2024: Calf 2: 11's

In the afternoon when Kari and Michael came over to help me put an ear tag on calf 1, we also looked at the other cows.  No calf yet from Panda.  But then Kari noticed something, a string-like substance, hanging out the back of cow 11.  We looked closer and then could see the tips of the hooves sticking out cow 11's backend.

So we stood and watched.  Cow 11 wanted her privacy and slowly walked away.   Cow 11 is a first-time mother this year so she needed extra watching in case she needed help with the birth.  Other cows were walking around and we lost track of cow 11.  Kari found it laying under a tree near the middle pasture fence.

Cow 11 then got up and walked off.  She eventually made it to outside the corral fence.  One could see occasional contractions, but the hooves kind-of came out, then when the contractions stopped, they would mostly go back in. 

The pasture is still wet.  I wanted the cow to go inside the corral.  I would put her in the south corral which is drier.  And if I had to help pull the calf, the cow couldn't go far away from me.   The three of us herded cow 11 into the corral and kept the other cows out.

Then we watched.  Cow 11 watched us and wanted to be as far from us as she could.  She stood for the longest time.  She would have occasional contractions.  Hooves out a bit, then back in a bit.  Finally she laid down.  The hooves came out a little more due contractions.   After a while a sack of fluid came out and then burst.   Maybe the hooves were out enough that I could go over and pull on them.   When I approached cow 11 stood up and walked off.  At least she left a dirty muddy part of the corral.

Again she stood.  Or walked around the fence as she wanted out of this part of the corral.   Kari called Donna to come over if she wanted to watch or help.  After Donna arrived cow 11 laid down.  She was laying in a way that we couldn't see the back end where the calf was coming out.  We watched and could tell the contractions were stronger.  Usually cows who have calved before don't take this long to have a calf.  The cow yesterday had her calf in minutes.

Eventually Donna walked around to see how much of the calf was out.  The hooves were, and maybe the tip of the calf's nose.  I walked over to help and the cow stood up and the calf went back inside a little.

Ok.  Let's change things.  It has been a half hour to an hour now.  Let's get it done and make it easier on both cow and calf.  We herded cow 11 into the loading corral runway.  I partially opened the headgate and the cow tried to run through and got her head caught.  Ok.  Now she can't move away from us.

The hooves were out and I could grab ahold of the legs just past the hooves. It is easier to hold as just trying to hold on the hooves doesn't work as they are slippery.  I began to pull.  No movement.  Understandable.  I would have to time the pulling to her contractions.  I waited.  Over and over we went.  I could get the calf out a little at a time.  A few times I could feel a leg move slightly.  So the calf was alive.  Finally the calf's nose started to come.  Michael broke and cleared the sack away from the nose.   It was harder to pull the calf as now I had the legs and the head coming out.  With the mouth now out I could see the tongue was out of the mouth.  The calf wasn't beathing yet.

More pulling.  And now I was trying to pull downwards as that direction helps when a cow is standing.  And gravity helps.

The head was out.  Now to get past the shoulders and ribcage. A larger area.  Once that is out the rest of the calf comes out quickly.  Now I tried to catch, hold, slow the calf, so it wouldn't fall to the ground hard.  I was able to.  Then all the fluid came out and over me and my arms and lower legs and shoes.  But the calf was now completely out.

I drug the long calf down the runway back to the larger area with grass.  The calf was breathing.  Donna, Michael and Kari then released cow 11 from the headgate so the cow would back up in the runway to come to her calf.  Which she did.

The next I watched for was if the cow would accept and lick her calf.  Cow 11's mother was cow 110.  Cow 110 was the mother who would always reject her newborn calf and Donna and I would have hold cow 110 in place so her calf could drink until the mother would finally accept her new calf.  No problem with cow 11.  She licked and accepted her calf while keeping an eye on us.  So we left them alone so they could bond.

An hour later, after her calf was licked clean and had drunk milk from cow 11, I moved both over to the south part of the corral.  They can spend the night there together and tomorrow I will let them rejoin the herd.

The calf is another female.  A big calf for a small cow.

I have three more first time mother cows to go this year.  Wish me luck.

It was like this for a while.

A few minutes after the calf was born and I had drug it down the runway.

I still had some goo from the birth on my arm.

Later the calf came out of the runway and I put an ear tag on her.

Now in the south part of the corral and taking a rest.