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Cows/Cattle/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Breeding Ages | 10/11/2011 | Karin |
| Q: Karin, We have a small grass fed Angus beef herd that includes 7 breeders and a bull. The ages of ... A: First of all, I just would like to say that I hope you are getting your 2-year old heifer bred to a ... | ||
| Heifer cycle age | 9/22/2011 | Karin |
| Q: We have a new group of heifers about 5 months old. We also have a couple of 5 month old bulls in ... A: In most cases most producers like to separate the heifers and bulls at weaning, which would be at ... | ||
| breeding heifers | 9/17/2011 | Eileen DuJardin |
| Q: I have a small beef cattle herd in south Texas and I 7 heifers that I have raised on our ranch and ... A: Thom, Sorry for the delay! I tried to answer this for you the day you sent it, but for some reason ... | ||
| Calf with a spained leg. | 9/9/2011 | Karin |
| Q: I have a 8mth old heifer and I think she spained her back leg because when she stand up, she holds ... A: This sounds like a case that a large animal veterinarian should handle. I honestly wouldn't know if ... | ||
| Cattle Minerals | 8/24/2011 | Steven V. Matthews |
| Q: There are many companies that make cattle minerals and each of them have different blends of ... A: On animal health questions relating to a specific diet additive I would ask your veterinarian. We ... | ||
| milk production | 8/22/2011 | Karin |
| Q: i want to supply the same to dairy i.e. want to statrt the bussines for how may years it will give ... A: I sure can. :) 1) This calls for something referred to as conformation. Selecting an animal with ... | ||
| milk production | 8/18/2011 | Karin |
| Q: i want to supply the same to dairy i.e. want to statrt the bussines for how may years it will give ... A: The amount of milk that a cow will give all depends on the breed. Since there are hundreds of dairy ... | ||
| Pink eye in cattle | 8/17/2011 | Karin |
| Q: Where do cattle get pink eye. I understand if one has it, it is contagious. Can they go ... A: Pink eye can come from several forms and many different pathogens, such as dusty feed, blowing sand ... | ||
| Cattle stocking rates | 8/14/2011 | Karin |
| Q: We have recently bought 23 acres in a semi dry environment in west aust. (water quantity ok) Looks ... A: To give you a short answer: Yes. For example, when cattle are bale or swath-grazed up here in ... | ||
| Young cows | 7/31/2011 | Karin |
| Q: We recently got 3 baby cows. My pappy and mom and dad has cows and my pappy knows a lot abou cows. ... A: I honestly can't think of any other issues that would cause her to have a more prominent navel than ... | ||
| Young cows | 7/30/2011 | Karin |
| Q: We recently got 3 baby cows. My pappy and mom and dad has cows and my pappy knows a lot abou cows. ... A: I would really like to see a picture of the calves or calf in question to tell see what you are ... | ||
| taming a steer | 7/18/2011 | Eileen DuJardin |
| Q: Have a 4-H steer that has us very confused. We can halter him in the pen, lead him around some, ... A: Jeanne, This is a tough one.. especially since the steer has already gotten away from you more than ... | ||
| Breaking a steer | 7/11/2011 | Karin |
| Q: My daughter is in FFA and they just recently went thru the steer selection process for the spring ... A: From the follow-up the situation certainly sounds less alarming than what you initially wrote. I ... | ||
| Breaking a steer | 7/11/2011 | Karin |
| Q: My daughter is in FFA and they just recently went thru the steer selection process for the spring ... A: Wowee! He certainly sounds like quite the handful! Well, you know the very first suggestion that ... | ||
| Calf with broken leg | 7/10/2011 | Karin |
| Q: We have a 3 month old calf with a broken leg, she attempted to jump a gate in the yards and didn't ... A: The thing about calves is that the little buggers just keep growing and growing. When they grow, ... | ||
| butchering older cow | 7/7/2011 | Karin |
| Q: Selling cows due to drought conditions, did preg checks, 2 of 10 not bred. Both are approx 10 yrs ... A: I suspect that both would be good for hamburger. Most people find the meat from older cows, like ... | ||
| bull breeding lifespan | 7/7/2011 | Karin |
| Q: Due to drought conditions in OK, we are selling our 10 cows, calves, and 4.5 yr old registered black ... A: At four and a half years of age he would still deemed productive, especially since he still has ... | ||
| 2 month calf w/ swollen joints and blind | 6/22/2011 | Karin |
| Q: I just received a 2 month old calf from auction with swollen joints on both hind legs and apparent ... A: The bald spots are often the result of fever and dehydration, which causes the hair follicles to ... | ||
| Help with Training a Calf | 6/8/2011 | Karin |
| Q: I have been around cattle all of my life but have never trained a calf to be a "pet" and have no ... A: It sounds like you are doing the right thing with this calf, with habituating her to your touch and ... | ||
| calf | 6/2/2011 | Eileen DuJardin |
| Q: can u feed Super Gain an Equine supplement to calves A: Good morning! I would suggest you not ... although without seeing what the ingredients are in the ... | ||
| baby calf wont eat or nurse | 5/17/2011 | Eileen DuJardin |
| Q: we had a baby calf born on our farm but when she was born the mother wasn't producing milk and had ... A: A new born calf is only going to nurse the cow a few times for a short duration for the first couple ... | ||
| Baby cows | 5/8/2011 | Karin |
| Q: We had recently bought a baby cow that we have to bottle feed. We know you are suppose to feed them ... A: The time you feed them depends on the calf's age. If she's more than a week old, you should be ... | ||
