Long day

[gcreekrch]

Was a long day and finished the afternoon with this. Cow was acting like she was calving yestersay. Water bag today with no opening of uterus more than one foot and my hand could get through after several hours. Calf has to be a month early, will see if it survives.
Did I mention the cow is a rotten bi&$@?

 

[kenny thomas]

You da man. Hope they do good.

 

[Silver]

Nice work Sir!

 

[RDFF]

You did GREAT! Looks like you've got a nice facility to accomplish it in too.

Can't help but look at this pic though, and ask, "Wouldn't it be nice if the post at the rear there, and the end of the top green gate were out of your way?" Consider if that double black vertical was back behind you enough to create a plenty long "vet cage"... let's say maybe 4' or so. And the door of the vet cage came forward to just ahead of her back leg (so the green gates were somewhat shorter). That'd leave her whole rear quarter, from just behind her hooks, exposed, and you wouldn't have any posts or anything in your way. You could have the post/frame for the back end of that front top gate come down at about the hooks there, down to the bottom gate, then run back to where the post currently is, and then down to the ground. That way, you'd still have full access through that bottom panel to her whole bottom end... but the stuff up above that would be totally out of your way for doing what you're doing here in this pic. Or, that "double post" could run up at an angle from the top of the bottom gate, up toward her hooks, and then up to the frame above the unit. The point would be to get everything out of your way for working, there at the back end, once you've gotten the animal in the "chute".

 

[gcreekrch]

You did GREAT! Looks like you've got a nice facility to accomplish it in too.

Can't help but look at this pic though, and ask, "Wouldn't it be nice if the post at the rear there, and the end of the top green gate were out of your way?" Consider if that double black vertical was back behind you enough to create a plenty long "vet cage"... let's say maybe 4' or so. And the door of the vet cage came forward to just ahead of her back leg (so the green gates were somewhat shorter). That'd leave her whole rear quarter, from just behind her hooks, exposed, and you wouldn't have any posts or anything in your way. You could have the post/frame for the back end of that front top gate come down at about the hooks there, down to the bottom gate, then run back to where the post currently is, and then down to the ground. That way, you'd still have full access through that bottom panel to her whole bottom end... but the stuff up above that would be totally out of your way for doing what you're doing here in this pic. Or, that "double post" could run up at an angle from the top of the bottom gate, up toward her hooks, and then up to the frame above the unit. The point would be to get everything out of your way for working, there at the back end, once you've gotten the animal in the "chute".
View attachment 66135

Those double posts are part of the frame for those gates. Removing them would take away a huge % of the structural strength of that whole side. They are also handy for tying a leg back should one want to kick. Unless the cow or heifer is really rank or calf is backwards I only use the headgate to put chains on. Most calves are pulled with a rope on the chains and mom loose in the barn alley.
There is a removable panel that is hinged on the black frame.

 

[RDFF]

This is roughly what I was suggesting (sorry for the incredibly poor artwork on the bovine!). The point would be, you wouldn't have any posts in your way when working then. The main "frame post" would just be "bent" instead of straight up and down. The gates could still be openable. I've often thought that this is more how they ought to build a vet cage onto the back end of a squeeze chute, for the same reason.

 

[MurraysMutts]

I'm always amazed a cow will stay standing for a procedure like that. You have some amazing skills my friend!

 

[gcreekrch]

I'm always amazed a cow will stay standing for a procedure like that. You have some amazing skills my friend!

They don’t feel much if anything Murray and I’m not much more than an hour start to finish. Thank you.

 

[Travlr]

They don’t feel much if anything Murray and I’m not much more than an hour start to finish. Thank you.

What do you use for a pain killer/anesthetic? Is it prescription?

 

[gcreekrch]

What do you use for a pain killer/anesthetic? Is it prescription?

All drugs are prescription here. Lidocaine.