• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

Calving Questions

Cowboy Up

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 3, 2008
Messages
54
Location
Waller, Texas
My boss has left me in charge of the ranch for the rest of the week and he has 3 cows that are really close to calving. Do yall have any advice if they were to give birth while he was away? Are there anythings I should watch for?
 
Well that is a loaded question....I think you'd be better off posting WHEN you run into a problem or call a vet....there are lots of things that can go wrong, but for the most part just sit back and watch em as usually things go very smoothly!

But when the ole girl is calving and all you see coming out is a nose and a tail....then you got some major issues!! haha

Oh and watch out for that after birth! It's a killer....just ask soapweed!!

hell just looked up the location of Waller....just call Jersey...she'd come over N' help you she's quite the lil gal...she can't be far from ya. :P :lol: :lol: :D
 
the biggest thing that I'm worried about, because Ive seen it happen a few times is either the calf gets stuck or only 1 leg comes out, and is it a bad idea to try and remove afterbirth?
 
Cowboy Up said:
the biggest thing that I'm worried about, because Ive seen it happen is either the calf gets stuck or only 1 leg comes out, and is it a bad idea to try and remove afterbirth?

Call the vet if there is only 1 leg, or just the head with no feet, or just a tail or nothing at all. Don't ever remove the afterbirth, the cotyledons (calf side of placenta) and caruncles (cow side of the placenta) are meshed together like snaps. You have to know what you are doing to "unsnap" them. Let her "clean" herself (lose the placenta herself). If she doesn't "clean" and you aren't familiar with what to do, call the vet.
 
Oh I said that about the after birth, because Soapweed had two cows choke and die on it this year within like a few weeks of each other!! But like Hanta Yo said...I wouldn't touch it....that was a freak deal Soapweed had and usually the afterbirth causes no problems at all.
 
There's nothing like hands on experience to figure these things out. If you have facilities (like a squeeze ) and some basic tools (pullers, obstetric chains, obs. gloves, etc. ) you can manage most of it, if it's something simple ( calf coming straight, heads out or close to out but she's just not getting it done, or the calf has one leg back).
If a leg is back and the head hasn't appeared it's not much of a trick to push it back a bit, cup the foot in your hand and bring it out. If you need to hook the puller up, put the chain loops just under the dewclaws and give another half hitch a little lower down. Take your time when pulling, keep the puller high and take a bit of a strain and wait until she pushes. When she pushes, push the puller downwards. When she stops straining, raise the puller and take up the slack again, repeat as requ'd. It's a good idea to kinda rotate the calf as it comes, helps prevent hiplock.
When it hits the ground make sure it breathes. I generally grab a piece of straw or some such and stick it up a nostril and tickle it around a bit until it does a kind of sneeze. That usually means it's on its way.
Of course, don't be afraid to ask for help, it's good to have experience there to advise you. But getting your own hands in there is the only way to get the experience required.
 
Be patient and let mother nature do all the work. The cows are designed to have calves and calving problems are quite rare when it gets right down to it. Having said that, make sure you pay attention and ask for help if you are not sure. The next rancher over is usually a great resource as is your vet and there is a pretty impressive brain trust here on ranchers. I would suggest that most here would always defer to your vet, however.
 
Cowboy Up.....the way I see it,your boss trusts you,thats why he felt comfortable leaving you in charge.....now you just have to trust yourself :)
 
My cow just gave birth and the calve was backwards. If the feet come out upside down, you or a vet needs to take action. I noticed that about 36 hours before she gave brith, she looked like she was holding her breath. If you notice that, then she is getting close. She will be very loose in the back end and her bag will be very large. She will seperate from the herd also. GOOD LUCK!!! :D
 
I just got back from there and the one that looks most pregnant was the farthest from the herd and If she was bred right before sale like the man said she was, she is really close
 
Here's a good publication from Oregon State. Not any better than what most people here could give you, though.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/ec/ec1370/

Here's my number one piece of advice:

MOST of the time, the cow won't need you, so be sure and give her plenty of space. If she can see you, hear you, or smell you, chances are you are slowing things down.
 
This is their 3rd or 4th calving, but if they have had trouble before, we have no idea. We bought them at an auction around october, they had just had calves about a month or so before, and a bull managed to break the fence were they were. The only reason we know that is we had to call the previous owner to get the calves registered.
 
Lean on the cows experience a little and if trouble arises you will just have to "Cowboy Up"! Give yourself some credit here, as Mrs. Greg says... Your boss has the confidence in you to leave you with the responsibility. He knows you can do it.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top