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Breeding / Calving Issues
Got the first loss out of the way
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<blockquote data-quote="Chris H" data-source="post: 1085853" data-attributes="member: 1974"><p>I don't know why, but if we're going to lose a calf it seems it's almost always the first of the season. Had a 2 year old that I've been watching a few days. I put her in a pasture with the weaned heifers by the house so we could spot her quickly. I cleaned a pen in the barn last night because bad weather is heading this way, left her outside. Husband went out to feed this morning and there she was, calving. The calf was halfway out and the sack was still over his head. As far out as he was I think the umbilical cord was shut off and with the sack over his head, he suffocated. He was a big hipped calf, but not hiplocked. I think she just took a breather from pushing at that point and the calf suffocated within a few minutes. No signs of distress during calving, no fecal matter in the amniotic fluid, calf's tongue extended but not swollen, no swelling of the calf's head. If we checked on her 15 minutes later we probably would have found her standing over a dead calf with no idea why the calf was dead. </p><p>I've seen calves survive in that position just fine, but only if the sack is off their face. Usually if we have to pull a calf we'll take a break at that point to get the calf breathing and readjust the chains on a big calf. There's consolation in being reasonably sure as to why the calf was dead.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Chris H, post: 1085853, member: 1974"] I don't know why, but if we're going to lose a calf it seems it's almost always the first of the season. Had a 2 year old that I've been watching a few days. I put her in a pasture with the weaned heifers by the house so we could spot her quickly. I cleaned a pen in the barn last night because bad weather is heading this way, left her outside. Husband went out to feed this morning and there she was, calving. The calf was halfway out and the sack was still over his head. As far out as he was I think the umbilical cord was shut off and with the sack over his head, he suffocated. He was a big hipped calf, but not hiplocked. I think she just took a breather from pushing at that point and the calf suffocated within a few minutes. No signs of distress during calving, no fecal matter in the amniotic fluid, calf's tongue extended but not swollen, no swelling of the calf's head. If we checked on her 15 minutes later we probably would have found her standing over a dead calf with no idea why the calf was dead. I've seen calves survive in that position just fine, but only if the sack is off their face. Usually if we have to pull a calf we'll take a break at that point to get the calf breathing and readjust the chains on a big calf. There's consolation in being reasonably sure as to why the calf was dead. [/QUOTE]
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