A lot of work for?

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Dave

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It was a beautiful day yesterday. 3 new calves in the morning. I checked again about 3:30. Another new one and one on the way. I called B and told him the herd was growing by the minute. He said he would be over in a bit to tag the calves. It was after 4:30 by the time he got there. We tagged the 4 on the ground and went to check the other. Water bag out the same as there had been over and hour earlier. He had a calf at home he had to deal with told me to check her and call him in 45 minutes. No progress. He had his hired man with when he came. Tried for a good time to get her out the gate to come down the lane to the corral. She would do it. So it is out in the field. By this time she is getting pretty hot. She assisted B in doing a lap around his jeep. After a couple trips into the river and a lap around the field she finally gets roped. B is muttering that he should have brought a horse. So he drives the Jeep up on the rope stopping her. A back foot is roped and tied off to a tree. Will sits on her head and holds a front leg up. B reaches in and gets the chains on the calf. He never did say if the legs were back or something or what was holding up the calf. Hard pull but gets a live calf out. And then she prolapses. The entire thing out on the ground. B tries to push everything back in. Finally sends me to the house for a tractor. I get a big flash light while there. Chain her back legs and lift here up about 4 feet. Every thing goes in and stays in. Set her down and sew her up. Take off the ropes and the chain. They push her up on to her chest so her head is. B loads up the calf to take home to tube a bottle of colostrum and put into the hot box. B and Will are pretty much covered with mud, blood, and manure. It is 9:00. And so ends another beautiful day on the cattle ranch.
 
Living the dream.... :unsure: . Glad you were able to save both the cow and calf. May be a rare instance where the extra work will pay something back.
 
Living the dream.... :unsure: . Glad you were able to save both the cow and calf. May be a rare instance where the extra work will pay something back.
Well they were still alive last night. The jury is still out. With these one and done cows I figure 5% death loss. Some just up and die. Others make you work at it before they die on you.
 
Will you put the calf back on the cow?
I hope not. The calf made it through the night. The cow didn't. So the cow goes to the bone yard. The calf will be a bottle calf and is available to be a graft calf if needed.
Talked to B just now. The calf had both legs back. Had she been in the corral after he straightened the legs out we might have given her some time. But after what we went through to catch her we weren't about to turn her loose and come back in a hour or two.
Will had lost his phone at some point. They looked last night but didn't find it. They had a general idea of the area (35 acre field). This morning the wife and I walked about 200 yards along the river. She found the phone.
So cow, calf, and phone. Not 100% but 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
 
Lifting the cow. Who would have thought of that....... awesome! Now give me a better description. Attach what to where in order to lift. I'm wondering if hiplifters would work in that situation too or if they would push things together too much and make it more difficult. Ideas to ponder.
 
When I happen across these deals outside I like to just pick the back end up so the tail head is about a foot off the ground. Lay the uterus up on the bag, wash it and sugar it, and it will work in pretty easy.
 
Lifting the cow. Who would have thought of that....... awesome! Now give me a better description. Attach what to where in order to lift. I'm wondering if hiplifters would work in that situation too or if they would push things together too much and make it more difficult. Ideas to ponder.
Chain on the back legs. I am not sure exactly how high. Maybe 2 or 3 feet. I was in the tractor seat and it was pitch black out by this time.
 

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