How long is too long?

[AL-beef]

We have a cow calving, having her 2nd calf, and her water broke about 1:30pm. It is 7pm now. Since then we have seen nothing. She is having regular contractions, still up and moving, but no calf parts have shown. How long before I need to intervene.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Now would be a good time.

 

[AL-beef]

I was afraid you were going to say that. Off to the thicket with a rope.

 

[randiliana]

Once the water breaks she should have the calf within 1/2 hour. 1 hour tops...

 

[Isomade]

Well???

 

[AL-beef]

She finally laid down in the thicket about 11PM and I eased up and roped her. After dragging several bushes and everything else she could wrap me and that rope around I left and came back at daylight to find the dead calf hanging out of her. With help we roped and held her while I pulled the calf on out. I bought this cow bred and it was evidently to something that throws very big calves. She is doing ok now, sore and swollen, but back to her friendly self. I'm learning the hard expensive way. No local vet doesn't help.
I gave her a shot of La200 and keeping her up a while to keep a eye on her.

 

[hillbillycwo]

Did she pass the after birth? If not you will need to treat her for that. Sorry to hear about your luck. May the rest go smoother.

 

[AL-beef]

Immediately after the calf pulled out it seemed like 10 gals of fluid, membrane like part of the sack , and I think maybe some intestine from the calf came out(it's abdomen stretched open). Several small amounts of fluid after that, nothing since. How would she be treated for that if not ? I do have a vet that will come out, but it's a 2 hour trip for them and no after hours.

 

[AL-beef]

Do realize I had 2 local cattlemen come over before I posted here. One said wait 8 hours, the other actually rode down with me to check her. He said awww she looks fine leave her till morning and she will have had it. Well he was half right. His last words before he left were "Just so you know, if something bad happens, you can call the county. They'll come out and bury it for free." :bang:
Not that I'm bashing at all cause they were sincerly trying to help. Just kinda had to vent a little.

 

[hillbillycwo]

I am sure you have already done this but call your vet and tel him what has happened and he can recomend a uterine bolus (think that is what it is called). Good luck.

 

[Lon]

She finally laid down in the thicket about 11PM and I eased up and roped her. After dragging several bushes and everything else she could wrap me and that rope around I left and came back at daylight to find the dead calf hanging out of her. With help we roped and held her while I pulled the calf on out. I bought this cow bred and it was evidently to something that throws very big calves. She is doing ok now, sore and swollen, but back to her friendly self. I'm learning the hard expensive way. No local vet doesn't help.
I gave her a shot of La200 and keeping her up a while to keep a eye on her.

next time you have to rope one with and dont have a horse here we just put on coveralls and sit down. most cows play out quick even the worse one can only pull 300 or so yards before they play out because they are tired from trying to calf and cant be easy to run then tie to bumber of pickup and grab her tail ti[ her over and you can usually do what ya have to cause she is tired. i know not ideal situation but it does work when you have no corrals or other choice.

 

[highgrit]

Lon that would be a great video, you must be under 40 and still think your bullet proof. More power to ya, go getem.

 

[AL-beef]

Yeah I left out the part about me having my foot already in a cast during all of this. I intended to wrap a tree when I past one. She evidently knew that, cause she headed for the briers instead. A 40 year old tied to a cow skiing through the briers on a cast, now thats a video. Now that shes not calving I can walk up and rub on her again. i know I can't expect that when calving now though. hillbillycwo I'm waiting on him to call back, thanks.
Thanks for the advice and info all.

 

[Suzie Q]

AL-beef here is a post for you:- viewtopic.php?f=6&t=69359&p=815821&hilit=deer#p815821

 

[regolith]

For not having facilities to work with, it sounds like you did all you could.

Tying her off to a tree or fencepost is what I would have done. I had one last year though - backwards calf; I watched it die. Heifer was in an open flat paddock and I managed to sneak up on her and get the ropes on the calf all right, but her temperament wasn't the best. Long story short, she finally collapsed with calving paralysis (after 20 - 30 minutes) and I pulled the now dead, very large bull calf out. If she hadn't started limping and then gone down I'd probably have had to take the whole group into the yards to get her to stand still.
Trying to pull a calving cow in the direction of a fencepost or vehicle is great fun - sometimes it works. I think Lon might be a bit bigger and heavier in relation to the cow than some of us.


