Calving Assistance

[bjreroberts]

Interested to hear what assistance, if any, people have had to give either during calving or after?

On my small tally I put it at <5% (prolapse), but never had to assist during.

[Duncan MacIntyre]

My tally this year is one heifer just under two had to have a pull, calf sadly dead but my fault for working on mainland that day - 278 days from when bull went in. Other 17 calves all born completely unassisted, including another 3 two year old heifers.

Two years ago had one true breech, had to have epidural to get hind legs secured. Most of any bother I have had has been heifers slightly under the two year old mark, that includes 2 caesarians in 30 years.

If I go back to 1997 that year I had 4 bulldogs from 3 females all needed assistance, one cow never calved again.

Assistance after calving mainly has been calves born outside in cold wet conditions needing help get started sucking, get them in, warm them up, give colostrum by bottle or tube if won't suck. probably 3 or 4 over the last 30 years.

Duncan

[Saffy]

Also 2 caesarians but both were on very young heifers recently purchased, one had stolen the bull and the other ...some "muppet" had put in calf to an enormous Hereford bull.

Apart from that, one heifer needed a pull, we had one tail first - needed the vet to inject to stop her pushing to get the legs, it was just tail out, the back feet forward...like Duncan said and a very old cow that was rather well fed had an enormous calf once, his eyes were badly bloodshot and head was swollen for days, he could get up and walk but as far as sucking went - he had no clue and swallowing wasn't his best subject either, until the swelling went which was several days later when normal service resumed and he was ravenous!!! Much tubing and trickling of colostrum into him to keep him going.

Stephanie

[Louisa Gidney]

Never had a caesarean. Have had two in 30 years where vet had to be called in and one where friendly farmer had to help deliver. One heifer needed my help to get her first calf out.
After calving, the biggest problem I have had is meningitis. I used to have problems with scour when I bought in calves to double suckle.
Husbandry is everything, problems have always arisen when I've been at work, tired & stressed and not been there or missed the signs that something was going wrong. Since I was made redundant & started working freelance there far been far fewer problems.

[Jac]

'Touch wood', we have never had calving issues with any of our non-short heifers or cows - all have given birth without any assistance at all. However, we are always more cautious with the short legs especially the first calvers and have given minor assistance to one or two although most probably they would have calved themselves as the calves were all normally presented. Had the vet out once in sixteen years to a short leg whose calf had died. Although we still keep a couple of shorts, the majority of our herd are now non-short as they seem much easier all round.

[Louisa Gidney]

To clarify, my two that needed vet delivery were both non-short. The two helped either by farmer or myself were short legged. The second vet delivery was a dead calf. I was expecting a strapping bloke and got a young lass with less muscle power than me. I'd summoned help as I couldn't get it out myself. After that experience, I asked farmer to help with next difficult delivery. He got calf out alive but thought it wouldn't live. I said the cow and I would see about that and it did live, much to farmer's surprise.