After Birth Question

[Turkey Run]

I've got a first calf heifer,calved out fine wedsday am. Went to feed this evening and it looks like at least 90% of the after birth is still hanging out. It does'nt smell bad ,I just wonder how long I should wait to give nature a chance?

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

I would be throwing a couple of boluses in fairly quick. They tighten up quite a bit if you wait too long, makes them harder to insert.

 

[Gale Seddon]

Our vet says as long as the cow is eating and drinking, 7-8 days is okay.....

 

[jerry27150]

just had a cow do that, she freshened 1-28 & after birth just fell out on 2-7

 

[Workinonit Farm]

I would give her a few more days. As long as there is no really foul odor, she's eating, drinking and acting otherwise normal, she should clean out. Sometimes it can take about a week, especially with first calvers.

Katherine

 

[dun]

If it's hanging very low we'll tie it back on itself so that it doesn;t drag the ground or snag on brush/bushes and let nature take it's course.

dun

 

[Turkey Run]

Thanks for the info., I'll give her more time.

 

[cowspider]

Just had a calf saturday, and the cow is not cleaned out yet. so being able to come back to this posting reassured me she was probly going to be OK. :cboy:

 

[cowspider]

My wife just called and said it looks like the same cow as abve posting is bagged out but maybe not giving milk to calf. is this a symptem (sp) of her holding her afterbirth?? she is a longhorn so I will try to rope her and hand milk her tonight to see for sure. but still wander.

:?: :cboy:

 

[dun]

Usually the milk just as if they've cleaned normally

dun

 

[jerry27150]

does the calf act alright, have you seen him suck?

 

[Chuckie]

Cattle Rack Rancher, you didn't say which end to insert the boluses! :shock:

 

[cowspider]

Here is the cow being Milked for the first time. back two quarters are sort of hard , but I got a couple squirts of milk , front quarters are soft but very little milk. I only got maybe a cup from all 4 quarters.

 

[sidney411]

Nice picture! I don't see any afterbirth hanging, did she clean out?

That cow must be pretty tame to not be kicking the $hit out of you :lol:

 

[cowspider]

She was fairly calm once I got her dallyed around the post. she still has some hanging membrane, but I was able to gently pull some out.

:cboy: :cboy:

 

[Orerancher]

A cup from all four quarters?
Sounds like a bottle baby....And a burger cow.[/b]

 

[CattleAnnie]

Give her a shot of Oxytocin. About two cc's for a small cow like her. Wait ten to fifteen minutes for it to start working.

If she has any milk to speak of, she will NOT be able to hold her milk back.

Take care and good luck with the pair.

IMPORTANT!!!!!!
For the ladies - heard from the local vet supply store that women in particular should use gloves when handling Oxytocin, as there are some studies linking skin absorbtion of Oxy to uterine cysts.

Pregnant women should not handle it, as it does cause uterine contractions.

 

[cowspider]

Yeah, she is going to the sale saturday. i sure hate bottle feeding. it seems bottle babies never grow well for me anyway. But it is a nice heifer, although i don't know who daddy was. momma was bred when I bought her. :cboy:

 

[jt]

ca... i have a question about oxytocin.

i had a cow that had a fair size bag, but gave no milk at all.. even 3 days later... would the oxytocin help with that? and if so, what do you think the chances are that that cow would have problems with the next calf?

thanks

jt

 

[certherfbeef]

ca... i have a question about oxytocin.

i had a cow that had a fair size bag, but gave no milk at all.. even 3 days later... would the oxytocin help with that? and if so, what do you think the chances are that that cow would have problems with the next calf?

thanks

jt

jt, I'm not CA (can't hold a candle to her) but, if you don't mind, I'll give your question a shot.

The oxytocin is used on dairies a lot for milk let down. It is also used to contract the uterus, either for inducing labor or getting a cow to clean.
With your cow, i'd try the oxytocin. Where is her calf?

I have a felton's heifer that we had to give some to last year. W/i 10 or 15 minutes the calf had a full belly. We pulled the calf and had to dry it ourselves and she never took to it real well. But we had to supplement that calf for the 4 months he nursed. The milk production was just not there. Hubby talked me into breeding her back. Not my first choice I'll let you know if she does it again this year in a week or 2.
They can and do gain a reliance to the oxytocin. Growing up, we had a cow that got so addicted all you had to do was stick her w/ an empty needle and she let down.

Good luck with your cow, let us know. And now Cattle Annie can fix the bad advise I gave ya!