Holy Crap!!!!!!!!!
 

Well, this is my second year of raising a few head of cattle (all heifers) for beef. I like to buy in March or April, and raise on my pasture then butcher in November so I don't have to keep them over the winter. I bought 4 heifers this spring (early April). When I bought them, I was told they were between 6 and 8 month old. Well yesterday i got a call from my wife that we had a calf in with our cows and she was pretty sure it was from one of ours. I told her there was no way since they were so young when we bought them, couldn't be. She sent me a pic, and the pic made it look a little bigger than it actually was, so I told her it must have wondered in with ours. Then she sent me a pic of some of the afterbirth still hanging out of one of our cows...so it is ours. When I got home, it is no doubt from one of our cows. Mom and calf look good, and calf is sucking on mom just fine. Although it is neat to see, it is something we were un-prepared for, thus, I need you guys help. I want to raise it as natural as possible, with as little intervention as possible. Can you guys tell me what i need to watch for, anything I need to do now? Looks like a bull calf, when should I steer it? How long will it stay on mom? The economical problem I have now is I had the cow sold in the fall, now of which I can't do, so how long will it take mom to recoup lost weight to be butchered, or should it just become a hamburg cow? Holy crap I wasn't ready for this...now we are questioning if any of the others are pregnant. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give...and I will post pics of the calf shortly.

Thanks.

here are some pics:

http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...00819-1615.jpg

http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...00819-1614.jpg

what is the easiest way to preg check my other heifers?

If you have a catch chute and know how to bump these heifers, you should be able to bump a calf if they are very far along. The vet is probably your best bet. You are very fortunate that a young heifer like that was able to have the calf. He looks like a cutie. If you want to sell the heifer in the fall, advertise the calf and sell it. Dry off the heifer and let her gain her weight back.

My chute is made for more loading then anything, although I think I can modify for feeling, problem is I have no idea how to bump them, not a clue. Wasn't planning on calving anything, or testing, just wanted some freezer beef. I guess on the good side I saved about $300 compared to what I would have spent on a known bred heifer.

Awe.... so cute!
Funny how nature works ....

I would advise having a vet preg check the others, and ask him how old he thinks they are. I think you were misled as to age when you bought them. 6-8 mo in april and calving now would mean bred at 2-4 months old. Not very likely. you really need to know if anymore are bred and how close to calving they are, because it is very easy to lose small heiffers due to calving dificulties.
As for the bull calf, you could steer him anytime, you might want the vet to do it when he preg checks the other heiffers.

I agree with KS, the heifers you bought were not 5 to 6 months of age. They'd be more like around 2 years of age. A heifer that was bred too early often has lots of trouble calving out calf, let a lone a bull calf. Perhaps you can share some pictures of them with us so we can help you clarify that they're much older than you think?

I agree with having them preg-checked, just to be sure, as you probably did end up with a few bred heifers instead of weanling heifers. I find rectal palpation more reliable than bumping them. JMHO.

I totally agree with Karin on this. I've been in the cow business all my life (68) and never did figure out that "bumping" thing. Never knew a cowman around here to do it either.

ksfarmer, I think bumping calves may be more a dairy farmer thing, as we are around our cows everyday. You normally can only bump calves the last three months, maybe four. I let my dry cows in the barn along with milking cows, and it is kinda neat to be milking a cow and the dry cow next to her, her calf kicks you in the back side when you lean up against her. I to think these calves were older than you thought when you bought them. Get them vet checked to make sure they all aren`t bred. >Thanks Marc

Think you are right. These ol range cows, if you get one in the chute, probably the only thing getting "bumped" is me. LOL :hysterical:

I have seen feedlot heifers, that were not supposed to be bred ,calve as young as 15 months. And usually they are bull calves for some reason. While some have problems many do not. The calves tend to be quite small and grow really good once they are on the ground. Our salebarn usually has 2 or 3 at each sale that are just this.
People sometimes just don't realize that heifers can start cycling a around 6 months and don't get them separated soon enough.

When I lived in MT we would get 1200 head of thin yearlings every spring to run on grass on a custom basis for a feedlot in KS.

One year we got spayed heifers. One of them had a calf. Can't remember the date but it was a tiny bull calf and when we shipped in October the calf was around 250 lbs.

Yeah and that all depends on what kind of bull they were bred to. If the bull they were accidently bred to was a calving ease bull then so much the better. But if not...:grit: :grumble:

The very best, most reliable pregnancy test is the BioPRYN test. It's a blood test, done with blood drawn from the underside of the tail.

Anyone who has handled cows can learn to draw blood from under the tail. It's quick and easy.

The test is cheap and quick. Order a kit, draw the blood, mail it away and get the results back by email.

Genebo
Paradise Farm

HHHHMMMM, a question no one else asked is. What does these"heifers" look like you bought? Going by the bull calf pic. I think someone duped you. I think you go some dexter beef cattle. Small dexters would be about the size of good heavy yearling beef heifers.

Yeah the bumping thing is more of a dairy use. Some times if every thing is setting just right you can bump as early as 5 months. 6 months is easy.
Bob

I was wondering about that myself, if they ARE Dexters they are great for meat especially for smaller pastures.... can be pricey in some areas...

The one I saw was a mini too. about 50-60 pounds, not dwarfish, proportional, and I know it wasn't a dexter. I think that heifers that breed extraordinarily early have proportional calves.

It may be a good test, but I doubt if it's faster than rectal palpation. By mail I assume you mean by "snail" mail; in that case it's most likely you'll know by the next day. And how much does it cost to get a blood test done and sent away?

