# Stock barn cows?????



## robin4 (Oct 12, 2013)

Just bought 2 bred cows from the stock barn. (Our first cows) Should they already be vaccinated? Should I worm they right away? Is there anyting I need to do to endure their overall health. 

One aged, and due in December. One 3 year old, due in March. They both look a little skinny.

My husband and I know nothing about cows, we are just trying to start building a herd and learn along the way, listening to people and asking questions. Paying cash for everything, and don't have a lot of money.


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

Just bought 2 bred cows from the stock barn. (Our first cows) Should they already be vaccinated? Should I worm they right away? Is there anyting I need to do to endure their overall health.

Please send off for a Johne's test right away. You can vaccinate them, yes. Call up the vet and get recommendations for your area. You can worm them as well, but cattle usually don't have issues with worms like goats. 

One aged, and due in December. One 3 year old, due in March. They both look a little skinny.

Are these dairy origin, or beef origin? This really matters on fat deposits...do you have pics? You must start slow, but feeding alfalfa, corn/oats, and calf manna is a great start. A comfortable hay to begin with would be a 1st crop alfalfa mix, slowly transition to 2nd, or 3rd. You can also feed flakes during feeding grain. Silage or baleage helps as well. 

My husband and I know nothing about cows, we are just trying to start building a herd and learn along the way, listening to people and asking questions. Paying cash for everything, and don't have a lot of money.

I would go for the oomph and buy a couple ton of corn silage.


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

Good for you guys!!! We have just started with cattle too.. We have a young steer, young bull and an older cow. These are for meat/breeding. We are really enjoying them...and trying not to make too many/too serious mistakes!


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

I would get them vaccinated, usually cows at the sale barn aren't vaccinated. You want to make sure you get a killed vaccine and not the modified live. Ask you vet what vaccines would be best to give them, cows should be vaccinated for lepto and the respiratory diseases as well as blackleg and tetanus. I would worm them too, you can use either the pour-on or the injectable (both given the way they are labeled to be given). 

If they are a little thin and your area has a lot of grass right now, I would be worried about Johnes. It is pretty common in cattle. Do they have diahrrea? Cows are usually looser than goats, but it shouldn't be watery. If you have the cows for awhile and don't notice a gain in weight I would have them tested. If you do go to buy more cows, try not to buy any that are less than about 5 months bred, if the cows are at least this far along you can be pretty safe that they do not have trich, or were not bred by a bull that had trich. Trichomoniasis is an STD in cattle that can cause abortions early in pregnancy, cows can clear the disease but bulls are infected for life.

Do you have any pictures of them?


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

If they are beef cows they should stay fat on grass. You can feed cubes in the winter, but beef cows should really take care of themselves.


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## LiptrapLivestock (Oct 16, 2013)

ptgoats45 said:


> If they are beef cows they should stay fat on grass. You can feed cubes in the winter, but beef cows should really take care of themselves.


Thats is for sure. I would vaccinate them, worm them and kick em out. Feeding beef cattle grain on a regular basis cuts your profit margin greatly. Feed any hay you want for the winter but a good worming and some groceries (grass/hay) is all they need. Just like in goats feeding high protein feed this far in gestation grows the calve rapidly, sometime too big.

Caleb, Liptrap Livestock


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## robin4 (Oct 12, 2013)

LiptrapLivestock said:


> Thats is for sure. I would vaccinate them, worm them and kick em out. Feeding beef cattle grain on a regular basis cuts your profit margin greatly. Feed any hay you want for the winter but a good worming and some groceries (grass/hay) is all they need. Just like in goats feeding high protein feed this far in gestation grows the calve rapidly, sometime too big.
> 
> Caleb, Liptrap Livestock


Shouldn't they already be vaccinated? After all, they did come from someone's farm...to the stock barn.


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## BrokenArrowRanch (Jun 6, 2013)

You should have asked if they were vaccinated. If there is any doubt vaccinate them. Not all owners are responsible and vaccinate their animals.. Id vaccinate, deworm and kick them out on pasture.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Yes worm them!!!! We have made major money on just simply buying wormy cows them worming them and turn them out to eat. Not only that if they were just hungry not wormy to start with the moving around stresses them out and the worms can take over. 
As for vac. I say it depends on what you choose to do. We never did till the owners son of land we were renting decided he should be able to have cattle as well and they all dropped like flies because the place he bought them from is known for sickness. We now vac. With triangle10. IMO cattle is way more easy to take care of then goats. They are not as pron to things like over eating and such. Right now I would just make sure you worm them and they are getting enough to eat especially with the one being so close to her due date.


