Thoughts from the Middle of Nowhere

We Preg-checked the replacement heifers yesterday. I wish I could say it went well but that wouldn't be the case. It is normal for me to have 10-12% dries on my replacement heifers. This time they went, I hate to admit it, 23% dry. Almost twice what is normal. When the vet checked the first one he said, "this isn't a good sign guys, she's dry."

The question now is why were there so many drys? The first thought was trich. The vet has had some experience with this and says he really doesn't think that is the problem for three reasons. A herd being infected with trich for the first time will normally run right around 33% dry and we were well off that figure. Second, if the herd was infected with trich he would expect to find some bred early and almost everything else bred real late with almost none in the middle. He said the pregnant ones were well spread out through the breeding cycle so it just didn't feel like trich. Lastly we used all virgin bulls on these heifers and since the bulls carry the disease from year to year they couldn't have infected the heifers.

Next he said any other disease that could realistically be a problem, bvd, ibr, we vaccinate for and have for years. So he said he would question the bulls. Truthfully I would to. I did use one less bull than I would normally use in a pasture of this size and roughness and then one of the bulls got foot rot that I didn't catch a ways into the breeding season so he didn't work the full season. I would bet this is the problem but I'm just not sure.

The only way to double check this would be to preg check the whole herd after weaning. If there were a disease problem with then heifers it would also more than likely affect the cows so they would come in with a high percentage of drys too. If they don't that would more point towards the bulls situation. I haven't decided yet if I want to preg check the whole herd or not. That's quite a bit of money and work to do something i normally don't do and I'm not sure it is necessary. I will have to think about it and decide.

Damn the bad luck. I hate shit like this.

It is innocence that is full and experience that is empty. It is innocence that wins and experience that loses. Charles Peguy

Well that little dirty job is done. We worked the yearling replacement heifers and had the vet preg check them. Right at ninety percent of the replacements were pregnant. Some people would consider that a little low for yearling replacement heifers but for the way I raise and run them I am happy. It turned out just like I thought it should. Ninety six replacements to calve out come spring. That's too many if it don't get to raining but the weather is a little goofy so I will just have to wait and see.

The ones that were dry plus the bunch of older cows I had cut off are going to market this week sometime. Three trailer loads worth. What a pain, there are too few to justify the expense of a semi but to get them all up to market in good order will take two days of driving back and forth. I'm not looking forward to it.

The new hired hand appears to know his way around a cow at least. I expected as much but it's nice to see confirmation of it.

I need to talk to the buyer but I am leaning towards shipping on the 29th of September. That way my oldest can help me work cows afterwords on the weekend. [sarcasm]She is so thrilled at the prospect[/sarcasm].

It is good to know what a man is, and also what the world takes him for. But you do not understand him until you have learnt how he understands himself. F. H. Bradley