Calving can be so rewarding - and so gut wrenching!

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

As most of you know, I am pretty diligent with my cattle. We bring our pregnant cows up front into a field outside my house windows - within 2 weeks of due date - and any that look at all close also come up front. We put any cow that "appears' ready into the calving pens at night and kick them out in the morning. We have cameras in the barn on all the pens and also a camera on the lot outside with night vision.
Well, we had an old experienced cow 9 days late (her normal). Been putting her in at night for maybe 4 nights. Put her in last night, finished chores and went in the house. Phil & I cooked and ate supper. Ugh - during that 1+ hour, she went into labor, spit out the calf in about 10 minutes of pushing. Calf alive and kicking, but - sac was over face all the way down covering legs. Mom jumped right up, vigorously licked calf. Worked on head, but sac did not come off. Calf kicked and flipped itself over, sac did not come off. After about 10 minutes, the cow got the sac off. Calf struggled about 10 minutes more, then died. Must have inhaled too much embryonic fluid.
Ugh Ugh - in 5 minutes we could have saved this calf. When I watch the playback, it made me sick.
And kicker is - it was a red, white faced HEIFER. This is a "can't keep on the place" offspring worth a lot of money. I am sick.
You can't watch them 24/7, although I try.

 

[Silver]

That just sucks.

 

[Dsth]

I think we can all feel your pain. Sorry that the calf didn't make it; especially when it would have been a keeper. Hope the rest of your calving season goes well for you.

 

[gcreekrch]

No matter how hard you try, you can't kill them all.

 

[TCRanch]

Damn! I'm sorry to hear that.

 

[Warren Allison]

@Jeanne - Simme Valley , so sorry for your loss. I don't think that there is anyone on this board, that the calf would have had a betters chance with. Do not 2nd guess yourself. The only real guarantee anyone who choses farming or ranching as a way of life has, is that it will be hard, and unfair. I always think of Paul Harvey's " So God made a famer". My favorite line maybe in his speech is : God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt, and watch it die, then dry his eyes and say, 'Maybe next year'."

 

[tex452]

When me and grandpa partnered up in 1980, we lost a calf, I was upset about it, he told me when you got something your going to lose something, if you don't have anything you don't take the chance of losing.
Our first grandchild was stillborn, it was horrible, it was heartbreaking to me and the wife, not long after our youngest son married a girl that had a 10 month old baby girl, she started healing our pain immediately, I've always said god sent us that baby, she is sixteen now and lives with me and the wife, not because she can't get along with her parents, it's a schooling issue/ getting ready for college.
She is popo's girl 100%.
Such is life.

 

[MurraysMutts]

@Jeanne - Simme Valley I know the feeling. It's a gut punch.
Few years back I was calving some heifers and was up every couple to few hours checking on them.

Same thing. Found the calf with sac over its head. Mama was trying so hard but kept licking the wrong end. Hated every minute of that!

 

[Mark Reynolds]

As most of you know, I am pretty diligent with my cattle. We bring our pregnant cows up front into a field outside my house windows - within 2 weeks of due date - and any that look at all close also come up front. We put any cow that "appears' ready into the calving pens at night and kick them out in the morning. We have cameras in the barn on all the pens and also a camera on the lot outside with night vision.
Well, we had an old experienced cow 9 days late (her normal). Been putting her in at night for maybe 4 nights. Put her in last night, finished chores and went in the house. Phil & I cooked and ate supper. Ugh - during that 1+ hour, she went into labor, spit out the calf in about 10 minutes of pushing. Calf alive and kicking, but - sac was over face all the way down covering legs. Mom jumped right up, vigorously licked calf. Worked on head, but sac did not come off. Calf kicked and flipped itself over, sac did not come off. After about 10 minutes, the cow got the sac off. Calf struggled about 10 minutes more, then died. Must have inhaled too much embryonic fluid.
Ugh Ugh - in 5 minutes we could have saved this calf. When I watch the playback, it made me sick.
And kicker is - it was a red, white faced HEIFER. This is a "can't keep on the place" offspring worth a lot of money. I am sick.
You can't watch them 24/7, although I try.

I'm sorry @Jeanne - Simme Valley. Not sure what to say. I know you are diligent with your animals, moreso than most. There is always risk with any birth that comes in so many different forms that you can only do so much to prepare for.

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

Dang it!

 

[Texas G@l]

Absolutely heart breaking!!

My daddy always said if you have livestock, you'll have dead stock. Unfortunately, he was right.

 

[Springfieldsimm]

Sorry about your loss. Always seems to be the ones you most want to live.

 

[farmerjan]

Sorry @Jeanne - Simme Valley .... that really hurts....

 

[Farm Family]

It is tough when these things happen…and no one with livestock is immune to this type of misfortune. My husband says "1or 1001 they find a way to die no matter how careful you watch them and the more careful you are the more creative they get"

 

[wbvs58]

Sorry to hear that Jeanne. I was lucky once to catch a heifer's calf with the membranes over the head. I saw her go up into the trees and went to check her about 30 min later. I heard the calf trying to breath from about 50m away, it was putting in the big ones, real raspy noise. I managed to get the face cleared in the nick of time and it recovered.

Ken

 

[TexasRancher]

At least you're diligently watching your cattle...that's incredible. You're on top of it more than most of us...the unfortunate thing is you have "play-back". Don't beat yourself up Jeanne.

 

[angus9259]

Yeah, mental playback is bad enough, but to actually have a playback..... ugh...

 

[tex452]

At least you're diligently watching your cattle...that's incredible. You're on top of it more than most of us...the unfortunate thing is you have "play-back". Don't beat yourself up Jeanne.

For sure

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Thanks, all.
Yes, it was sickening to WATCH. Knowing all it would have taken was a 2 minute walk out to the barn. Seeing her struggle was awful.
On to the next ones.

 

[tex452]

I penned my wife's belty up today, she just had it, I done that because of the cold weather on the way and what happened to Jeanne.
I think it is a beefmaster calf, looking at the ears, it looks to be solid red.