did i wait to long to pull?

[scf84]

had a heifer penned up for 1.5weeks now cause she looked to be getting close. this morning at 10:30 while laying down a foot was out but when standing it went back in, 11:30 the same foot was inside a water bag, 12 the bag has busted but still just the one foot and very tip of the 2nd visable when she would push. 12:30 my brother showed up to help me pull it. got her in the head catch and started pulling, pretty sure she had done quit pushing by this time. it was all we could do to pull the calf out. i got its nosed cleared out and left them alone while i came and changed cloths, she was sniffing it but hadnt licked it when i had left, headed back now to check them. any tips to get her to accept it if she hasnt already?

so yall think i pulled to late? to soon? about right? how do yall judge when to pull i always afraid im rushing it but dont want to wait till its to late.

 

[callmefence]

I don't give heifers long.
Half and hour most after I see a foot.
Maybe an hour after water bag.
I'm pretty hands off with my cattle. But pulling heifers is a exception. It just seems better if in doubt pull it. Easier on the cow and calf. We pulled this kiddo last night. Had on leg kinda folded back.
Shes a big hiefer and probably would have worked it out. Just took a couple of minutes and they both look great this morning.

 

[M-5]

1 hr from onset of labor Is a general consensus. If the calf is alive then no you didn't wait too long. she may not lick it good so you may have to clean it up some. If she doesn't fight it off she will bond with it in due time most likely. ive had a couple of heifers that did a poor job cleaning it the first time and second time nearly lick it death .

 

[ddd75]

if they are alive they are ok.

rub some feed on the calf. usually they want to eat and drink before cleaning / milking.

 

[scf84]

as i walked up the pen i thought she was licking it but once i got there she would only look at me and pay the calf no mind. i eased off and made a loop and came up from behind in a clump of bushes and watched them for about 2 hrs, she licked it to death, after several attempts calf finally got up and stood for about 10 mins but it never sucked, got up another time for couple mins before i left but didnt suck then either. im hoping she lets it suck pretty quick what do yall think? with her licking it i got a feeling she will but never know.

 

[TCRanch]

She probably will & understandably just doesn't like an audience. Hard to tell with heifers but check her teats to see if they look nursed. Is it a bull calf? They generally take a little longer to nurse. Stick your finger in the calf's mouth & see if it sucks - and if it does is it aggressively sucking? If so, probably hasn't nursed. Also, is the tongue swollen? If the tongue is swollen it may be a little dyscotia and you may need to help getting it latched on, giving it a bottle or worst case scenario tubing it. Good luck!

 

[scf84]

seen it suck twice before dark

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Mission Accomplished.
Job well done.
Now hit the hay, got more to do come daylight!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

A good rule is if no progress for 30 minutes on heifers 1 hr on cows, you should help - but, that's if you have not been disturbing her.
It's a tricky thing. You check her progress, she sees you, quits working and takes a while to go back to work.
when a heifer or cow has a long labor, the calf is TIRED. Do you have the ability (facilities & know-how) to milk the cow out & feed the colostrum to the calf in the future? If not, it might be worth while to buy some replacement colostrum for a case like this. Calves really should suck in the first couple of hours. Every hour not sucked, the colostrum loses quality and the calves ability to utilize the colostrum goes down - up to 24 hours after birth.
Also, there is a product called O-No-More. It is cheap, lasts forever and really handy. You sprinkle it on the calf, and the dam absolutely cannot resist licking it. "Generally" once a dam licks the calf, she will really mother up to it.
Sounds like all in all it was very successful. You SAVED a calf. Feels good, doesn't it???