I saw it....

[gcreekrch]

....but I'm still not sure I believe it.

Heifer calved completely unassisted. Calf came frontwards and fully upside down. Thought I might have to intervene but she was doing so well that nature took it's course.

Wonder how many more malpresentations are successfully born unassisted and not witnessed?

 

[Triangle Bar]

It probably happens every once in a while and we're none the wiser.

I watched a cow have a breech calf one day. I was hiding behind a tree with the chains but she had it so rapidly, I didn't have to do a thing.

 

[Anonymous]

My Vet used to say that he thought the same- that there were quite a number more malpresentations than we ever thought....Sometimes the reason we found calves that never moved- if they were breach/backwards and hung up a little they may have drowned before being born...

I know I've saw backward calves coming- went to get the chains- and the calf was on the ground by the time I got back...
One reason I love calving ease sires- especially with heifers....One morning my wife drove thru the cows at 6AM and told me 54U looked like she may calve- I went out an hour later just to see her squirt out the Prime Time D806 sired bull calf- that was coming backwards... I ran over and cleared its nose- and by the time I got thru the new momma was up handling the job...

 

[101]

gcreekrch I had a few late cows sorted off in a creek pasture that didn't always get checked regulary one spring, I was doing something else and drove by the pasture and this old cow had the calfs head out and she was just eating green grass, it head was all dry just looking around, Well I went back and got a horse and when I got back it was out and ok, I'm sure it had both legs back, he looked to be about 85# -90# she was a big old cow tho ?? Good luck 101

 

[D/B Cattle]

Found an abnormal presentation last Thursday in the form of a
uterine torsion.
Never seen or heard of such a thing. After 6 hrs of work trying a uterine rod,
plank walking the cows belly, and finally a c-section, we retrieved the dead 125
lbs calf. Disappointing but experience filled day

 

[gcreekrch]

Found an abnormal presentation last Thursday in the form of a
uterine torsion.
Never seen or heard of such a thing. After 6 hrs of work trying a uterine rod,
plank walking the cows belly, and finally a c-section, we retrieved the dead 125
lbs calf. Disappointing but experience filled day

Had a few over the years, starting with a C-section usually winds up with a better end result.

 

[Aladar]

If you are really good and have help, drop the cow with a couple half hitches. Stick an arm in to hold the calf and uterus, have 2 people grab the cows legs and roll her over in the proper direction.

Takes 3 good men, but I was on the legs to roll the cow about 40 years ago.

No C section needed. Calf came normal as soon as the torsion was relieved.

 

[rancherfred]

When you calve in good weather the cattle can work a lot longer on a calf before intervention is needed. We have been calving out on pasture for several years now and I know that we have had several calves born backwards without a problem. I was out working calves last year and saw a cow with the calf presented backward. I figured that I would finish up what I was doing and then check to see if she needed an assist. The calf was up and nursing by the time I got back to her less than an hour later. A second one was actually born on top of a prairie dog hole. When he came out the cow shoved him right down the hole. Thankfully that one was born backwards because he was still alive. Unless there is a leg back I don't think there is much reason to worry about a cow being able to have a calf presented wrong. That is with the caveat of the weather being decent. If she is having him in the middle of a blizzard standing in a mud hole then there is probably reason to get the calf out as quickly as possible.