What would you do

[Santas and Duhram Reds]

have a 2nd calf cow that has started robbing calves. She is due to calve in about a month. Do I ship her now, ship her when the calf is a month old as a pair, or ship her when the calf is several months old as a 3 in 1? She is a nice young cow and I hate to lose her, especially since I've invested the time I have in her and she has her whole life ahead of her, but that's the way it is.

 

[dun]

How long can you keep her separated from any other cows calves. Once she calves, unless she's a Gert, she will in all likelyhood stop.

 

[rockridgecattle]

I know that from experience once a stealer always a stealer. Keep her separate from the pregnant cows for fear of loosing the colostrum. Keep separate from the cow/calves. Ship her out at weaning

It takes 5 weeks to build up the colostrum, and if she gets it, it is something that can not be replaced by the cow that was sucked on. It's a one time a year deal.
It will hurt your wean weights, thus your bottom line
It will hurt your breed back because of the extra stress on the herd

bottom line is what it is all about

 

[dun]

I may have misinterpreted. I thought you meant stealing calves for herself. If she is sucking the other cows, send her down the road

 

[rockridgecattle]

maybe i mis interpretted sorry.


Some clarity please!

 

[Workinonit Farm]

I thought you meant stealing calves for herself.

That's how I took it.

I had a Jersey that would 'try' to steal calves before she gave birth to hers. I solved the problem by seeing to it that she was bred a month/cycle prior to the rest of the herd. Once she had her own calf she wouldn't try to steal any others.

This solution worked twofold, #1 it gave me the opportunity to stock up on colostrum for the freezer, and #2 it stopped the attempts at stealing calves. She was always easy to graft calves onto.

Katherine

 

[msscamp]

have a 2nd calf cow that has started robbing calves. She is due to calve in about a month. Do I ship her now, ship her when the calf is a month old as a pair, or ship her when the calf is several months old as a 3 in 1? She is a nice young cow and I hate to lose her, especially since I've invested the time I have in her and she has her whole life ahead of her, but that's the way it is.

If you have the facilities to seperate her from the rest of cows and calves for a month prior to her calving, and are willing to put in the extra effort that this will require, I see no reason to ship her at all. We had a cow that, when she was ready to calve, would steal the latest calf that had been born. We just watched her, seperated her from the herd, and she had no interest in the other calves once her calf was born. It looks to me like this a judgement call on your part.

 

[Santas and Duhram Reds]

I meant robbing the milk. I know she needs to go b/c she will in all reality probably never stop. At what point is the quetion.

Dun, the latest issue of the gert mag has some calves from the Jefe line.

 

[Joy of Texas]

If you have a pen or something to keep her in . That's what I would do. Sell her as a pair. The prices down here has started going up since it rained. But if you can not separate her ship her out. Your new calves will suffer from not enough colostrum.

 

[JR Cattle Co.]

Ship her.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

I meant robbing the milk. I know she needs to go b/c she will in all reality probably never stop.

:nod: :nod:
She needs to hit the road.

Katherine

 

[msscamp]

I meant robbing the milk. I know she needs to go b/c she will in all reality probably never stop. At what point is the quetion.

That is a whole other issue. You're right, she won't. I don't have the facilities(time, inclination, etc.) to seperate her and her calf long enough for her to raise it so, if she were mine, she and her calf would be at the next sale.

 

[rockridgecattle]

MssCamp,

I love your signature!

 

[msscamp]

MssCamp,

I love your signature!

Thank you!