Difficult first calver

Juniorhurler

Just in from a first calver. Awful job to get the head out, got that out with me working the bearing and the auld lad on the jack. Got to the hips and caught again, turned her on her back and out came the calf. Took one breath and stopped. I picked it up and ran about 40 yards to the fencer. Gave it a shot on the rib cage and the heart starts beating faintly. A second shot and the heart is going like a clock but not really breathing. I started to blow down its nose and the boss pumped its lungs cpr style. We got him going and brought him back in. Needless to say he was really weak. I went to get the red lamp and looked in at the mother, she had thrown out the calf bed. Rang the vet and out he came and put it back in.
By this stage the calf was bawling something terrible. The vet gave him a shot of adrenaline (I could have donated some coz my heart was at about 200 beats per minute). Got him in cozy under the lamp and dried him with straw. Left him 30-40 mins to get a bit of strength and tubed in a litre of biestings. He is lying on his side now under the lamp and seems reasonably comfortable. I would give him about a 40% chance of survival. No such thing as a standard day in farming is there?

Juniorhurler

Meant to say the boss will be getting up in about an hour to do a run to the airport and will give another litre of biestings then.

Bizzum

Juniorhurler wrote: »

Just in from a first calver. Awful job to get the head out, got that out with me working the bearing and the auld lad on the jack. Got to the hips and caught again, turned her on her back and out came the calf. Took one breath and stopped. I picked it up and ran about 40 yards to the fencer. Gave it a shot on the rib cage and the heart starts beating faintly. A second shot and the heart is going like a clock but not really breathing. I started to blow down its nose and the boss pumped its lungs cpr style. We got him going and brought him back in. Needless to say he was really weak. I went to get the red lamp and looked in at the mother, she had thrown out the calf bed. Rang the vet and out he came and put it back in.
By this stage the calf was bawling something terrible. The vet gave him a shot of adrenaline (I could have donated some coz my heart was at about 200 beats per minute). Got him in cozy under the lamp and dried him with straw. Left him 30-40 mins to get a bit of strength and tubed in a litre of biestings. He is lying on his side now under the lamp and seems reasonably comfortable. I would give him about a 40% chance of survival. No such thing as a standard day in farming is there?

I nearly panicked myself just reading that. Hope they both go ahead for ya.

freedominacup

Juniorhurler wrote: »

Just in from a first calver. Awful job to get the head out, got that out with me working the bearing and the auld lad on the jack. Got to the hips and caught again, turned her on her back and out came the calf. Took one breath and stopped. I picked it up and ran about 40 yards to the fencer. Gave it a shot on the rib cage and the heart starts beating faintly. A second shot and the heart is going like a clock but not really breathing. I started to blow down its nose and the boss pumped its lungs cpr style. We got him going and brought him back in. Needless to say he was really weak. I went to get the red lamp and looked in at the mother, she had thrown out the calf bed. Rang the vet and out he came and put it back in.
By this stage the calf was bawling something terrible. The vet gave him a shot of adrenaline (I could have donated some coz my heart was at about 200 beats per minute). Got him in cozy under the lamp and dried him with straw. Left him 30-40 mins to get a bit of strength and tubed in a litre of biestings. He is lying on his side now under the lamp and seems reasonably comfortable. I would give him about a 40% chance of survival. No such thing as a standard day in farming is there?

