Finally Lost One
- Bestoutwest
- GURU
- Posts: 2633
- Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2012 2:12 pm
- Location: Idaho
- Has thanked: 49 times
- Been thanked: 19 times
Finally Lost One
It was finally our turn to lose a calf. Ever since we started we have had a rough go at it, but we've kept plugging away. We finally got our "herd" (very, very small) all bred and calved out in a year. Heck, we even brought one in the house and saved it about a month ago! We had one on Easter, and things were going pretty well with her. Whenever I fed in the past couple of days, she had been laying down, but looked alert. I came home yesterday and she was layed out like calves will do, but it didn't look abnormal. I fed and she didn't move, but again, young calves have their own agenda and I chalked it up to her having expended energy earlier and was catching up. In the early evening I saw her dam licking her and pushing her with her horns, like she was trying to get her up. We went out and it had labored breathing something wicked. We went in trying to figure out what to do and went back out about 1/2 hour later and she was dead. What's really getting me is that her poor dam is looking for her and seems to be looking to us for help. I've been out there a couple times and she'll come up to me and moo with a panicked look in her eye. And, it was this cow's final year anyway b/c we're getting out of longhorns completely, so she'll be shipped soon as I can find some burger buyers. Those two things are just really pulling my day down. This sucks.
For the great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. ~Vincent van Gogh
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.-Julius Caesar
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.-Julius Caesar
- Brute 23
- GURU
- Posts: 7562
- Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:59 pm
- Location: South Texas Gulf Coast
- Has thanked: 1 time
- Been thanked: 2 times
Re: Finally Lost One
It always sucks. Had one of our better older cows do the same this year. I hauled her to my heifers. She seems continent. I call her mother goose now.
Why are you selling the cow?
Why are you selling the cow?
Brimmer Pimpin Ain't Easy
"Don't let schooling interfere with your education" - Mark Twain
"Don't let schooling interfere with your education" - Mark Twain
- Bestoutwest
- GURU
- Posts: 2633
- Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2012 2:12 pm
- Location: Idaho
- Has thanked: 49 times
- Been thanked: 19 times
Re: Finally Lost One
Brute 23 wrote:It always sucks. Had one of our better older cows do the same this year. I hauled her to my heifers. She seems continent. I call her mother goose now.
Why are you selling the cow?
We're getting out of LH's. They're just too skinny and not worth it. I'm going to use what I get from her as freezer beef to invest in a heavy bred Angus. I figure if you're going to feed one, you might as well make it worthwhile financially.
For the great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. ~Vincent van Gogh
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.-Julius Caesar
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.-Julius Caesar
- Brute 23
- GURU
- Posts: 7562
- Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:59 pm
- Location: South Texas Gulf Coast
- Has thanked: 1 time
- Been thanked: 2 times
Re: Finally Lost One
Bestoutwest wrote:Brute 23 wrote:It always sucks. Had one of our better older cows do the same this year. I hauled her to my heifers. She seems continent. I call her mother goose now.
Why are you selling the cow?
We're getting out of LH's. They're just too skinny and not worth it. I'm going to use what I get from her as freezer beef to invest in a heavy bred Angus. I figure if you're going to feed one, you might as well make it worthwhile financially.
For sure. That makes sense.
Brimmer Pimpin Ain't Easy
"Don't let schooling interfere with your education" - Mark Twain
"Don't let schooling interfere with your education" - Mark Twain
- True Grit Farms
- GURU
- Posts: 8405
- Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 4:29 pm
- Location: Middle Georgia
- Has thanked: 24 times
- Been thanked: 73 times
Re: Finally Lost One
Bestoutwest wrote:It was finally our turn to lose a calf. Ever since we started we have had a rough go at it, but we've kept plugging away. We finally got our "herd" (very, very small) all bred and calved out in a year. Heck, we even brought one in the house and saved it about a month ago! We had one on Easter, and things were going pretty well with her. Whenever I fed in the past couple of days, she had been laying down, but looked alert. I came home yesterday and she was layed out like calves will do, but it didn't look abnormal. I fed and she didn't move, but again, young calves have their own agenda and I chalked it up to her having expended energy earlier and was catching up. In the early evening I saw her dam licking her and pushing her with her horns, like she was trying to get her up. We went out and it had labored breathing something wicked. We went in trying to figure out what to do and went back out about 1/2 hour later and she was dead. What's really getting me is that her poor dam is looking for her and seems to be looking to us for help. I've been out there a couple times and she'll come up to me and moo with a panicked look in her eye. And, it was this cow's final year anyway b/c we're getting out of longhorns completely, so she'll be shipped soon as I can find some burger buyers. Those two things are just really pulling my day down. This sucks.
This kind of stuff happens, learn from it and move on. Always check if you suspect something or have a feeling. I don't believe in ESP or whatever the weirdos call it, but I follow my gut instincts. About a month ago I saved a pair of twins that the cow was fighting 50+ Mexican buzzards off of, because something told me to check the cows in the middle of the day. I even stopped at the barn and got the shotgun out of the Kubota for some odd reason.
If we'd of know this we'd of picked our own cotton.
- Bestoutwest
- GURU
- Posts: 2633
- Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2012 2:12 pm
- Location: Idaho
- Has thanked: 49 times
- Been thanked: 19 times
Re: Finally Lost One
True Grit Farms wrote:This kind of stuff happens, learn from it and move on. Always check if you suspect something or have a feeling. I don't believe in ESP or whatever the weirdos call it, but I follow my gut instincts. About a month ago I saved a pair of twins that the cow was fighting 50+ Mexican buzzards off of, because something told me to check the cows in the middle of the day. I even stopped at the barn and got the shotgun out of the Kubota for some odd reason.
This is a big learning experience for us. Glad you were able to save your calf.
For the great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. ~Vincent van Gogh
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.-Julius Caesar
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.-Julius Caesar
- True Grit Farms
- GURU
- Posts: 8405
- Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 4:29 pm
- Location: Middle Georgia
- Has thanked: 24 times
- Been thanked: 73 times
Re: Finally Lost One
Bestoutwest wrote:True Grit Farms wrote:This kind of stuff happens, learn from it and move on. Always check if you suspect something or have a feeling. I don't believe in ESP or whatever the weirdos call it, but I follow my gut instincts. About a month ago I saved a pair of twins that the cow was fighting 50+ Mexican buzzards off of, because something told me to check the cows in the middle of the day. I even stopped at the barn and got the shotgun out of the Kubota for some odd reason.
This is a big learning experience for us. Glad you were able to save your calf.
If we'd of know this we'd of picked our own cotton.
- Bright Raven
- GURU
- Posts: 8544
- Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:57 pm
- Location: Kentucky
- Has thanked: 97 times
- Been thanked: 73 times
- snoopdog
- Rancher
- Posts: 916
- Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2017 5:16 am
- Location: ne oklahoma
- Has thanked: 11 times
- Been thanked: 3 times
Re: Finally Lost One
Dang , it just sucks every time . It's a part of it though , and it makes us thankful for the others I think .
Being poor is the most expensive thing there is
- Workinonit Farm
- GURU
- Posts: 7093
- Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 4:34 pm
- Location: Ctrl Virginia
- Has thanked: 39 times
- Been thanked: 9 times
Re: Finally Lost One
Sorry this happened. It sucks every time.
Live each day as if it were your last.
-
- Rancher
- Posts: 654
- Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2017 2:26 pm
- Location: Near the Mason Dixon line
- Has thanked: 1 time
Re: Finally Lost One
Worst part of the job by far. Could do without it, but no risk of calves dying means no calves at all, which kind of defeats the purpose.