The initial "kit" 10 vacutainers, needle holder, bleeding needles and instructions, costs $15.00. Testing the blood samples for cattle is $2.40 per. The samples are mailable via USPS and don't have to be packed in ice. BioPRYN is located in Moscow, Idaho but have other labs where samples can be sent, including one in Illinois. Very easy to do and very accurate if instructions are followed, and a lot cheaper than a vet farm call.

www.biotracking@biotracking.com
Telephone 208-882-9736

PS: Whether it's faster or not may depend upon your vet's schedule.

We never used the blood test. What all can it tell you? A experienced vet or tech can tell you how many months along a cow is (although sometimes this can be off a month or two). Does the blood test do this too?

Unfortunately up here in Canada it's nothing to do with the vet's schedule, but how long it takes to ship the samples to a certified lab. The closest lab for blood testing is Lethbridge, Alberta, which is over 600 miles south of us. And that's the only place where the BioPRYN affiliation BioCHEK is located in Canada. There's another blood-testing company called Conception in Canada but it's only based in Quebec. So for me it's nothing to do with the vet's schedule, but how long it takes to ship the samples down there.

But thanks for the info anyway. At least you folks down in the States have more of a wider range of choice of how to preg-check your livestock than most of us farmers/ranchers do up here in Canada. Not that I'm jealous or anything. :)

There are classes for learning how to palpate a cow. The cost of a class would probably be about the price of one vet call.

Not to mention a class of learning how to palpate a cow means the ability to palpate your own cows without having to pay a vet to come out and do it for you. One class of learning to do RP = free preg checking as done by you for every cow every single year.

How do you find these classes?
I'd love to go to one.
Thanks,Chris

Thanks all for your reply's. I do not think there is any dexter in it, he has mostly herefords with a few limousine and and a couple long horns. They guy I buy from is an old timer that doesn't really track much in way of his heard. He lets them do what they want when they want. Only separates the cattle when he sells them. He has over a 100 cattle so there we no way he would have known when he sold it, or I am sure he would have asked more for it. My biggest issue is I was not expecting any calves or ready for them. I guess it is not a big deal, that just means i have to keep a few over winter.

I've heard from a colleague that semen companies like Genex, Semex or any of those host classes for producers who wish to learn how to preg-check and AI cattle. The woman I talked to who has the certification for being an AI tech got hers at one of these companies, and she says the cost of the two or three-day course pays for itself when you don't have to rely on paying for a vet to do the AIing or preg-checking for you. I'm not sure what the cost is, nor how long the program is (I think she told me but now I can't remember), but it's something worth checking out. There may be some ag colleges that have classes for people wishing to learn how to AI and preg-check as well; here in Alberta the Lakeland College in Vermillion hosts a two-day class for learning how to AI livestock once a year. But I don't think you would qualify as a certified tech; only if you go through the companies that sell semen would.

FWIW.

Agree. Just knowing pregnant or not from a blood test doesn't help much in planning. Alot of difference between 2 months pregnant and 8 months pregnant. Though rectal I believe you can't feel them before 40 some days, and slight risk of causing loss of early fetus, which might not be bad in this case.

The the thing is, risk increases if you don't know what you're doing.

You are probably right. If you don't know what you are doing , maybe you shouldn't be doing it.:shrug:

Thanks Karin. We don't have an ag college around but I'm going to ask around and see if I can find some. I only have a few cows but if it's not too much it would be great to learn.
Thanks,Chris

Your very welcome Chris. :)

KS, the vet I had worked for has said that lots. He's got huge arms, as he's a big man, but never once have I heard of any of his or his clients' cattle that he preg-checked ever aborting their calves simply because a preg-check was done on them. He's real quick and professional about it too, and has been doing it for YEARS. I think the thing that will cause abortion is if the person who is doing it has no prior training went into the wrong hole. I could be wrong, but that's just a hunch.

I asked a Farmer I know and he said that around here The AI companies like COBA give them sometimes and he will lmk when he hears of the next one .
He thought they would be around $50 but I'm sure it's more ,it always is more then what someone tells you LOL, but I'd be happy with $50!
Thanks,Chris

well around here you almost have to give away pregant yearlings, I've seen 1 1/2 yr old 3rd period heifers go dirt cheap. I know I wouldn't buy one on purpose, to much risk involved IMO. but honestly I'll give the farmer the benifet of the doubt and say he probley didn't think she was bred. I've seen heifers go into heat at 4 months old before and the outcome was not favorable (broke back, or die trying to give birth) , I heard plenty of stories like yours though where the outcome came out OK. one problem you may have now is that the growth will be stunted on your cow and she won't grow much if any now.

but hey steer that calf and it should be weaned by the time hay feeding starts and you can either hay it through the winter or sell it for christmas money.

Can your local auction palpater let you go in after him/her so you gain the experience? maby offer lunch or a nomanal $ amount. Its worth the ask, all they can do is say no. I would hang around and watch anyway. I did and the guy caved and let me try it.

Pregchecking is both easier and harder than it sounds. I know, I do it. Sometimes that calf is right there to greet you, the next time you swear that cow has no reproductive organs, even though she's had several calves before. Up here in Canada, I really don't know of too many programs where they really teach you how to pregcheck. I took a really god AI course in Lethbridge, AB a few years ago, and they did teach me how to pregcheck in addition to AI'ing. But, it was a week long course, with a ton of hands on work. I really doubt that most people would be able to learn in much shorter of a time frame. I've pregchecked our own herd over the last 5 years, that is 100+ head a year, and still I have some trouble being sure. After 90 days is the easiest time for me to check.

As far as abortions, they do happen, but I have only ever seen 1 that I could definitely attribute to the pregchecking. It was a yearling, bred heifer, and we found the fetus the next morning. So while they can happen, as long as the pregchecker is being reasonably cautious I wouldn't get too excited over the idea.