Fat Butt/Cut Above

We had a Fat Butt heifer born the other day that was born without an anus and died. The cow was a half blood simmi that is clean from all defects. Has anyone had similar experiences with Fat Butt calves or is this just a fluke? Do you think we should avoid breeding her back to Fat Butt again?

This is the first "bad" calving report I've heard about FB. My guess is it's just a fluke deal.

Is this fat butt a registered simi bull?

I would contact a research facility or the association and research for myself to learn what might cause such a thing. Is it genetic or can that be caused by something else? Or is it a really unfortunate "fluke" as you call it. I've never heard of that type of deformity, but I wouldn't dismiss it too quickly. Some management deficiencies might be the root of abortions or deformities in calves, and I would want to find out if there was something I was or was not doing that might have any relevance.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Kqw2gCZFfhoC&pg=PT279&lpg=PT279&dq=calf+born+without+anus&source=bl&ots=AYXWxUDbKO&sig=XiouAEB3NzytrFRrTwNuK77Adeo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ZTQUT7KKKoja0QHgu5ShAw&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=calf%20born%20without%20anus&f=false

I did a quick search and found several links to statements, research findings and this textbook description which refers to the condition as "congenital" and "sporadic" with "no genetic or management factors" indicated. I'm not sure how old this textbook description is or what we might know now that wasn't know when this was published, but I would take it as a good sign that it's probably a "fluke". I imagine I would still keep researching it if it was my calf.

Our Cut Above is doing great and I agree with the Show, there hasnt been anything posted or brought to my attention.  Sorry to hear about the loss. 

Was this an embryo calf?   

If nothing else is wrong with the calf, it is fairly easy and inexpensive to fix this.  You won't end up with a breeding/show animal but you'll have something that makes it to market weight.