My cow and her calf died suddenly, please help!

[Anonymous]

My two year old cow was in labor in the late Afternoon. In the morning when I fed them she was fine. When I came back in the afternoon I heard all of my cows crying and I went up to check on them. She and the calf were dead and the calf was halfway out and the head was out. I don't know why and i'm afraid for my other pregnant cows. Does any one know anything? Please Help!

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[Anonymous]

So let me get this right..in the afternoon of day 1 she was in labor. Then, in the morning of day 2 she was still in labor and she was 'fine'. Then in the afternoon of day 2, she and calf were dead?

 

[Anonymous]

Heifers sometimes have trouble getting that first calf out. Sometimes the calf is too large, sometimes the heifers reproductive tract is too small, sometimes they just quit trying to push the calf out. If you have other heifers bred with their first calf, you need to check them every couple of hours to see if they are in labor. If they're in labor for three-four hours without getting the calf out, get them to a vet. If you see feet sticking out and they haven't delivered within an hour, get them to a vet or pull the calf. Some breeds have more calving problems than other breeds. Learn about EPDs; they'll help you pick a bull to breed to your cows to make it easier on all of you to get those first calves born alive and healthy. I'm sorry you lost your cow and calf. Good luck...

> My two year old cow was in labor
> in the late Afternoon. In the
> morning when I fed them she was
> fine. When I came back in the
> afternoon I heard all of my cows
> crying and I went up to check on
> them. She and the calf were dead
> and the calf was halfway out and
> the head was out. I don't know why
> and i'm afraid for my other
> pregnant cows. Does any one know
> anything? Please Help!

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[Anonymous]

In my opinion the heifer was down way too long. A leg could have down along side the calf instead of over its head, it could have been just plain too big, etc. When they have trouble like that, I pull the little sucker out (slowley and carefully) as soon as I have something to grab onto. It happens. It is important to watch heifers closely. The first calf is hell on alot of cows. I would not worry about the rest of the herd unless for some reason they are all 2 year olds and new at calving.

> My two year old cow was in labor
> in the late Afternoon. In the
> morning when I fed them she was
> fine. When I came back in the
> afternoon I heard all of my cows
> crying and I went up to check on
> them. She and the calf were dead
> and the calf was halfway out and
> the head was out. I don't know why
> and i'm afraid for my other
> pregnant cows. Does any one know
> anything? Please Help!

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[Anonymous]

> So let me get this right..in the
> afternoon of day 1 she was in
> labor. Then, in the morning of day
> 2 she was still in labor and she
> was 'fine'. Then in the afternoon
> of day 2, she and calf were dead? Never leave a heifer or cow for that matter alone when in labor. As soon as you see the feet get them out pronto!! Do some research to learn about what you are doing, do not let the animal suffer.Educate yourself, alot of unnessary deaths could be avoided with a little education.Seek someone in your area that knows what they are doing .

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[Anonymous]

I had a difficult time with this one -- I read it yesterday. You answered it very well. We don't want to hurt your feelings, BUT, you have livestock & they depend on you to take GOOD care of them. If your daughter told you she was going into labor, wouldn't you DO SOMETHING. Call a vet if you don't know what you are doing. Owning livestock is a responsibility. Jeanne

Simme Valley in NY
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[Anonymous]

I totally agree with you Jeanne. If your cow or heifer is going into labor, you watch her until she has her calf, or call the vet it something is out of your league. They depend on you when something is going wrong and they can't do anything about it. If any cow or heifer hasn't made progress within usually 1 1/2 hours, you need to either call the vet to determine what's wrong, or see what's wrong yourself, and fix it if you know how.

 

[Anonymous]

>If any
> cow or heifer hasn't made progress
> within usually 1 1/2 hours, you
> need to either call the vet to
> determine what's wrong, or see
> what's wrong yourself, and fix it
> if you know how.

The problem there is that the Merck Veterinary Manual says that that timeline only applies for cows -- first time heifers are supposed to be allowed to go at least 24 hours before intervention, if there are no obvious problems such as one hoof out, as labor takes longer the first time around (Merck states that 2-3 DAYS is perfectly normal!).

What can I say -- as a first time cow owner myself, I would follow the instructions given in the Veterinary Manual.

Ann Bledsoe -- Bledsoe's Bunnies Breeder of Quality Satin Show Rabbits

Bledsoe's Bunnies Rabbitry
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[Anonymous]

Well, for everyone that has a Merck Vet Manual - I would mark my book to read, "get help for heifers showing no progress for 1 hour". The universities used to say to give a heifer 2 hours, but now are saying 1 hour. Jeanne

Simme Valley in NY
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[Anonymous]

Is there a better reference to have around, than the Merck Vet Manual?

Ann Bledsoe

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[Anonymous]

Here I thought I was doing so good for her! Having what I thought to be the best reference around -- but it sounds like even with a "common" species like cattle, they can be wrong (they're very wrong on some things about rabbits)

What would be the best reference to have around that would cover a milk cow (jersey), a veal calf (jerseyX), and a beef calf (hereford/angus)?

Thanks Ann Bledsoe

Bledsoe's Bunnies Rabbitry
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[Anonymous]

Give this site a shot "http://searchpdf.adobe.com/" It is a search site for PDF files and darn near anything related to cattle you can think of. Most of the reports/data is from various universities so should be accurate. But remember, as in everything else, there are a lot of opinions on the same subject. I still think your best reference is a GOOD large animal vet.

dunmovin farms

> Here I thought I was doing so good
> for her! Having what I thought to
> be the best reference around --
> but it sounds like even with a
> "common" species like
> cattle, they can be wrong (they're
> very wrong on some things about
> rabbits)

> What would be the best reference
> to have around that would cover a
> milk cow (jersey), a veal calf
> (jerseyX), and a beef calf
> (hereford/angus)?

> Thanks Ann Bledsoe

 

[Anonymous]

>I've been in the cattle business all my life and one of the hardest things to come to grips with is where there are live ones there will most assuredly be dead ones. This is extremely common especially with young heifers.
>
>

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