Pulling a calf ?

[dun]

We used to just time them back up to themselves so they would'nt get stepped on or hung in the brush and let them fall by themselves. Even after a 2 weeks or so and the cow stinks so bad you couldn;t get near her we never had problems with uterine infection. They alwasy bred back but werre usually a little later coming back into heat the first time after calving. I don;t know what mineral causes the problem, we haven't had a retained placenta in the last 15 years. They generally clean within an hour 2 at the most after calving.
This morning we had a cow that was due today lay down for about 5 minutes, really bare down one time and I saw something sticking out so I grabbed the binocs and sure enought, there were the feet. She rolled back up on her brisket and I never saw another contraction, but the calf just oozed out like a sausauge out of a sausage stuffer. Took about two minutes after th hard push and the calf was out. That was the easiest birthing I've ever seen. Calf was only a75 lbs.

dun

 

[Beefy]

i thought it was vitamin E ?...

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Interesting article
http://www.americanfarm.com/Beef management.html

Yep, good article - I stole that one, also, for my newsletter.
I don't agree with giving antibiotics to cows with retained placentas unless they are sick.
Also, I didn't agree with his time frame for intervention, but than he laters talks about helping calving cow sooner for rebreeding, etc.
All in all - good article.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

good article dun. i always figer on waiting 1 hour on cows and 1 1/2 hours on heifers after the feet emerge. seems to work for us.
could anyone fill me in on what you do about retained placentas? i hear a lot of different ideas, clean don't clean just give em a shot, use a uterine bolus, wait till they get hollow eyed i swear you hear a lot of different ideas! just wanting some feedback...
and i was trying to remeber what kind of mineral deficency is most likely to cause a retained placenta but i'm having brain farts again...
i think it's calcium deficency?
bif

I completely agree with Dun - LEAVE THEM ALONE! Don't clean - don't give antibiotics. I do recommend giving a lutalyse shot 10-14 days after calvings just to clean her out.
The repro system is amazing - heals & cares for itself very well. "Bug"s eat away the decaying placenta inside the cow, eating away the attached parts. That's why it is NOT adviseable to give antibiotics - you kill the good bugs that remove the small left over parts. UNLESS, she is sick, than by all means treat - you have to get her healthy, than worry about late breeding.
Lack (or low) SELENIUM will cause retained placentas. I'm sure there are other deficiencies, but that's a big cause. Plus slow labor, dumb sucker calves, white muscle disease in calves, long time coming into heat, poor conception. MANY subtle problems with low selenium.
There are still a lot of vets that recommend cleaning them out, but check with up to date university info.

 

[buckaroo_bif]

thanks everbody. seems like you hear all kinds of ideas on this like i say. one feller i know says clean on the third day. but most the older wiser guys say don't do it! one feller says he gives a big shot of penicillin but i agree with you are saying jeanne better to have good bugs that none at all.
bif