The first calf of the 2011 season was born at about 11:30 am on 12/9/2010. The bull calf's mother (846) is a six year old cow with a mixed calving history. She calved as a two year old but the calf died two days later, apparently the result of being stepped on. She did not calve in 2008 and was placed in the cull cow pen to be sold. When we shipped cull cows we had several more than made even loads and she was cut back. She had a very nice heifer calf in 2009. That calf was retained as a replacement heifer prospect (photo below) and will calve this spring. She missed again in the spring of 2010 and was bred on the hay grounds before we expected her to calve. (We have foregone preg-testing for the last ten years since about 98% of our cows usually calve, so we assumed she was going to calve in the spring of 2010.) We were guilty of not separating several timid bulls from that group of cows, thinking that the cows were all bred and wouldn't bull again until at least mid-April, after they had calved and were moved out of that field. Those bulls weren't doing well in with the other bulls and were put with that group of cows so they wouldn't get beaten up at the feed bunks every day. I'm curious about how she must have been bulling on the hay grounds and no one noticed. Anyway, we have a problem cow that should have been culled twice by now, who is in the prime of her life, in great condition, and who has a good calf.
She will go into a group of cows that will be preg-tested this fall. I think we will start testing again, but just those cows that, for whatever reason, are recognized as possibly open.
JCE
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