Was that a deformed calf? Just curious about the 'maybe some intestine', I've seen a couple of calves born wiht their intestines hanging out; they don't live.

 

[rockridgecattle]

Ok, I've had a bit of a rough day, so what i am going to say is so going to be rough around the edges...Apology up front!

If your gonna have cows....GET A WORKING FACILITY....does not have to cost an arm and a leg! You don't need to be a commercial producer to have some sort of penning.
For those who say it costs to much, you can buy 4-5 panels, some posts and a head gate. Get a rope and a few other things..and volia the ability to run the cow up and save the calf.
Dead calf don't pay for much...

again, my apologies for the bluntness.

sorry to hear about the loss of the calf

 

[Lon]

Lon that would be a great video, you must be under 40 and still think your bullet proof. More power to ya, go getem.

:lol2: :lol2: yes 27 now been a few years since had to do it but have done my fair share of it. but when you dont have any corrals and a cow is having trouble you do what ya have to and what told when old man says when i was your age we did this. like i said not ideal but does work you will feel it for a bit but have felt worse when bucked off a horse just right so guess its not as bad as some for hurt.

 

[Lon]

For not having facilities to work with, it sounds like you did all you could.

Tying her off to a tree or fencepost is what I would have done. I had one last year though - backwards calf; I watched it die. Heifer was in an open flat paddock and I managed to sneak up on her and get the ropes on the calf all right, but her temperament wasn't the best. Long story short, she finally collapsed with calving paralysis (after 20 - 30 minutes) and I pulled the now dead, very large bull calf out. If she hadn't started limping and then gone down I'd probably have had to take the whole group into the yards to get her to stand still.
Trying to pull a calving cow in the direction of a fencepost or vehicle is great fun - sometimes it works. I think Lon might be a bit bigger and heavier in relation to the cow than some of us.

Was that a deformed calf? Just curious about the 'maybe some intestine', I've seen a couple of calves born wiht their intestines hanging out; they don't live.

i wished i was bigger :nod: :nod: 140lbs sopping wet. never did say pull it to vehicle said sit down once roped the cow will play out fast. but if i was tough enough to pull that cow laying down to where i wanted her i think i would just rope her and start pulling her where i want her. :lol2:

 

[Lon]

Ok, I've had a bit of a rough day, so what i am going to say is so going to be rough around the edges...Apology up front!

If your gonna have cows....GET A WORKING FACILITY....does not have to cost an arm and a leg! You don't need to be a commercial producer to have some sort of penning.
For those who say it costs to much, you can buy 4-5 panels, some posts and a head gate. Get a rope and a few other things..and volia the ability to run the cow up and save the calf.
Dead calf don't pay for much...

again, my apologies for the bluntness.

sorry to hear about the loss of the calf

i imagine everyone would like corrals but i tell you what we did alot of it without them have some now but alot of times if she is handy by a tree it is easier to rope and tie her instead of chasing her pore a$$ all the way to the corral. and then there are some poeple who have alot of cows they are calving out, corrals at home for some heifers and working calves. not everyone calves in thier backyard round here it isnt uncommon to calve out more than a few miles from your house.

 

[AL-beef]

Ok, I've had a bit of a rough day, so what i am going to say is so going to be rough around the edges...Apology up front!

If your gonna have cows....GET A WORKING FACILITY....does not have to cost an arm and a leg! You don't need to be a commercial producer to have some sort of penning.
For those who say it costs to much, you can buy 4-5 panels, some posts and a head gate. Get a rope and a few other things..and volia the ability to run the cow up and save the calf.
Dead calf don't pay for much...

again, my apologies for the bluntness.

sorry to hear about the loss of the calf

Never said I didn't have one. She just wasn't in it, and wasn't willing to let me alone put her there.

Regolith it looked like just a tear in the abdomen, but may have been. The calf was early, she was due first of april.