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Post by angusrancher on Jan 25, 2020 17:48:44 GMT -6
That sucks tcranch. Especially when it's apparent that you take such good care of them. Sorry it happened.
It's not uncommon to occasionally have one lay down in a depression they can't get out of and bloat and die, but obviously that's not the case here.
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Post by tcranch on Jan 26, 2020 7:27:55 GMT -6
That sucks tcranch. Especially when it's apparent that you take such good care of them. Sorry it happened. It's not uncommon to occasionally have one lay down in a depression they can't get out of and bloat and die, but obviously that's not the case here. Thanks. It occurred to me we allowed a couple guys coyote hunting yesterday morning (they got one) and while unlikely, they were about .75 mile from that pasture as the crow flies. Checked her for any signs of gunshot and there simply isn't a mark on her (plus I'm assuming I would have seen blood). Gloved up to check for feet even though it didn't appear she was aborting and felt nothing. But her brisket was pretty swollen. She was a big girl for a 2 year old but is it possible an otherwise healthy heifer had heart failure? She was about 50 yards from the herd. Obviously I'll never know unless I have her posted but not going that route unless I suddenly lose another. |
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Post by highgrit on Jan 26, 2020 8:02:51 GMT -6
That sucks.
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Post by angusrancher on Jan 26, 2020 8:20:37 GMT -6
That sucks tcranch. Especially when it's apparent that you take such good care of them. Sorry it happened. It's not uncommon to occasionally have one lay down in a depression they can't get out of and bloat and die, but obviously that's not the case here. Thanks. It occurred to me we allowed a couple guys coyote hunting yesterday morning (they got one) and while unlikely, they were about .75 mile from that pasture as the crow flies. Checked her for any signs of gunshot and there simply isn't a mark on her (plus I'm assuming I would have seen blood). Gloved up to check for feet even though it didn't appear she was aborting and felt nothing. But her brisket was pretty swollen. She was a big girl for a 2 year old but is it possible an otherwise healthy heifer had heart failure? She was about 50 yards from the herd. Obviously I'll never know unless I have her posted but not going that route unless I suddenly lose another. Have you had any experience with Brisket Disease, or high altitude disease? We're not high altitude, but had a few cases of that each year when we were feeding distillers grain. That's a whole 'other can of worms, though. They usually give some other clues besides the swollen brisket, but it could be some sort of pulmonary failure. www.beefmagazine.com/health/0801-brisket-disease-cattle www.drovers.com/article/getting-heart-brisket-disease |
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Post by tcranch on Jan 26, 2020 9:22:43 GMT -6
Thanks. It occurred to me we allowed a couple guys coyote hunting yesterday morning (they got one) and while unlikely, they were about .75 mile from that pasture as the crow flies. Checked her for any signs of gunshot and there simply isn't a mark on her (plus I'm assuming I would have seen blood). Gloved up to check for feet even though it didn't appear she was aborting and felt nothing. But her brisket was pretty swollen. She was a big girl for a 2 year old but is it possible an otherwise healthy heifer had heart failure? She was about 50 yards from the herd. Obviously I'll never know unless I have her posted but not going that route unless I suddenly lose another. Have you had any experience with Brisket Disease, or high altitude disease? We're not high altitude, but had a few cases of that each year when we were feeding distillers grain. That's a whole 'other can of worms, though. They usually give some other clues besides the swollen brisket, but it could be some sort of pulmonary failure. www.beefmagazine.com/health/0801-brisket-disease-cattle www.drovers.com/article/getting-heart-brisket-diseaseBrisket disease, no. Hardware, unfortunately yes. All cows, bulls & retained heifers have magnets (even though it's not always metal). Diet is brome bales, whatever prairie they still occasionally graze, 20% protein cubes, 30% tubs, mineral. I currently have 8 cows and 1 retained heifer from that lineage and in 10 years I've treated 1 for a mild case of foot rot so a very healthy lineage. I got nuthin. |
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Post by 76bar on Jan 26, 2020 10:58:01 GMT -6
Sorry you lost her.
I had a similar experience years ago that you might find enlightening. Ranch owner gave permission for a guy to deer hunt. He was explicitly told not to be anywhere near our calving pasture. Found a nice young registered cow laying down away from her herd mates that day. Watched her from a respectable distance thinking she was getting ready to calve. Didn't like the way she was acting and decided to investigate. Got her up and very slowly trailed her into head quarters. She was distressed and having trouble breathing. Put her in the chute and thoroughly examined her to no avail. Just before letting her out I decided to run my hands against the grain of her winter coat and eventually discovered a minute bullet hole behind her shoulder. Not a drop of blood. By then it was obvious she was mortally wounded & I put her out of her misery. Pointless to query the hunter and the culprit could have been a poacher. Food for thought.
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Post by tcranch on Jan 26, 2020 11:42:47 GMT -6
Sorry you lost her. I had a similar experience years ago that you might find enlightening. Ranch owner gave permission for a guy to deer hunt. He was explicitly told not to be anywhere near our calving pasture. Found a nice young registered cow laying down away from her herd mates that day. Watched her from a respectable distance thinking she was getting ready to calve. Didn't like the way she was acting and decided to investigate. Got her up and very slowly trailed her into head quarters. She was distressed and having trouble breathing. Put her in the chute and thoroughly examined her to no avail. Just before letting her out I decided to run my hands against the grain of her winter coat and eventually discovered a minute bullet hole behind her shoulder. Not a drop of blood. By then it was obvious she was mortally wounded & I put her out of her misery. Pointless to query the hunter and the culprit could have been a poacher. Food for thought. Noooooo. Wow. Definitely going back out this afternoon to check - assuming the coyotes haven't gotten to her yet. |
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Post by 76bar on Jan 26, 2020 12:08:44 GMT -6
It was definitely an eye opener to how easily you can overlook a bullet hole. Azz hole poachers often as not cripple a leg and it's obvious. This poor girl took a vital hit and did her damnedest to let us help her. You may never know the cause of the demise of your heifer but don't rule out accidental/intentional gun shot.
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Post by tcranch on Jan 26, 2020 18:20:23 GMT -6
Didn't get a chance to further examine my heifer before dark because the guy interested in buying my heavy breds was here. And talked me out of it. He (and his kids) always help me work the herd so he's very familiar with my operation and I trust him, especially because he buys a lot of heavy bred/culls. We have more than enough hay and pastures need either sprayed or burned but still in good shape. Calve 'em out. Call him if any cow is testy & I need help tagging/working the calf. See where we're at when we work them in May (sell vs keep till weaning) and maybe move the ones/pairs I want to sell to another pasture. Regardless of my culls, plan on weaning earlier this year so I can sell them in Sept before the bad weather hits and all the other Spring calves saturate the market Oct - Dec.
Win-win? Hope so.
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