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Getting a little panicky and need some guidance
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<blockquote data-quote="oakrunfarm" data-source="post: 749120" data-attributes="member: 10984"><p>***UPDATE***</p><p></p><p>Well, this certainly was "interesting." Baptism by fire for us with our first calving.</p><p></p><p>We decided to keep all three heifers together in the large grassy pasture away from the pond, shed and sloping area. (In the feed store on Sat., we overheard a farmer say "the calf was fine when I went to bed, and then I found it drowned in the pond in the morning.") That probably had an influence on our decision! </p><p></p><p>We began checking the cow every 1 - 3 hours from Sunday night through Monday afternoon, and then every 1 - 2 hours Monday eve. At 1 a.m. Tues. , she began showing signs - tail switching, pacing, kicking at belly, some discharge. </p><p></p><p>At around 2 a.m., water broke, and then... Nothing. Over an hour of hard straining, and tip of hoof and nose. We called the vet, who decided she needed her beauty sleep and we had to do it ourselves. The cow was up and down, but we were able to get a chain over the one leg and husband could feel the other hoof close to the opening. We pulled and she pushed and still no progress. Another hour had gone by at this time. </p><p></p><p>Called vet again. She did not call us back, but instead called the vet clinic's "midwife" - a man who has helped us with horses before and really knows his stuff. He arrived around 6 a.m. Calf's elbow was hooked down under the opening of the vulva, and he was unable to get a chain around the other leg. His helper, a much smaller man, finally got the second leg hooked with a chain, and the calf arrived at around 6:30. HUGE bull calf that could never have been delivered without intervention for a first calf heifer. (They estimated weight at 100+. Normal birth weights for Belted Galloway bull calves is 70-75.) </p><p></p><p>I was actually surprised that he was alive, because his head had been wedged in the birth canal for hours, and we had watched his tongue go from barely protruding to sticking all the way out and swollen. While cow was still down, she was flushed and given oxytocin. It was apparent the calf had some aspiration of fluids, so we hooked him up over the fence with head down, and rubbed him down, and then took him to mama. She licked him all over and mooed repeatedly to him. </p><p></p><p>For the first 12 hours, he laid flat and did not move. Luckily, overnight temps were in the 40's, but he still got chilled and was shivering. He stopped shivering when the sun came up, and got a bit livelier, but still could not stand. He was given colostrum via an esophogeal tube feeder 2x yesterday, LA200 and Dex for the swelling, and has been steadily improving, but still could not stand. </p><p></p><p>During the night last night, he kept trying to stand, and this morning was on his sternum instead of flat out. At 8:30 a.m., he took his milk replacement from a bottle instead of the tube. He continues trying to stand and is making headway. He can get up on the back feet, but not the front yet. We're making plans to milk the cow later today if he does not stand and nurse. </p><p></p><p>Thank you everyone for the help and suggestions. We are cautiously optimistic and saying prayers of thanks he has made it this far despite our being less than well-prepared. It has been driven home the need to have basics (and not-so-basics) on hand and to have someone who can help available. There is no way that just the two of us (husband and I) could have pulled the calf without help (or a jack, etc.) </p><p></p><p>Keep your fingers crossed for "Porky." <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="oakrunfarm, post: 749120, member: 10984"] ***UPDATE*** Well, this certainly was "interesting." Baptism by fire for us with our first calving. We decided to keep all three heifers together in the large grassy pasture away from the pond, shed and sloping area. (In the feed store on Sat., we overheard a farmer say "the calf was fine when I went to bed, and then I found it drowned in the pond in the morning.") That probably had an influence on our decision! We began checking the cow every 1 - 3 hours from Sunday night through Monday afternoon, and then every 1 - 2 hours Monday eve. At 1 a.m. Tues. , she began showing signs - tail switching, pacing, kicking at belly, some discharge. At around 2 a.m., water broke, and then... Nothing. Over an hour of hard straining, and tip of hoof and nose. We called the vet, who decided she needed her beauty sleep and we had to do it ourselves. The cow was up and down, but we were able to get a chain over the one leg and husband could feel the other hoof close to the opening. We pulled and she pushed and still no progress. Another hour had gone by at this time. Called vet again. She did not call us back, but instead called the vet clinic's "midwife" - a man who has helped us with horses before and really knows his stuff. He arrived around 6 a.m. Calf's elbow was hooked down under the opening of the vulva, and he was unable to get a chain around the other leg. His helper, a much smaller man, finally got the second leg hooked with a chain, and the calf arrived at around 6:30. HUGE bull calf that could never have been delivered without intervention for a first calf heifer. (They estimated weight at 100+. Normal birth weights for Belted Galloway bull calves is 70-75.) I was actually surprised that he was alive, because his head had been wedged in the birth canal for hours, and we had watched his tongue go from barely protruding to sticking all the way out and swollen. While cow was still down, she was flushed and given oxytocin. It was apparent the calf had some aspiration of fluids, so we hooked him up over the fence with head down, and rubbed him down, and then took him to mama. She licked him all over and mooed repeatedly to him. For the first 12 hours, he laid flat and did not move. Luckily, overnight temps were in the 40's, but he still got chilled and was shivering. He stopped shivering when the sun came up, and got a bit livelier, but still could not stand. He was given colostrum via an esophogeal tube feeder 2x yesterday, LA200 and Dex for the swelling, and has been steadily improving, but still could not stand. During the night last night, he kept trying to stand, and this morning was on his sternum instead of flat out. At 8:30 a.m., he took his milk replacement from a bottle instead of the tube. He continues trying to stand and is making headway. He can get up on the back feet, but not the front yet. We're making plans to milk the cow later today if he does not stand and nurse. Thank you everyone for the help and suggestions. We are cautiously optimistic and saying prayers of thanks he has made it this far despite our being less than well-prepared. It has been driven home the need to have basics (and not-so-basics) on hand and to have someone who can help available. There is no way that just the two of us (husband and I) could have pulled the calf without help (or a jack, etc.) Keep your fingers crossed for "Porky." :) [/QUOTE]
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