How is your calving going?

[ALLFARMER]

We are doing ok here, were at 68 - 5 - 17 to go
out of 90 heifers. 1 mother smothered, 1 the cow
hip locked him, 1 born very cold night never
recovered, 1 to big an from the wrong bull
(shipped) 1 born in a mud hole that makes 5.
Have 68 runners!

No twins, all cows easy going guess bad habits
come later in life for cows.

[gcreekrch]

If we hadn't bought another 2 loads of heifers we would have been 85% done in 30 days on the females bred here.

Other peoples ideas of heavy heifers are slightly different than mine. I guess that sometimes happens when you don't sort them yourself. Should be done by mid June now instead of late May.
4 sets of live twins and only 3 dry cows to date, I have seen one year better and 25 a lot worse.

[per]

Just a few left. Most pleasurable calving season ever for me. No major problems and enough twins to mitigate the usual maladies.

[smcgrath76]

We started about 3 days ago. We go out
and count a couple of times a day so the
kids can look at calves, and I try to
write down cow tags. Other than that, we
are doing well. I have a couple more
young cows open than I had hoped but I am
pretty sure it relates to the winter of
2010-11.

[grassfarmer]

Can't complain here - we'll be done the first cycle on
Saturday and will be over 70% calved out by then.
Only had one set of twins where we had 7 last year.
Only had one assist for anything so far - a heifer
malpresentation that I finished up getting the vet to.
Coming with two feet and head right there but not as
much leg out as I wanted to get chains on. The vet
finally pulled the head out further first with a wire
then the legs came. Jacked it out - it was tight but
not serious. The heifer couldn't get up till the next
morning as she did the splits in a muddy spot so she
stayed outside - the calf went straight in the barn
where it was warm. Next day say the calf still couldn't
get up - the back legs below the knees and the fronts
below the ankles were stone cold like they were dead.
Went to put it down after a couple of days but noticed
the legs were warming up again but were swollen and
the skin was really tight so I persevered and they
returned pretty much to normal. Now he can stand
and get about, suckles the cow fine but the muscle on
one back leg still doesn't work right. Don't know if
he'll always be a cripple or if he'll come right with
time. Maybe I should have put him down but I hate to
give up on things that are trying really hard to
survive. I wonder if it was maybe nerve damage from
the calving? Any opinions?

[forage]

Finished up yesterday,still running over 104%. Lost one to god knows what, born dead .I assume the cord broke before it had a chance to get out , the second one died at 4 days unknown cause. Had 6 sets of twins that all survived and spliced on to the 2 cows that lost their calves.Turning out all of them to banked prairie wool grass today as soon as it quites raining.Good luck to everyone else, glad its over for me this year.
Then it is back to shift work for 10 days at Ft. Mac. on Monday. One more year of this BS and I well be even at the bank and no mortage until the next land deal comes along I suppose.