Calving disappointments, What do ya do?

[Lngvew]

I was checking the heifer pasture this morning, Found one one I knew was close. She had calved, beautiful little heifer BUT... The best I can figure is she spit the calf out standind up. Calf was laying (dead) with it head twisted back under it's body. This was a first for me, I been around cattle a lot of years but this is the first calf I have ever seen break it's neck being born. Hurt my feelings bad, said some things I will have to ask forgiveness for. You folks ever experenced this or is this a fluke thing?

 

[Frankie]

I've never seen a heifer calve that way. But we have had some old cows that were having a harder time getting up and down calve standing up. The calves were always OK; are you sure it had a broken neck? I'm sorry you lost the calf; get her bred back and hope for better luck next year....

 

[dun]

Never seen one break it's neck from calving standing up. Got an old cow that has alwasy calved that way. When I see it happening I always panic. Then the calf gets up, shakes itself and goes to hunting a teat. I would claaify it as a fluke and just d..n bad luck.

dun

 

[ChrisB]

I found one like that a couple years ago, but I figured it was born dead and that's just how it came out. I never thought of it breaking it's neck.

 

[jt]

never seen one break its neck either... and sometimes they can get twisted all out of sorts, enough to make you wonder if they are ok...

what do you do?... hang in there... unfortunately losing cattle... well that is just part of the business...

but the bad times make us appreciate the good times even more...so hang in there.. better days will come..

jt

 

[Caustic Burno]

Heck toughin up, good God your goin to lose a calf once in a while. I have had em calf on sides of stock tanks little boogers slid right in and drown. I seen cows running with half a dead calf hanging out of em that you have to pen and pull. If you are tough and smart enough to stay in this business very long you will get to see about everthing when it comes to losing a calf.

 

[Dee]

What Caustic said is the biggest, hardest lesson I had to learn in a short hurry when I first got cattle. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you will lose a calf. It angers me beyond belief, when I give them almost 3 acres of nice straw bedding, and they jump the fence, go to the dug out and have their calf head first in the water. I had never directed foul language towords an animal, untill my first calving season. Over all, those calves are pretty flexible. Had one last year, had all but the hips of the calf out, stood up, and swung her butt back and forth till it slipped out. Unique form! Hit the ground with a good thud, and put it's head up and shook the slime from his head. Hang in there! Strange things happen sometimes that we can't always explain.

 

[jerry27150]

i like the ones that try to freshen on a creek bank or a gully & calf or sometimes cow & calf are both down in there. dead or alive sometimes

 

[Beefy]

Ive seen a lot of cows calve standing up and ive never seen one break its neck either. my guesses are: the calf may have already suffocated before being expelled from a standing position, it may have inhaled fluids/sac being twisted and not able to get its head up to sneeze and shake after being expelled from a standing position, or the cow may have somehow crushed it or broken its BACK by laying down while the calf was still hanging out of her. I dont know how many ive seen land flat on its head and i would swear that calf had to have broken its neck and a few seconds later they start trying to flip over.

 

[Victoria]

I'm with everyone else here, we've had quite a few born with the cow standing and they've never broken their necks. Last year saw one born and when he was dropped on his head it went underneath him just as you describe. Mom turned around to lick him and moved him so his head swung around. I've also had one jump out of the back of a pickup truck and land headfirst with no injuries (don't even ask ). Anyhow, my point is it is pretty hard to break a calf's neck. I would be thinking it is another cause. Did you move around the head when you found it? Did the neck feel normal?
It's tough losing a calf and I think we all say things we need to ask forgiveness for. Hang in there.

 

[PLR]

One of our local ranchers... a good friend of mine lost his first calf of the year in a similar way. It was freezing cold and icy out side and the cow(real ornery one...not able to assist this one) had the calf half out with the hips to go(one more good push) she tried to stand up but slipped on the ice esentially "Sitting Down" on the calf.. breaking its back. she made it up the second time and successfuly delivered the calf. But he watched the calf for the next day and it was healthy and active... but never moved its back legs. he finally put it out of its misery.

Even with as few cows as i have, i have had my fair share of problems... turned feet, still borns, uterine inertia, mummies....


Good luck.

Shelby

http://www.promiselandranch.net/

 

[bward]

I came home one day, and from the road I could see that an older cow had calved. Concerned that I could not see an upright head, I drove into the field and went to check out the blob of calf. As I got closer I could see the blob of calf all licked off and dry. As I got closer yet, I realized to my horror, "OMG its horribly deformed" As I strained my eyes to realize what I was seeing , I then noticed that it did indeed have legs and at that moment the legs peddled. "It" was alive. Still it took a moment to register that the calfs head was underneath its body folded at the neck in a tight arc. I jumped out of the truck and flipped it over. Now finally able to get a full breath, the calf leaped to its feet and did a drunk dance for about 10 minutes until finally getting its bearings. The calf was still wet on the underside and I am guessing it had laid there for at least an hour or two. Good thing it was warm that day. This one was likely born from a standing cow.

 

[Lngvew]

Thanks for the best wishes folks. Like I said, this was a first for me. As for the toughen up comment, It's understood that if you fool withum you gonna loose some, Part of the game. When I see a dead calf I see dollars gone, wasted. That hurts the feelings, I have been round cattle a long time, have also seen ugly things (deformed, broke legs, eyes poked out, about all of the above) happen that I had no control over,Crap happens, but losing money hurts a poor mans feelings, if it dont bother you, I'd say you got plenty and wish you the best.

Yep, I checked the calf out pretty good, In my experence if you can turn the head 360 degrees and hear a grindin sound, its broke. the fallin back on or layin on suggestion I think holds the most water.

But thanks again folks!

 

[sidney411]

It sure sounds like it was broke, how, may not be determined. There is always a 1st time for everything. Just because no one else has ever seen something happen doesn't mean it can't or won't happen at some time or the other.

Sorry about your calf, and I understand what you are saying. When I lose a calf I think "Well, theres one more reason I need to watch the spending going on"

 

[Farminlund]

Yep, some strange things happen - when you think all that could happen has happened, some new catastrophe strikes. I too have had the neck under the calf problem - I found one dead like that last year. I assumed that since the ma had not moved it, that it just plain suffocated due to the neck/head being in such a contorted position.

I also like bward, rescued one that I found in the same position shortly after birth. Ma was yelling at it to get up but not bumping it. At first, like you, the calf looked so odd I couldn't figure out what I was looking at - rolled it over & left the Ma to do the rest - a happy ending for that one! On the other hand had I not been there in a timely mannor, I feel that it would have died like the first one I described (actually from a timeline standpoint the one that I "saved" was many years ago).

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Had one wandering with hooves hanging out for over 24 hours this year. Couldn't pen her. Got her wore down and roped her finally. Steer jerked her with the rope and got on her neck. Pulled on the calf until I couldn't stand up any more. Ended up hooking a truck to her and the calf still wouldn't come, just drug the cow. Finally got the suffocated calf out. The cow wobbled around for a few days. Seems just as healthy as ever now and I'm hoping she'll rebreed. Happens every now and then.