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## robin4 (Oct 12, 2013)

BrokenArrowRanch said:


> You should have asked if they were vaccinated. If there is any doubt vaccinate them. Not all owners are responsible and vaccinate their animals.. Id vaccinate, deworm and kick them out on pasture.


 It's an auction. You can stop the auction and ask if the cow has been vaccinated. Everything happends so fast.


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## robin4 (Oct 12, 2013)

Jessica84 said:


> Yes worm them!!!! We have made major money on just simply buying wormy cows them worming them and turn them out to eat. Not only that if they were just hungry not wormy to start with the moving around stresses them out and the worms can take over.
> As for vac. I say it depends on what you choose to do. We never did till the owners son of land we were renting decided he should be able to have cattle as well and they all dropped like flies because the place he bought them from is known for sickness. We now vac. With triangle10. IMO cattle is way more easy to take care of then goats. They are not as pron to things like over eating and such. Right now I would just make sure you worm them and they are getting enough to eat especially with the one being so close to her due date.


 What is a safe worm medicine to give a pregnant cow?


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

Anything you get from any kind of auction, wise bet to quarantine from other animals of the same species at least, not an issue for you since these are you first cows, and treat as if they have never been treated for anything. Because honestly most likely they haven't, especially if they were cheap and thin. I would vaccinate them, worm them, and turn them out on pasture with free choice good quality hay, a salt block, lots of fresh water, and some sort of shelter to get in or under.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

We use ivermectin or a generic brand....same thing just cheaper. 
Not everything that comes from a sale yard is a walking problem. Most of our cattle as well as a good chunk of my goats have come from the sale yard. The key is to understand that every animal is there for a reason even for money and you just need to look for anything that might be wrong. People and farmers are having a hard time with money. I know we are having a hard time with lack of rain and hay prices and we are selling very decent cattle to be able to feed the rest. Just keep a eye on them because let's face it yes they might be sickly but they also have a chance of just simply needing food.


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## LiptrapLivestock (Oct 16, 2013)

I 2nd all Jessica said. Sale barn livestock get a bad rep but plenty are perfectly good. Many times it is lack of knowledge on the sellers part. With some common sense and tlc plenty of yard bought livestock can thrive and make you money.

Caleb, Liptrap Livestock


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## LiptrapLivestock (Oct 16, 2013)

I 2nd all Jessica said. Sale barn livestock get a bad rep but plenty are perfectly good. Many times it is lack of knowledge on the sellers part. With some common sense and tlc plenty of yard bought livestock can thrive and make you money.

Caleb, Liptrap Livestock


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Never a good idea to buy at a general livestock auction. Just about anything bad a cow can get can be passed onto goats. Quarantine and do full spectrum tests but as mentioned, mainly johnes.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

NubianFan said:


> ...some sort of shelter to get in or under.


Cows don't need shelter - trust me on this. My family has raised cows for 50+ years, and they were never provided with shelter.


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

LiptrapLivestock said:


> I 2nd all Jessica said. Sale barn livestock get a bad rep but plenty are perfectly good. Many times it is lack of knowledge on the sellers part. With some common sense and tlc plenty of yard bought livestock can thrive and make you money.
> 
> Caleb, Liptrap Livestock


I agree 100%.


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

I disagree with the previous...disease and illness are broad spectrum in the auctions. Yes, it is true that there are great outcomes with auction houses but more bad than good. I agree with providing a shelter, especially if they're slightly I thin or the hair hasn't come in thick yet. You don't know their history. In my perspective I would rather pay to vaccinate again, even if they'd or everything once already, instead of not knowing. This would be a high priority if I had others especially. 

On another note-how are their feet?


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## robin4 (Oct 12, 2013)

mjs500doo said:


> I disagree with the previous...disease and illness are broad spectrum in the auctions. Yes, it is true that there are great outcomes with auction houses but more bad than good. I agree with providing a shelter, especially if they're slightly I thin or the hair hasn't come in thick yet. You don't know their history. In my perspective I would rather pay to vaccinate again, even if they'd or everything once already, instead of not knowing. This would be a high priority if I had others especially.
> 
> On another note-how are their feet?


