Had a heifer that acted like she wanted to go into labor but didn;t for 8 hours from when I first spotted her. All she could get out was one foot when she did start, but every time she quit pushing the foot went back in. Finally got her up and put the jack on her and started to pull. Feet were big and head was big, so she had sort of started earlier but hadn;t really pushe very hard. Finally got the calf out and it wasn;t that bif of a calf just swollen feet and head. It was a pretty hard pull, but aftet getting it out discovered A) she hadn;t dilated fully and B) she hadn;t broken her water. Rached in to see what was what and broke the water sack. A half hour later she passed the AB. The oddity was her not breaking her water prior to calving, never seen that before.
An oddity
- Thread starter dun
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inyati13
Well-known member
dun, that is odd. The amniotic sac must have been walled off behind the calf. My PB Simmental heifer that delivered on March 20 discharged a lot of her water after the calf. She had the two front feet out for over an hour and they were staying out. I started helping just with the chains on the front feet (no jack). When the calf came out (I only pulled lightly), a big splash of amniotic water came bursting out. I assumed the sac had broken but the calf sealed the water off with its body in the birth canal.dun":3vqqls2c said:
BTW: Do you check the cervix through an anal palp or the vagina? I have never reached into the vagina. When is that appropriate?
It's appropriate when your hand is in there anyway trying to put on the chains. Also to check and see how the calf is positioned. With her it was reaching in after the calf was out that actaully broke the sack. Hand went in and dam near got washed away by the flood pouring out of her.
I forgot one thing about when going in through the vagina, always glove up first. The hair on your hand or arm will cause irritation of the vaginal walls and cause swelling, that in turns just helps to make everything an even tighter fit.
Putangitangi
Well-known member
I had one this year in which part of the sac continued to cushion around the head of the calf as it was coming out, so everything slowed down. I helped by pulling on the legs, until enough of it came through and it burst. In that case, it was just a bubble of the sac around the side somewhere, since the first bit over the feet was gone. It was a tricky one I'd not noticed before.
branguscowgirl
Well-known member
Either there was a bubble of fluid trapped behind the calf or you got a second calf in there? :shock:
My guess, but I am sure that you felt for one already......
Head and feet swollen from being in the birth canal too long.
My guess, but I am sure that you felt for one already......
Head and feet swollen from being in the birth canal too long.
branguscowgirl
Well-known member
You didn't say.......So is the calf ok now???dun":nj8irp2f said:
He's a "dumb sucker" can;t seem to figure out exactky what ti di with his tongue. Sometimes he'll take a good bit, other times hardly anything. We stqarted him on a bottle since he doesn;t seem to be able t figure out what the teat is for and with a bottle I can eork his jaws to get him sucking a little. Seem a shame to have to milk the cowe out, trying to keep her producing in hopes that he;ll catch on and we can turn them out togetherbranguscowgirl":2l2ysv39 said:
hillsdown
Well-known member
I had that happen about 4 years ago , and I had to cut the sac ,with my knife . It was very strange , thought it might be a mineral problem but the AB came off right away and all the other cows calving went textbook .
I wondered if perhaps they had something happen like blunt force trauma or a very bad stress to cause them to go into labor earlier than they actually were prepared for . I am sure they would be calving soon anyways but things were sped up for some reason.
Glad you could get him out asap .I hope he is up and sucking from his mom soon Dun !
I wondered if perhaps they had something happen like blunt force trauma or a very bad stress to cause them to go into labor earlier than they actually were prepared for . I am sure they would be calving soon anyways but things were sped up for some reason.
Glad you could get him out asap .I hope he is up and sucking from his mom soon Dun !
branguscowgirl
Well-known member
:clap: that would be great!dun":3228dw7j said:
Sometimes the sack comes out after the calf. I have seen it at least ten, perhaps twenty times. Sometimes the watersack does not break, sometimes it does.
I suppose this is one of those things no one notice, like the fact that all cattle sweat, not only brahmans.
I suppose this is one of those things no one notice, like the fact that all cattle sweat, not only brahmans.
