Wildcard

[cowgirl8]

SO I've always said the calving heifers pick cards before they start calving. We use only LBW bulls and shoot for 40 to 50 pound calves.
Card 1 is, "I'll have a 150 pound calf."
2. I dont want my calf
3. I want that heifers calf and not the one coming out my butt
4. The poop calf, calving while laying down and then saying, that aint mine.
5. I want my calf, but wont let my calf nurse
6. The wild card....... I'm going to have trouble calving and make you work hours to only have to take me to the vet where my calf will be dead and i'll hang on for a week and make you take me back to the vet and spend more money, then die. (Luckily, this wild card isnt drawn every year)
Heifers calf was actually dead before birth (we knew this) and a dead calf does not always come out. Head kept rolling back, afterbirth was already shed, inside, we just couldnt get that head to stay straight through all the mess. Vet ended up cutting both sides of her vulva so they could get 2 arms in. All i can say is bless her heart and what a horrible way to die. We kept her dry and comfortable as possible as it can be done with a cow. I dont like this part of the cow business.

 

[Brute 23]

All those are reasons to cull the heifers, their moms, and any thing else related to it. They have one job. Their life depends on the life of that calf. It's a real simple deal.

 

[Travlr]

SO I've always said the calving heifers pick cards before they start calving. We use only LBW bulls and shoot for 40 to 50 pound calves.
Card 1 is, "I'll have a 150 pound calf."
2. I dont want my calf
3. I want that heifers calf and not the one coming out my butt
4. The poop calf, calving while laying down and then saying, that aint mine.
5. I want my calf, but wont let my calf nurse
6. The wild card....... I'm going to have trouble calving and make you work hours to only have to take me to the vet where my calf will be dead and i'll hang on for a week and make you take me back to the vet and spend more money, then die. (Luckily, this wild card isnt drawn every year)
Heifers calf was actually dead before birth (we knew this) and a dead calf does not always come out. Head kept rolling back, afterbirth was already shed, inside, we just couldnt get that head to stay straight through all the mess. Vet ended up cutting both sides of her vulva so they could get 2 arms in. All i can say is bless her heart and what a horrible way to die. We kept her dry and comfortable as possible as it can be done with a cow. I dont like this part of the cow business.

This is why I don't use calving ease, low birth weight bulls for heifers I'll be using as replacements.

And I'd rather buy an older cow, get three calves out of her, and sell her for what I paid... instead of buying or raising a heifer to replace a cow that still has three good calves in her.

 

[cowgirl8]

We've raised all our own replacements for over 45 years. Its worked out for us. I keep on top of the calving heifers, it cuts down on problems. I stave off most problems by removing the ones who've calved. This has taken years of experience of seeing what causes most of them. But they still pull the cards..lol They are right out our back door where i can look at them hundreds of times a day. If you dont have them like that, i can see why one would not have heifers.