Backwards calf

[Silver]

On another note, how is it that you have a heifer with a Z number? Just my curious mind at work....

 

[Nesikep]

On another note, how is it that you have a heifer with a Z number? Just my curious mind at work....

When we started back in 1992 we had no idea there were standards.. so when I found out I decided to just run through the rest of the alphabet before correcting.. so we skipped from Z to F and we're following everyone else now.

 

[Silver]

On another note, how is it that you have a heifer with a Z number? Just my curious mind at work....

When we started back in 1992 we had no idea there were standards.. so when I found out I decided to just run through the rest of the alphabet before correcting.. so we skipped from Z to F and we're following everyone else now.

Ahh, that makes sense. I seem to remember seeing you in a picture with a cow that had a Q on its tag and was going to ask you about it at that time lol

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Tail first is the only true BREECH.
The problem with letting the cow have the calf on her own with a backwards calf - is if she stalls at all at the wrong "timing", the calf will drown.
I have a dear friend that told me about using the plunger. I have never tried it, but I find it funny that someone else actually does use that. I think it sounds like a great idea. Just never had the need. (please don't jinx me!!!) He just put the end of the plunger against his chest while he worked the legs. Gives the pulling person both arms to fight getting the legs up.
For those not experienced - please note as mentioned above - you MUST cup the hoof while you are re-positioning.

 

[Randi]

I've seen about 3 calves born backwards in 20 years. I'm sure it happens more often than we think it does. And, I am sure some of the 'stillborn' calves that are found were likely backwards and the cow didn't finish pushing/get up quick enough and the calf suffocated with it's head still inside her.

We watched one on the camera a couple weeks ago, just happened to catch it happening. I think she was up about as fast as that calf came out of her, and all was well. We also pulled a backwards one out of a heifer this spring, which is generally what we do when we see back feet, better safe than sorry.

Upside down calves are interesting to deal with, my husband can flip them, I haven't figured out how to do it, might just be a matter of a few extra inches of reach and that extra strength that he has.

Pulled one last year with a leg back, 90 lb calf, and I didn't think it could be done, but it was out far enough that pushing it back in wasn't really an option. Got it out alive too.

 

[Nesikep]

wow, I did just see something about goats and they said they can come out with one leg back.

 

[Silver]

Pulled one last year with a leg back, 90 lb calf, and I didn't think it could be done, but it was out far enough that pushing it back in wasn't really an option. Got it out alive too.

I did exactly the same thing a few years ago, for the same reason. And again last night :shock: Last night was a little different though, cow had started calving but wasn't pushing, so put her in the chute, reached in and found two legs and two heads. The two legs did not belong the head that was leading the race to the exit. Managed to find a leg that belonged to the leading head and got it straight. Cow started pushing right away and the head came out. I used a head snare and a chain on the available leg and she came out easy. Second calf I just grabbed its front legs with my hands and slid it out.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

At least on my farm, I find twins are the biggest incidence of having a backwards calf - or upside down - or both - or twisted up. Hate twins.
This year, my nephew reached in and couldn't figure out what he had. Finally, figured out he had one coming forward, with a 2nd one coming SIDEWAYS (just a spine) - over the legs and under the head of the other calf. Big cow, small twins, he just pushed them back in & re-arranged. Saved both.

 

[Randi]

And we rarely have big problems with twins. More often than not, we just go out and find a cow with 2 calves. Out of 3 sets so far this year, 2 were unassisted and one set we helped. Only problem with that set was that the second calf had 1 foot coming up under the first calf. They both came forwards.

 

[Silver]

And we rarely have big problems with twins. More often than not, we just go out and find a cow with 2 calves. Out of 3 sets so far this year, 2 were unassisted and one set we helped. Only problem with that set was that the second calf had 1 foot coming up under the first calf. They both came forwards.

I have helped two cows with twins this year out of 12 sets, and have 23 live calves so similar to your findings here Randi.

 

[Randi]

Last year we had 11 sets, lost 4 calves and one set was born in the cold which I am pretty sure is why they died. And we helped 2 sets be born. 1 calf was backwards and one was backwards and upside down.

 

[buckshotbob]

I got a phone call last sunday a 9 pm by my older neighbour. Jack has pulled 12 calves so far this spring/ too much grain .He had just finished pulling a heifer when a new mom started showing feet and a tongue. He asked if I was up to help so down the road I go with my new vink puller. 15 minutes of pulling and out pops a 125 pound heifer calf out of his geilbveih heifer .I honestly thought I was going to split his cow wide open I had so much pressure on the puller. Called him the next day from work said the one he pulled had been adopted by the new mom and both heifers where doing great. 40 pounds different between the two but both alive. Was a good save as he has lost 7 calves ,two cows and a really nice heifer already this year.Jack runs 40 head and is retired so each loss he takes personal. His kitchen has more calves in it then people during cold springs.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Nice of you to help him out. Feeding will add "some" weight to the calves, but I would be more incline to say it is the genetics involved - mainly the bull and previous bulls that created the females.

 

[Nesikep]

I got a phone call last sunday a 9 pm by my older neighbour. Jack has pulled 12 calves so far this spring/ too much grain .He had just finished pulling a heifer when a new mom started showing feet and a tongue. He asked if I was up to help so down the road I go with my new vink puller. 15 minutes of pulling and out pops a 125 pound heifer calf out of his geilbveih heifer .I honestly thought I was going to split his cow wide open I had so much pressure on the puller. Called him the next day from work said the one he pulled had been adopted by the new mom and both heifers where doing great. 40 pounds different between the two but both alive. Was a good save as he has lost 7 calves ,two cows and a really nice heifer already this year.Jack runs 40 head and is retired so each loss he takes personal. His kitchen has more calves in it then people during cold springs.

My troublesome calves were heifer calves from first timers this year too.. 2 of them at over 100 lbs, and the first one, like you said, I swore I was going to either rip the calf in half or the cow was going to split.. they're all fine now and growing great

 

[gcreekrch]

No backwards ones yet that we have seen. Two full breeches though, Saved the first one and was rewarded with twins, lost the next because we didn't find it soon enough.

 

[creekdrive]

We have had 3 backwards calves this year. Pulled all 3 as soon as we found them, all calves alive. 2 were easy pulls, the 3rd was a fairly hard pull and took quite a bit of work to get the calf breathing normally once he was out. Before this year we have only had 2 backwards calves that we know of in the last 10 years.

Probably 8 or so years ago I was home alone, checked cows and found a heifer with 1 leg out and the head was out past the ears. Quickly went back to the house to call for some help (at that time I knew really nothing about cows). By the time I got back out in the pasture to chase her up to the corrals she had calved on her own.

This thread is the first I have seen anyone else mention using the toilet plunger for breech calves. I've never seen it done but I know my in-laws have used it a few times and claim it works well.