There have been 3 or 4 horror story posts like this in the past few weeks, is it the cows, the bulls, or the management that causes them or are they isolated incidents that are remarkable because they are so rare? Is it the case that the rest of ye're cows are popping out good sized calves with no intervention or are ye intervening in most calvings? I used to be called a couple of times per winter to a relations sucklers for problem calvings but since he changed his dry-cow management I haven't been there for a good few years. He uses mainly 1/2-3/4 bred simmental cows and all charolais bulls. All stock are finished by 16 months and an R grading bull would be remarkable so he's not using bulls with poor confirmation.

bbam

Juniorhurler wrote: »

Just in from a first calver. Awful job to get the head out, got that out with me working the bearing and the auld lad on the jack. Got to the hips and caught again, turned her on her back and out came the calf. Took one breath and stopped. I picked it up and ran about 40 yards to the fencer. Gave it a shot on the rib cage and the heart starts beating faintly. A second shot and the heart is going like a clock but not really breathing. I started to blow down its nose and the boss pumped its lungs cpr style. We got him going and brought him back in. Needless to say he was really weak. I went to get the red lamp and looked in at the mother, she had thrown out the calf bed. Rang the vet and out he came and put it back in.
By this stage the calf was bawling something terrible. The vet gave him a shot of adrenaline (I could have donated some coz my heart was at about 200 beats per minute). Got him in cozy under the lamp and dried him with straw. Left him 30-40 mins to get a bit of strength and tubed in a litre of biestings. He is lying on his side now under the lamp and seems reasonably comfortable. I would give him about a 40% chance of survival. No such thing as a standard day in farming is there?

It's no office job anyway.
I've never heard of the trick with the fencer before.

Richk2012

Juniorhurler wrote: »

Just in from a first calver. Awful job to get the head out, got that out with me working the bearing and the auld lad on the jack. Got to the hips and caught again, turned her on her back and out came the calf. Took one breath and stopped. I picked it up and ran about 40 yards to the fencer. Gave it a shot on the rib cage and the heart starts beating faintly. A second shot and the heart is going like a clock but not really breathing. I started to blow down its nose and the boss pumped its lungs cpr style. We got him going and brought him back in. Needless to say he was really weak. I went to get the red lamp and looked in at the mother, she had thrown out the calf bed. Rang the vet and out he came and put it back in.
By this stage the calf was bawling something terrible. The vet gave him a shot of adrenaline (I could have donated some coz my heart was at about 200 beats per minute). Got him in cozy under the lamp and dried him with straw. Left him 30-40 mins to get a bit of strength and tubed in a litre of biestings. He is lying on his side now under the lamp and seems reasonably comfortable. I would give him about a 40% chance of survival. No such thing as a standard day in farming is there?

What sort of cow and bull junior???

Juniorhurler

Richk2012 wrote: »

What sort of cow and bull junior???

Limousin heifer, first calver. Limousin bull that we bred ourselves, have 6 on the ground from him and this is the first one with any bother. Nothing to do with the bull, she was the tightest on the bearing that I have encountered in a long time.

vanderbadger

hope it ends well junior, yourself and the auld boy sound like a fair old team, never heard of using the fencer like that either

Juniorhurler

Just a quick update.

I went to the yard about 6.30 and calf was alive but still very cold under the lamp even. I had the lamp high enough that on the off chance he was trying to stand up he wouldn't knock it and cause fire.
I took the lamp in my hand and held it close while rubbing him with straw heated him up. Got him warm, hung the lamp lower and went and heated another 2 litres of biestings. He sucked it this time rather than tubing. went and did a couple of other little jobs and came back and he was sitting up twitching his ears. Went home and got cleaned up and looked in on him ten minutes ago on my way to work and he seems to be getting stronger all the time, I would give him a better than 70% chance of making it now.

The mother was also eating meal and chewing the cud this morning so what seemed a nightmare situation may have turned out well except for the bill for the vet call out. On this one I don't mind the bill though, its always cheap when the stock live.

bbam

Juniorhurler wrote: »

Just a quick update.

I went to the yard about 6.30 and calf was alive but still very cold under the lamp even. I had the lamp high enough that on the off chance he was trying to stand up he wouldn't knock it and cause fire.
I took the lamp in my hand and held it close while rubbing him with straw heated him up. Got him warm, hung the lamp lower and went and heated another 2 litres of biestings. He sucked it this time rather than tubing. went and did a couple of other little jobs and came back and he was sitting up twitching his ears. Went home and got cleaned up and looked in on him ten minutes ago on my way to work and he seems to be getting stronger all the time, I would give him a better than 70% chance of making it now.