 I haven't noticed anything unusual with their feet. To my knowledge, vaccinations are to keep an animal from getting the disease. What if the animal, by chance, already has it. What can vaccinating do for the animal?


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## 8566 (Jul 18, 2012)

before the droughts here in Colorado - we bought heifers at the auctions to work our horses. 

I don't have stocks to treat them - so the vet at the auction house would give the meds I wanted. I always had them treated before coming home.

Just a thought for next time you are at the auction house. They should have a vet on hand.


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## robin4 (Oct 12, 2013)

LilBleatsFarm said:


> before the droughts here in Colorado - we bought heifers at the auctions to work our horses.
> 
> I don't have stocks to treat them - so the vet at the auction house would give the meds I wanted. I always had them treated before coming home.
> 
> Just a thought for next time you are at the auction house. They should have a vet on hand.


 Great idea!! Thanks


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

Like Johne's for example...does nothing for the animal after they contract the disease.


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

I didn't mean my post to sound like everything from an auction is junk. I meant it is buyer beware. You don't know what treatments they had so it is best to assume they didn't. Unless you got lucky and got to talk to the former owner or it was disclosed in the auction. 
Also we always had a barn for our cattle but they rarely used it in the winter they were more likely to hide from the flies in it during summer. But what I like to see bare minimum is a stand of trees for them to get in and hide. They use that a lot to block wind and rain, and sun for that matter. Sure they can survive without it, but I really like for them to at least have a stand of trees for shelter.


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

So they have lumps on their brisket my chance? Like an old abscess looking thing that never went away?


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## robin4 (Oct 12, 2013)

So here they are...My first 2 stock barn cows. They weigh about 1050 lbs. each. Can anyone tell what breed they are?


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## robin4 (Oct 12, 2013)

NubianFan said:


> Anything you get from any kind of auction, wise bet to quarantine from other animals of the same species at least, not an issue for you since these are you first cows, and treat as if they have never been treated for anything. Because honestly most likely they haven't, especially if they were cheap and thin. I would vaccinate them, worm them, and turn them out on pasture with free choice good quality hay, a salt block, lots of fresh water, and some sort of shelter to get in or under.


 They have pasture and a really wooded area too, for shelter.


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

The first looks to be a shorthorn. Nice looking too! The second I would guess angus x dairy. Looks leggy...


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## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

If the first one is a solid greyish creme color she is probably a charolais cross, possibly some shorthorn in there if she is more multi colored. I'm assuming she is the 3 year old, she looks pretty young in her face. The black is most likely an Angus cross. They don't look too bad, a little thin in the hips but otherwise not super thin. They probably had bigger calves still on them that were sucking them down. The black looks like her udder is kind of full in the pic. 

Just as a warning, when they calve be careful getting near the calf. Some cows are downright vicious with a newborn calf. Don't be scared of them, just be cautious and watch the cow for any signs she is going to charge you.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

I agree short horn cross. The white one isn't a bad looking girl at all. For sure worm that black one. She is thin don't get me wrong at all but she's not hunched back and has total life to her eyes so I'm sure once she gets weight on her will be just fine. I agree 100% watch when the do have their calf. Even the most sweet can turn on a dime for their baby. Also since pulling a calf really sucks if you get the chance I would get a OB handle and chain. The calf is going to be about 100 lbs maybe even more and I couldn't even think of life without that chain. I would rather pull 1000 kids then a calf lol.


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## LiptrapLivestock (Oct 16, 2013)

The white is def char x Angus, gray with black nose. Other is Angus x. They need worming. Get OB chains just in case. Ive used twine plenty of times (kills your hands). In the instance you have to pull a calf the main tip ia work with the cow, when she pushs pull as far as possible. (pull when she pushes, break when she breaks, its not terrible)

Caleb, Liptrap Livestock


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## NubianFan (Jun 3, 2013)

I hated pulling calves and we had the chains, but then I was just a kid, I had the smallest arms so I was always the one that had to go in the cow, I always helped dad. I remember being woke up in the night to go out and help pull. I remember one particularly bad one, when the neighbors came to help and then we still had to call the vet and we finally got the calf out but lost it, but we did save the cow. We had polled Herefords though and they got big ole heads... That is one thing I dread when the goats start delivering, I want easy births.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

... if the reward outweighs risk, feel free.


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