| Eye malady | 4/9/2011 | Karin |
| Q: We have several calves one year old that came down with pink eye. We used the puffer powder ... A: With eye issues such as yours, it could be anything. IBR (Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis) will ... | ||
| bull w/ broken leg | 4/5/2011 | Karin |
| Q: we have a bull about 2 yrs old. found in meadow this am w/ what looks to be a broken hind leg. below ... A: All I can suggest is to butcher him. A bull with a broken leg is only going to be a liability to ... | ||
| New baby calf... please help! | 4/2/2011 | Karin |
| Q: I have this baby calf that is just now 9 days old. I got here when she was two days old. Prior to me ... A: This is quite something here, with a calf that is suffering from high levels of dehydration, ... | ||
| working life of a bull | 3/29/2011 | Karin |
| Q: i have a few cattle and was looking at getting a bull, not really looking to hand out big $$$$ for a ... A: From what I know MG's are one of the most docile breeds out there, next to Herefords and Shorthorns. ... | ||
| working life of a bull | 3/28/2011 | Karin |
| Q: i have a few cattle and was looking at getting a bull, not really looking to hand out big $$$$ for a ... A: Before I give you a simple yes-or-no answer, I just want to give you some advise, or at least some ... | ||
| 2 month old beef calf | 3/9/2011 | Karin |
| Q: We have an 2-3 mo. old beef calf apparently abandoned by it mother. Unfortunately we found it in ... A: The first and foremost kind of advice I would give to anybody with concerns on the health of ... | ||
| eye problem with my cow | 2/27/2011 | Karin |
| Q: how an what do i need to treat this i have 3 other cows n their eyes are good thank-you kelly A: This sounds like Pink-Eye to me, but it could be something else as well, like a premature onset of ... | ||
| RBST Products | 2/26/2011 | Karin |
| Q: I am trying to find a list of Bovine Somatotropin Products (RBST). The only product that I have ... A: I have been looking around for the same thing and the only product I came across was the same one ... | ||
| white eyes | 1/30/2011 | Karin |
| Q: We have had several cows in our herd with one eye turning completely white and there is no drainage ... A: This is a very odd case indeed. I assume you mean that the eye goes completely white by that the ... | ||
| halter training | 1/16/2011 | Karin |
| Q: I have a 2 month old calf.I need to know how to halter brake her(Ring tail). A: There are many different methods to halter break a calf, some better than others. Mostly it depends ... | ||
| strange heifer behavior | 9/9/2010 | Steven V. Matthews |
| Q: I have a 14 month old heifer registered Brangus that I bottle fed since birth. She seems to be the ... A: It's difficult to say since I don't know the total daily routine for the cow but at first thought ... | ||
| what grain to feed miniture zebu | 8/28/2010 | Steven V. Matthews |
| Q: I just purchased a 16 month old zebu bull. I have coastal hay out for him, but do not know what type ... A: If the animal is active all day or stressed with other animals it would need probably less than two ... | ||
| Stillborn calf | 7/29/2010 | Steven V. Matthews |
| Q: What after care is recommended for the cow who birthed a stillborn calf. A: If she is to be milked then the milking schedule should be started. This will help the clean out ... | ||
| heifer miscarry | 7/27/2010 | Steven V. Matthews |
| Q: I have a heifer that lost her first calf yesterday, she was exactly 2 MOS early. I checked her this ... A: I know ours sometimes take a week to clean out totally. If it's a milking heifer then milking on a ... | ||
| cattle feed | 7/12/2010 | Steven V. Matthews |
| Q: i was grinding feed this weekend for my cattle and my cell phone fell into the grinder after having ... A: I know its bad to ingest those things but I don't think they would be such a problem in miniscule ... | ||
| Increasing milk quality | 7/11/2010 | Steven V. Matthews |
| Q: I have been continuing a science fair project that i have been working on for three years. My ... A: Your results sounded interesting and some of it above my experience level. When I read something ... | ||
| beef cow behavior | 6/8/2010 | Steven V. Matthews |
| Q: Due to unforseen circumstances I have been helping with my brothers' cow/calf operation with the ... A: These appear to just be the hazards and results of having tame cows. You can try carrying a rake or ... | ||
| bottle calves | 6/2/2010 | Steven V. Matthews |
| Q: my husband got 2 calves from an auction close to 1mo ago, there guernsey dairy bull calves, which we ... A: Sorry, the milk is stopped anyway about 8 weeks. They continue to get about one pound of grain per ... | ||
Karin
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Knowledge about almost everything to do with beef and dairy cattle. Strong points include breeding/calving/weaning, breeds, feeding, starting-up, pasture/range, most physiological questions, and genetics. PLEASE use your large animal veterinarian as a primary source of information if you have any health-related, life-or-death concerns about your animals.
Experience
I raised stocker steers with farm family, helping with feeding, handling, checking for sick and injured calves, identifying bull calves, pasture management, etc. I also worked at local veterinary clinic with dogs, cats, horses and cattle. Cattle include breeding soundness exams on bulls, castration, fixing prolapses, preg-checking, C-sections, calf pulling, vaccinations, etc.
Education/Credentials
Four years BSc of Agriculture majoring in Animal Science at the U of Alberta, specializing in cattle, animal health and behaviour, forages, pasture & range management, and genetics.
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