Disappointing results

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dun

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Heifer tried to calf during the night. One leg folded back. She had it out far enough that the umbilical cord had broeken but just couldn;t get the bent over shoulder out. She had it far enough that the shoulder was locked up in the vagina. DAM, but so it goes
 
Hate when that happens.
Had a heifer last year that had one with just the elbow hung on pelvic rim - if I'd found her earlier, would have saved the calf.
Second cow to calve this week had the same deal - found her with one leg out and nose showing. Gave her an hour - no progress; drove her to the barn and pulled the calf - came pretty easy once I got that second leg straightened out.
 
We had one on Saturday. Watched her on the camera for an hour without making any progress. The calf had one leg up above its nose. Straightened it out and it was a very easy pull. She'd have had it herself otherwise.
 
Except for the leg she would have had this one ok too. Don;t know how much good it would have done since she went into labor on a sheet of ice. Neighbor lost a calf this morning that came out ok but died from the cold and not being able to get up.
 
dun":1p6s630s said:
Except for the leg she would have had this one ok too. Don;t know how much good it would have done since she went into labor on a sheet of ice. Neighbor lost a calf this morning that came out ok but died from the cold and not being able to get up.

As you know, it was nasty last night Dun! We pulled our youngest calves into pens with their dams, and the rest of the group slept in the barn (their choice). This is a nasty blow that winter has thrown us, since we were warming up last week! How much snow did you get? We got almost 5 inches, AFTER the sleet and freezing rain fell. Negative temps last night and tonight!
We are dealing with all the calves 30 days or younger scouring right now....so I suspect viral and this screwy weather.
Sorry to hear you lost one Dun, that is always tough!
 
I have no idea who much we got, the way the wind was howling most everything on this ridge was swept clean except for an inch or so of snow on top of the ice. Got some pretty serious drifts off the ridge though. This heifer hadn't shown any real signs of getting close. A little loose, no mucucs or milk and hanging around with the yearlings like always. If we would have suspected anything we would have set up a shelter of some sort to get her out of the ice and wind.
 
I had one with a back leg out, nothing else. I watch my cows closely, called my vet to help. Got it out alive, but it never got up and died. Have lost an unbelieveable, for me, 5 so far. All born alive, just couldn't keep them that way short of having a heated barn big enough to hold 50. gs
 
This has been a strange year so far. I never pull calves, in the last 10 years I pulled one or two calves. So far this year two hard pulls. One nose first, one backwards.
 
I assume you pulled the calf and the heifer is alright? Will you keep her and breed her again?
 
wade":1xhhp2tz said:
I assume you pulled the calf and the heifer is alright? Will you keep her and breed her again?
Still debating on that. She's a really well bred heifer and comes from a long line of power cows. There's a guy that want to buy a bunch of our cows to put embryos in so it may depend on how many he takes. Without some cows around here I woudl go totaaly nuts (instead of just the little bit nuts I am anyway). We're down to about a dozen and half give or take 1 or 2. If we get rid of many more I'll either have to start baling selling hay or lease out grazing. This farm can support 75 head with MIG and not have to feed much hay in the winter. The other farm about the same but I rent it out for grazing.
 
we had a heifer go into labor late nite.found her on the cow check.brought her up had a leg turned under an coming backards.so brother got the leg out an pulled a live calf.
 
Yeah, worst start to a calving season I've ever had.
Too many calves spending the night in my laundry room this past week.

1st-calf heifer didn't want her calf - took being penned up with it for nearly a week before she decided she loved it.
3-yr old sister to the heifer above had to have her calf pulled (elbow hung) he was 'slow' and took at least 3 days to figure out how to nurse; cow retained placenta and moped around losing weight for 3 or 4 days, till it turned loose - still looks like death on a cracker, but improving.
Cow laid down in the snow Monday afternoon and spit out twins - 69# heifer, 92# bull; didn't do much to clean 'em up, and they were freezing. Brought all three to the barn/house, milked cow & tubed calves; took the bull calf a couple of days to straighten his legs and figure out how to nurse on his own.
Now, this morning, new calf milling around the cows at the hayring; dam, a 10-yr old experienced cow is up the hill at the 'nursery', eating her placenta, and trying to claim another cow's 5-day old calf. She's convinced this new baby is not hers. Drove 'em up to the barn, chuted her, and the calf nursed vigorously. Have them penned up in a small area, but she still thinks 'her' calf is out in the field.
6 more due any second now, then a second wave in 3 weeks.
At least six of the cows that have calved so far did it without fanfare or issue; don't know how many more issues I can deal with...
4WD is out on the farm minitruck, so I'm having to do all this chasing/weighing on foot; will have to drag the truck back up to the house with the tractor tonight.

Birthweights are running high - I've never weighed any of my live calves before, but we're doing a progeny-test breeding for some folks, and have to collect birth weights on the SH-sired calves. Most are running in the 90-95 lb range, had one at 105(but she had a dead 100+ pounder by the current Angus sire several years ago) yesterday. Much bigger than we've seen by some of the same sires we've used in the past. Confirms to me that extended cold temps in the last month or two will really translate into increased birth weights.
 
We haven;t had higher BWs, but that I know of 2 malpresentations. The first was the backwards calf, if I hadn;t happened to get there right after it had slipped out and the cow stood up it would have been one of those all cleaned up and shiny but dead calves. Then the leg folded back and under the chin. 3 more to go this year and I hope they all go well. If they come on time we will have about a 45 day calving season. The ones that calved so far (AI within a week and half) then the ones bred to the cleanup bull 3 weeks later.
 
Wow.. that's awful luck you folk have been having.. I better be on my toes if this is a widespread thing... Really hope the weather smartens up for all of you.. and the cows smartening up too
 
dun":3pe7fonn said:
Heifer tried to calf during the night. One leg folded back. She had it out far enough that the umbilical cord had broeken but just couldn;t get the bent over shoulder out. She had it far enough that the shoulder was locked up in the vagina. DAM, but so it goes

Sorry you lost the calf Dun. No matter how many come without problem it's always tough to lose one. So far this go round I've been blessed. The mud they're in is the next issue.

fitz
 
fitz":2zm24au9 said:
dun":2zm24au9 said:
Heifer tried to calf during the night. One leg folded back. She had it out far enough that the umbilical cord had broeken but just couldn;t get the bent over shoulder out. She had it far enough that the shoulder was locked up in the vagina. DAM, but so it goes

Sorry you lost the calf Dun. No matter how many come without problem it's always tough to lose one. So far this go round I've been blessed. The mud they're in is the next issue.

fitz
What really sucked was it was the first calf from our bull and a heifer to boot. We've had mostly bulls.
 
Pulled a backwards one here today, got it alive thankfully. It was a cow that we noticed this morning, both of us thought 'she's going to calve today'. We kept an eye on her all day and she never really did anything. Put a heifer in the barn and had to help her around 4:30 and then went out and decided that we should bring her in and check things out, I had a feeling. Sure enough it was backwards and it was not up in the birth canal either. DH got it up and put the chains on and we had to use the puller to get her out. She's OK but a little slow to get going.
 
Backwards presentations, including breech births are the #1 cause of lost calves here, but haven't lost a cow to it yet (fingers crossed!)I had 1 backward and 1 twin breech last year, lost the twin.. It seems like there is a degree of heredity in backwards presentations... I have several cows who've had 2 or 3, but many have never had one.. don't really see how it would be heredity, but who knows
 

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