no problem if someone wants to have pretty cattle, but the sure as h#ll had better be functional in the pastures as well. I was burnt really bad when I started in beef, I ended up with a few expensive culls because the owners did not disclose that they had to trim the feet often and had the whole herd trimmed before they were sold. One cow lasted only a few moths here as her feet got so bad that I had to haul food and water to her in the pasture. She hit the road when she weened her calf, the hoof trimmer couldn't even correct her hooves enough for her to be anything more than a pampered pet. If I am spending thousands of dollars on a bull I want to see their feet as they are and know just what I am getting for future calves from them and that my calves will last in the feed lots as well.

As far as the make up thing haven`t you heard the useful tidbit that when you start dating a gal take her swimming so you can see what she looks like without make up.. ;-)

Also I was not speaking of show cattle ;these are bulls that will be going into more than likely a commercial herd .

 

[TexasBred]

Are we talking a "peticure" or a real hatchet job as someone called it....there's a lot of difference between the cow or bull with a man made condition and one with a genetic condition. The genetic condition should be noticable long before any hoofs need trimming....it's more than a hoof....it's a leg from the hoof up. Seldom will a simple trim around the edges effect how an animal carries itself. I don't see it an being anything different than the folks who have rocky ground give credit to the rocks for keeping the hoofs "trimmed".

 

[AngusLimoX]

Hoof trimming is for dairy cattle forced to work on concrete.

Under normal circumstances beef cattle should never need trimming. Wouldn't buy anything from someone whose cattle did.

 

[AudieWyoming]

I have been thinking a lot about the possable effects of soil type and moisture on "good feet" and foot problems lately. Between the dry abrasive soils and a good mineral program I have never had reason to question my cattle's foot structure. I just took credit for selecting and breeding good feet into them. Now I have some of those same cows in a wet, muddy environment, that looks conducive to soft hooves and foot rot. The next year or two may teach me I am not as clever as I once thought. What do some of you that have been running on soft heavy river bottoms or 40-50 in. rainfall think. Do you manage your mineral program differently, say higher sulfer levels or something. Any thoughts would be appreciated.@

Are we talking a "peticure" or a real hatchet job as someone called it....there's a lot of difference between the cow or bull with a man made condition and one with a genetic condition. The genetic condition should be noticable long before any hoofs need trimming....it's more than a hoof....it's a leg from the hoof up. Seldom will a simple trim around the edges effect how an animal carries itself. I don't see it an being anything different than the folks who have rocky ground give credit to the rocks for keeping the hoofs "trimmed".

 

[novatech]

If the guy trimmed one or a couple of the cattle's feet I would expect a cover up. When I see all of there feet being trimmed then I would expect that the owner thought it was good marketing technique.
The ground may have a lot to do with it as others have stated. I have never had one trimmed but if this extremely wet year continues that may change.
If there were a mineral deficiency I would think it would also show up in other ways not only in the feet. (Feel free to correct me on that)
If the cattle were fed high protein diets would this also make their hooves grow faster added to the fact they are in a soft based feed lot?

 

[TexasBred]

I have been thinking a lot about the possable effects of soil type and moisture on "good feet" and foot problems lately. Between the dry abrasive soils and a good mineral program I have never had reason to question my cattle's foot structure. I just took credit for selecting and breeding good feet into them. Now I have some of those same cows in a wet, muddy environment, that looks conducive to soft hooves and foot rot. The next year or two may teach me I am not as clever as I once thought. What do some of you that have been running on soft heavy river bottoms or 40-50 in. rainfall think. Do you manage your mineral program differently, say higher sulfer levels or something. Any thoughts would be appreciated.@

Are we talking a "peticure" or a real hatchet job as someone called it....there's a lot of difference between the cow or bull with a man made condition and one with a genetic condition. The genetic condition should be noticable long before any hoofs need trimming....it's more than a hoof....it's a leg from the hoof up. Seldom will a simple trim around the edges effect how an animal carries itself. I don't see it an being anything different than the folks who have rocky ground give credit to the rocks for keeping the hoofs "trimmed".

Audie...exactly !!! Mineral or a lack of mineral effects a cow in many ways. A quick read will tell you what each trace mineral within the entire mineral does for the cow. Cattle in wet climates or being maintained year round on soft damp lowland pasture will have a higher incidence of foot rot, abscesses etc. This is not the fault of the cow and has nothing to do with genetics. It's environmental and/or man made. YOu can't blame the cow...she has no say about her enironment. Accidosis which leads to laminitis and long toes and also causes the cow to walk differently in an attempt to relieve pain and stress is also man made......A cow who that inherites "bad feet and legs" shows it from the time she can stand up after birth with good stability or very shortly thereafter. That is the calf that is terminal.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Audie - try adding extra Iodine in the mineral mix. It is good for footrot.