: <br>: : Suppose you found a cow lying out in the pasture who was<br>: : obviously in labor and apparently having no success in delivering. Is it<br>: : possible to make that cow get up so you can get it into a barn to<br>: : assist it, or does a cow resist moving when in labor? <p>: : Also, Is it always optimal to move a cow and calf into a barn or shelter<br>: : after birth, even if the birth took place unassisted outside? How<br>: : important a role does weather play in that decision? I'm guessing that<br>: : when it's below freezing it's best to take the pair inside and then turn<br>: : them out in second day pens later.<p>: : I spoke with Mack from Texas about these questions (Thanks again, Mack, for all your great e-mails!) <br>: : and he shared that these would probably be judgment call situations and would vary from <br>: : stockman to stockman. <p>: : CJ<p>: CJ<p>: I think Mack is exactly right, its just a judgment call.<br>: If the cow is having trouble and one can get her to the barn where you can provide assistance in the least disruptive way then I think you have improved your chances of getting a healthy calf and can deal with any post calving problems. We have had icy weather lately here in Texas and I have saved 3 calves in a group of 20 cows just because they had shelter, got dried off and reduce the impact of wind chill. I have provided calving assistance in the pasture and moved 'em to the barn. You just evaluate the situation and hope you made the right decision. My first concern is the temperment of the cow. <br>: Mike <p><br>CJ & Mike,<p>I breed a litte earlier and my fall calving was finished in early October. By the time the ice storm hit, the calves were all big enough to handle it. I can empathize with you Mike, that is not a fun time to be out trying to tend to a cow in trouble. All I lost to the ice was trees. One almost got the house but fortunately it missed. CJ, Mike mentioned a very important factor that I only alluded to, and that is the temperament of the cow. If she is wild as a March hare, she is on her own and hope for the best. I tend to cull those kind so I don't think about it that much. Temperament is also related to breeds to a large degree. I had a big Brahman cross heifer that was gentle until she had her second calf. When he was about 3 weeks old, his mamma chased one of my grand kids through the pick-up. They went to the sale barn shortly after that. With the heavy Angus influence in my Brangus herd, I can usually handle the calves the first day without any problems with the cows. As Mike said, you evaluate the situation and hope you are making the right decision. Best to all.<p>Mack<br>
