Change of plans

rrlund · May 7, 2015

I think I'd get more field work done if I had a 40 hour a week job instead of cattle. There was a cow looking rough this morning. I called the vet just after 8. I changed the shovels on the chisel plow and a few other odds and ends until she got here at 11. Had quite a time with the cow,that's a whole 'nuther story,but the vet said no fever,but you'd do best to just load her up and get her out of here ASAP. It's rail cow Thursday,so we had her in the trailer by noon and headed for the stockyard. Got home a little after two,got to the field just before 2:30. Chisel plowed until just before 5:30. Went out to check cattle after supper,a new calf to tag,a board knocked off a fence,I'm supplementing two calves from heifers with a bottle a little bit until I get them on good pasture so they come up on their milk. Got them fed,it's almost 7,I quit.
Tomorrow's another day I guess.

notjustair · May 7, 2015

Must be in the air. I had four more cows to move to summer pasture Sunday. I loaded them, got them there and unloaded, and then saw one of the older cows was having bloody loose poop. Black like a problem upstream. She had been getting thin. Loaded her back up and she went to the sale for the Monday sale. A kill cow is better than a treated cow that still dies. It was the end of an era. She was the last crazy one left. Raised a beautiful calf, but they were crazy, too.

rrlund · May 7, 2015

This old snake put the vet right over the gate. I didn't think she had a whole lot of life in her,but as soon as she dropped a rope over her ears and tried to get the loop around her nose,she charged.

Only good thing about the whole deal,she calved Saturday,just about a half hour after another one and laid right beside the other one. Both calves are sucking the other cow and she's OK with it just as if they were twins.
The old gal had mastitis and her udder was splitting right open. Not much you can do at that point.

Brown Swiss · May 7, 2015

Problems with cows, start milking again and then remember why you quit! LOL I could tell you many horror stories.

rrlund · May 7, 2015

No need. I lived it every day. I can laugh about it now.

Lazy WP · May 7, 2015

That is why I would just as soon doctor one out in the pasture with my horse. I can lay one down with a horse and no one get to excited or stressed. Took lots of years to learn how to do it all quiet like, but once it clicked, I feel its safer. I have a good friend who broke her hip BAD by trying to get a "gentle"cow in to pull a breech calf. Give me room and a good horse, and long rope any day.

rrlund · May 7, 2015

I had no illusions that this one was quiet,I just thought she was in worse shape than that and didn't have any energy left. I got her in the corral last night and loaded her in the trailer all alone then put her in a pen in the barn. I guess she was feeling better and was wondering where her calf was or something because that's just what she was acting like,a cow trying to protect her calf.
I was as startled as the vet was when she took in after her.

Bob Harvey · May 7, 2015

Easy peasy. Hire a couple of youths - if you can find any that aren't glued to their cell phones or 'texting', NOT likely - 4H club ? Best.

Dick2 · May 8, 2015

Nephew hauled 80 cow/calf pairs to summer pasture yesterday; still has about 45 at the home farm to move. Had to vets out to do all the vaccinations; he said that last year it cost him $740 to vaccinate all the calves; this year the bill was $1,080, but he does have about 25 more calves this year.

Very dry in his area. Wheat is planted and the seeder is ready to plant soybeans next. He'll plant corn last, as it all goes for silage.

Donald Lehman · May 8, 2015

Ain't it amazing how a cow that looks like she's on deaths door can suddenly find the energy to grind you into a grease spot when you try to help them? Don't know whose crazier, the cows or knotheads like us who own them? Lol!!!! Helped the boy move some cows around yesterday. two of the four backed out of their stalls, walked down the barn into the new stalls pretty as you please. The other two...................................

All I can say for that one fool is: It's a good thing she gives 100+ pounds a day. (chuckle)

formenwhogrow · May 8, 2015

It never ends. I had one drop a calf, a nice healthy looking bull calf, it was up suckling so naturally I walked away. This is a sign that all is good, 99% of the time. I come back out to the pasture 2 hrs later, calf was dead as a doornail. What the heck happened? Who knows. I rarely lose calves and haven't had a sick cow or calf in years. Enough to make a grown man cry.

K Effective · May 8, 2015

Listening to you guys with cow stories makes me so glad Grandpa quit milking and started buying feeders way back when. Of course, when my guy tells me that the next batch will cost me 82 cents per pound more than last year, I start to dream about cow/calf pairs...

Change of plans

rrlund

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notjustair

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rrlund

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Brown Swiss

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rrlund

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Lazy WP

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rrlund

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Bob Harvey

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Dick2

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Donald Lehman

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formenwhogrow

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K Effective

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