I really am not trying to give you a hard time but why do you think she is swollen and in pain a lot of the time and is well off enough to breed? I am afraid that one leaves me scratching my head.
Has she never been in heat? What has happened if she has been in heat and around other cattle? Obviously she cannot tell you in words there is a problem so she is trying to tell you the only way she can: kicking and walking sore.
What will you do with any calves you get out of her? My experience is structure is passed along pretty strong.
Learn from my mistakes because I learned the hard way doing this. I kept a cow about 17 years ago I HAD to keep. She was too straight in the shoulder and had her good days and bad. She went down one day and could not get back up even though the day before she had been walking the hills. I was foolish enough to keep a daughter out of her who looked a lot more sound but still was not as sound as she should be and I knew it. I got "lucky" and she didn't go down and stay down but was a lame as could be at 3. I had a Great Uncle that was a masterful cattleman walk through my cows. He told me I ought to be ashamed of myself for doing that to the cow. I was. And bad structure is a one way ticket to town around here. Thankfully I haven't seen lameness issues from structure in my cows but it's only because I won't take the chance.
Has she never been in heat? What has happened if she has been in heat and around other cattle? Obviously she cannot tell you in words there is a problem so she is trying to tell you the only way she can: kicking and walking sore.
What will you do with any calves you get out of her? My experience is structure is passed along pretty strong.
Learn from my mistakes because I learned the hard way doing this. I kept a cow about 17 years ago I HAD to keep. She was too straight in the shoulder and had her good days and bad. She went down one day and could not get back up even though the day before she had been walking the hills. I was foolish enough to keep a daughter out of her who looked a lot more sound but still was not as sound as she should be and I knew it. I got "lucky" and she didn't go down and stay down but was a lame as could be at 3. I had a Great Uncle that was a masterful cattleman walk through my cows. He told me I ought to be ashamed of myself for doing that to the cow. I was. And bad structure is a one way ticket to town around here. Thankfully I haven't seen lameness issues from structure in my cows but it's only because I won't take the chance.
