DavisBeefmasters
Well-known member
Got home from work and our only spring calving cow was in labor... water bag out, off by herself, walking backwards, walking forwards, etc.
I first saw 2 hooves peek out at about 7:20 p.m. --> from reading a lot of these threads, I looked at my watch and mentally told myself okay, need to see progress in about an hour or I'm going to have to see what's going on.
8:20 p.m. - still just 2 hooves peeking out and sucking back in, but with a good push I can see that the walking surface of the hooves is towards the sky, not the ground... something which this board has made me alert to watch out for... ;-) THANKS TO ALL WHO POST!
8:30 p.m. - she lays down and is pushing which allows me to get up near her and check it out... walking surface of the hooves definitely pointed up towards the sky... after further investigation... no head... back legs and a tail!!!!! This is new to me as well.
8:35 p.m. - call the vet and tell him what we're up to, he says to give her another 45 minutes, but will likely have to pull the baby -- luckily in backwards but won't have to be flipped around.
9:15 p.m. - no progress, I call the vet again (since hubby is out of town and I'm on my own)... he says to get in there and pull it... pull straight back until I have hips then straight back and down... but warns me that once I have hips out that I have very limited time as the umbilical cord would be pinched off by the rib cage versus momma's pelvic bone
9:30 p.m. -- finally finishing locking the other cows away from me (some of them are solid black and a little irritable at me in the pasture with a flashlight) :shock:
9:35 p.m. -- momma lays down, begins to push, I help pull when she pushes and hold the calf from slipping back inside between pushes... and voila! Baby on the ground 5 minutes later... once the hips were out, baby and all were on the ground within seconds... momma got up within a few minutes and started cleaning it up... baby stood up and was attempting to nurse within about 20 minutes
A first for me!
I first saw 2 hooves peek out at about 7:20 p.m. --> from reading a lot of these threads, I looked at my watch and mentally told myself okay, need to see progress in about an hour or I'm going to have to see what's going on.
8:20 p.m. - still just 2 hooves peeking out and sucking back in, but with a good push I can see that the walking surface of the hooves is towards the sky, not the ground... something which this board has made me alert to watch out for... ;-) THANKS TO ALL WHO POST!
8:30 p.m. - she lays down and is pushing which allows me to get up near her and check it out... walking surface of the hooves definitely pointed up towards the sky... after further investigation... no head... back legs and a tail!!!!! This is new to me as well.
8:35 p.m. - call the vet and tell him what we're up to, he says to give her another 45 minutes, but will likely have to pull the baby -- luckily in backwards but won't have to be flipped around.
9:15 p.m. - no progress, I call the vet again (since hubby is out of town and I'm on my own)... he says to get in there and pull it... pull straight back until I have hips then straight back and down... but warns me that once I have hips out that I have very limited time as the umbilical cord would be pinched off by the rib cage versus momma's pelvic bone
9:30 p.m. -- finally finishing locking the other cows away from me (some of them are solid black and a little irritable at me in the pasture with a flashlight) :shock:
9:35 p.m. -- momma lays down, begins to push, I help pull when she pushes and hold the calf from slipping back inside between pushes... and voila! Baby on the ground 5 minutes later... once the hips were out, baby and all were on the ground within seconds... momma got up within a few minutes and started cleaning it up... baby stood up and was attempting to nurse within about 20 minutes
A first for me!
