Calving Question

[kyandy]

I have a 10 year old cow that seems to be taking her merry time calving the others that were exposed to the same bull have all already calved and all had very healthy 70 pound calves.. This cow has had the clear mucus comming out of her for about 3 weeks Bag just got good and solid about a week ago.. Question is when do i need to glove up( not really my fav thing to do) She is not straining seems to be eating fine moving ok all the signs look good...We have looked the entire farm for signs of a dead calf And found nothing...Am i just worring over nothing still have about 15 days till what should be the end of the calving season for us...One more question what signs might i see if the calf is still born and not comming out?? Thanks for the help These boards have really help me get through the first year of owning cattle.... Thanks Again

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Is she gentle? Might try to see if you can get a heartbeat from the calf before you start checking internally - tough call.

Is she in good shape? I would wait if so, otherwise as she is a little old she might be having a problem, but probably not.

 

[rockridgecattle]

I would glove up. Shoulder length glove and a small wrist one to boot. Iodine and water to scrub the back end, a little lube on the clean glove and check. When in doubt a gentle check is okay.
do not go in like a bull in a china shop, slow and steady, make sure cow is secured, feel for the feet and see if it is still alive and still in the sack.
If all is well, release her, and keep an eye on her.
Make sure you are clean and gentle so as to not cause any infection or damage.

 

[ND Angus]

I'd keep an eye on her for the next 15 days . Then Glove up!!! One thing I have noticed on still borns is that the mother sometimes kicks at her stomach. It you ARE SURE its dead 5cc of lutlice and give it a day . If you are FOR SURE the cow is over due 5cc of lutlice and give it a day the calf will come.

 

[dun]

The only reliable method I know of to tell if the calf has died is the cow will start to act sick a week or so after it died.

 

[randiliana]

Personally, I wouldn't get too worried yet(impatient, yes). She still has the 15 days, plus you can add about 10 more onto that, considering that a cow can calve anywhere from about 14 days early or 14 days late. As long as she is acting normally, eating, staying with the herd, then I think she just isn't ready yet. Just because everything else has calved, doesn't mean that this cow is overdue. She may have had problems last year at calving, which resulted in delayed heat and of course ends up being "late" in calving. She may have been bred early, resorbed the fetus, and then rebred also.

So, as long as she is not acting "off" I don't think I would worry too much about it.

 

[milkmaid]

I wouldn't get concerned yet. Sounds like she's just taking her own sweet time. If you can get her in a chute or such, try to bump a calf (lower right side, just in back of the last rib). At 9 months bred it should be easy to bump, and if there is a calf, then just wait and let her have it when she's ready. However, if you're insistent on inducing her, I'd suggest dex rather than Lute, just due to the action of the drugs. JMO.

 

[cypressfarms]

I wouldn't worry. A 10 year old cow has been throught this routine before. It's possible that she didn't cycle the same as your other cows, as mentioned by Randi. Many possibilities really. The norm would be 283 days, but it could be 7 to 10 days longer for a bull calf. I wouldn't worry unless the cow starts acting weird - like she's in pain or kicking at herself (stomach)

I feel for you - I don't particularly like to glove up. Worse is 2 a.m. and your miles from any gloves and a calf is presented wrong. What to do? Dive in, ofcourse; my wife, however did not like the affect it had on the right arm of my farm jacket. Had to part with the jacket after that.

 

[Susie David]

Agree with MM....bounce the calf. Before she feeds gently push in on the right side of the cow midway down, right behind the ribs. Upon release you should feel the fetus rebound, usually you can feel a kick if you have a active calf.
Old Boss Cow cooked one for 300 days last year...110# bull calf, AI'd with a high birth weight old Lim bull straw. Thought she had one of the two month old heifer calves hanging around her until I noticed that it didn't have a ear tag.
Wouldn't worry right now, could go another couple of week....you'll probably get a surprize one morning soon. Dmc

 

[kyandy]

Thanks for all the help so far.. i have noticed her kick at her stomach once although from what you guys say i didn't want to see that but i will keep you guys informed and keep reading... Hopefully when i go to feed tonight i will find a perfect little baby calf... i guess i just have the rookie worrie.. thanks again

 

[angie2]

Cows will also kick at belly in labor. Cows also like to act suspicious to keep the farmer guessing ;-) I think is a good idea to wait. We bought two bred cows last year in March. We were told they were prg checked in Dec and would calf befor the middle of April ~ " no later". One calved the 6th of May, the other on the 13th of May. Was a long wait for me, and I am not so patient......

 

[kyandy]

The old cow finally calved out sat morn about 4:30 with no complications.. You guys were right again mother nature took care of it.. It had a rough firts few days on earth as we had the coldest temps this season About 0 on sat night but all is well with mom and her little boy... Thanks Again...

 

[rockridgecattle]

Cool thanks for the update!

 

[Hippie Rancher]

I will echo the thanks (and congrats) for the update - lots of folks don't bother to let us know the outcome.

Yep sometimes doing nothing can be so hard!