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der is pushed back into the body and the animal is referred to as ‘straight fronted.’ When an animal has a pushed-back shoulder, the knee is typically pushed forward and the pastern joint will be erect. The cow’s or bull’s weight is projected to the feet in a straight path causing excess pressure due to fl ex loss in the legs.” Cattle with straight pasterns shift their weight from
leg to leg in an attempt to ease the pressure. Eventu- ally they will become structurally unsound. Straight pasterns cause cattle to take small steps and more steps than an animal with fl ex in its legs. The condition causes excessive wear on the leg joints and eventually lameness. Bulls with straight pasterns come down hard and straight when breeding, often causing back injury to cows or heifers.
Look at the rear “After examination of the front legs, move to the
back legs,” continued Cleere. “Run your hand over the tailhead area and feel how the pelvis is set into the pin bones. The distance between the pin bones and their position in relation to the pelvis determines the calv- ing ease of a cow or heifer.” Locate the stifl e joint (Figure 2) and draw an imagi-
nary line from it to the pelvic bone. Draw a second line from the hock to the pastern and a third line from the stifl e joint to the hock as shown in Figure 2. Desirable structure of the rear legs occurs when there is trian- gulation at the intersections of the imaginary lines. “Absence of triangulation due to stifl e joints being
positioned toward the animal’s rear pushes the hocks back and causes the feet to come forward,” explained Cleere. “This condition is known as ‘sickle hock’ con- formation that can reduce structural longevity. “Wide triangulation of the hock and stifl e joints
cause the legs to be straight, a condition known as ‘post leg.’ Bulls with post leg have trouble breeding because when they mount a cow, all of the pressure of their rear weight is transferred to the hocks and feet. Eventually the hocks will break down and the bull will no longer be able to function. Beware of buying bulls with swollen hocks.” Next examine the feet and legs while standing be-
hind the bull. When looking at the rear of a bull, his legs should be straight and widely spaced. Cattle toes are naturally turned out at a slight angle, but too much angle results in the hocks being too close together. This condition is called “cow hock” and can be associated
act like owners – they have a vested interest in the cattle they care for. Get to know the individuals who make Cactus Feeders a success.
Cactus Feedyard Blake Confer, Manager Cactus, TX (806) 966-5151
Centerfire Feedyard Martin Daharsh, Manager Ulysses, KS (620) 356-2010
Frontier Feedyard Gilbert Mendoza, Manager Spearman, TX (806) 882-4251
Hale Center Feedyard Kevin Kuriyama, Manager Hale Center, TX (806) 879-2104
Southwest Feedyard Buddy Thomas, Manager Hereford, TX (806) 364-0693
Stratford Feedyard Tres Hess, Manager Stratford, TX (806) 396-5501
Ulysses Feedyard Randy Shields, Manager Ulysses, KS (620) 356-1750
Wolf Creek Feedyard David Watts, Manager Perryton, TX (806) 435-5697
Wrangler Feedyard Walt Garrison, Manager Tulia, TX
(806) 668-4741 At Cactus, our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) makes each employee an owner of the company.
When they think like owners, they take care of the cattle as if they own them. That’s the secret to what has made Cactus Feeders a continuing success. Retained Ownership
Call Brent Caviness, Surcy Peoples, Bill Hicks or Dusty Lubbock
806-373-2333 • 877-698-7355
tscra.org
Partner on Cattle • Sell Us Cattle
www.cactusfeeders.com
FEEDERS April 2013 The Cattleman 49 When our employees drive through the gate, they think and
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