Putangitangi
Well-known member
Yesterday a two-year-old heifer went into labor, standing and walking around with her tail out, lying down pushing, etc. She didn't appear to be expelling any mucus. She was in my insemination mob during mating, so no access to a bull and I inseminated her on 14 Feb, which made this day 258 of her pregnancy. She only had as much udder development as I expected for a heifer still 2-3 weeks out from calving. Knowing something was wrong I called my vet to come and help. I've had a couple of dead calves this season and this looked likely to be another late-term death and I wanted to get whatever PM tests/exam we could to attempt to nail down a problem.
Vet noted that the heifer was really tight vaginally/vulvally and that while she was definitely in labor, her cervix wasn't much dilated or softened either. The calf was alive. Because the cervix wouldn't stretch and he couldn't get a chain around the head to ensure it followed the feet out to help, we eventually decided on a C-section and the calf came out the side door. A live heifer, looking quite a good size (by the end of it all we really didn't have time to set up the scales, but I'll put her over them today or tomorrow for an estimate) - I could carry her, so she'll be around 55# at a guess.
What makes a heifer go into labor before she's ready or before sufficient signalling between calf and mother has occurred?
It was a pretty dirty operation, but the vet gives her a 90% chance of survival. I don't know what to think about her future yet; I guess I'll wait and see if she even has one to decide about. So far she's talking to the calf, tentatively licking it, but I'll have to feed it at least to start with, since I don't think she has the milk yet. I wonder if it'll come, now there's no pregnancy?
Any thoughts, please? This is a new one on me. It's been a pretty nasty calving season with more problems than usual (although still vastly in the minority). The heifers which have calved on their own have done so with ease and been great mothers.
Vet noted that the heifer was really tight vaginally/vulvally and that while she was definitely in labor, her cervix wasn't much dilated or softened either. The calf was alive. Because the cervix wouldn't stretch and he couldn't get a chain around the head to ensure it followed the feet out to help, we eventually decided on a C-section and the calf came out the side door. A live heifer, looking quite a good size (by the end of it all we really didn't have time to set up the scales, but I'll put her over them today or tomorrow for an estimate) - I could carry her, so she'll be around 55# at a guess.
What makes a heifer go into labor before she's ready or before sufficient signalling between calf and mother has occurred?
It was a pretty dirty operation, but the vet gives her a 90% chance of survival. I don't know what to think about her future yet; I guess I'll wait and see if she even has one to decide about. So far she's talking to the calf, tentatively licking it, but I'll have to feed it at least to start with, since I don't think she has the milk yet. I wonder if it'll come, now there's no pregnancy?
Any thoughts, please? This is a new one on me. It's been a pretty nasty calving season with more problems than usual (although still vastly in the minority). The heifers which have calved on their own have done so with ease and been great mothers.