The mother was also eating meal and chewing the cud this morning so what seemed a nightmare situation may have turned out well except for the bill for the vet call out. On this one I don't mind the bill though, its always cheap when the stock live.

Keep up the fight.. its rewarding to bring these lads back from the brink !!

Juniorhurler

vanderbadger wrote: »

hope it ends well junior, yourself and the auld boy sound like a fair old team, never heard of using the fencer like that either

We have tried the trick with the fencer about ten to twelve times over the years I'd say. This is the second time it has ever worked. I am going to set up a lead from the fencer to the calving box though after this because the time taken in the forty yard dash could be the difference some time and I nearly needed a shot of the fencer for my own heart after it.

J DEERE

Juniorhurler wrote: »

Just a quick update.

I went to the yard about 6.30 and calf was alive but still very cold under the lamp even. I had the lamp high enough that on the off chance he was trying to stand up he wouldn't knock it and cause fire.
I took the lamp in my hand and held it close while rubbing him with straw heated him up. Got him warm, hung the lamp lower and went and heated another 2 litres of biestings. He sucked it this time rather than tubing. went and did a couple of other little jobs and came back and he was sitting up twitching his ears. Went home and got cleaned up and looked in on him ten minutes ago on my way to work and he seems to be getting stronger all the time, I would give him a better than 70% chance of making it now.

The mother was also eating meal and chewing the cud this morning so what seemed a nightmare situation may have turned out well except for the bill for the vet call out. On this one I don't mind the bill though, its always cheap when the stock live.

Is there any chance you could bring him in and leave him by the cooker/fire tonight? Or would you have to leave the country if you did?

Juniorhurler

J DEERE wrote: »

Is there any chance you could bring him in and leave him by the cooker/fire tonight? Or would you have to leave the country if you did?

The mother might take him in her house, maybe. I'm afraid its the calf or the wife would have to go in my house. The wife will want to be careful about this ultimatum though, she could lose.

whelan1

do you have a calf jacket?

jfh

never heard of that trick with the electric fence/defibrillator :pac:
usually cold water in the ear to shock them, never physically shock them.
interesting

jfh

whelan1 wrote: »

do you have a calf jacket?

they a good job Whelan1? where did you purchase

whelan1

jfh wrote: »

they a good job Whelan1? where did you purchase

EBay but there was some on done deal a while ago

moy83

Jaysus Junior thats some bit of excitement ! Sounds like all will go well now thankfully . You wont let that calf sell too easy in the mart when the time comes id say

J DEERE

Juniorhurler wrote: »

The mother might take him in her house, maybe. I'm afraid its the calf or the wife would have to go in my house. The wife will want to be careful about this ultimatum though, she could lose.

yea if ya could it would make a fair difference to him. Once his temperature stays up he should motor on

jomoloney

Good Work JH

heard of the fencer ok

as whelan says calf jacket,, but more than once we have saved calves by wrapping them in an old balnket or anorak, and covering the whole lot with a used bale wrap or plastic

Keeping in waht heat you have works wonders , thats why I always wear my wolly cap since the thatch got scarce on top

onyerbikepat

Fair play. I managed to resusitate a calf like that a few years back. No fencer just inflated the lungs through the nose and worked the lungs. A long shot but sometimes it can work. You need to take extra care stomach tubing a weak calf lie that too. Do you have an infra-red light for him?

Juniorhurler

Sickened. Just nipped home on lunch and the calf is fine but the heifer is down and riddled with an infection. She'll be dead by the time I get home this evening. I reckon the calf bed got perforated being put back in.

whelan1

Juniorhurler wrote: »

Sickened. Just nipped home on lunch and the calf is fine but the heifer is down and riddled with an infection. She'll be dead by the time I get home this evening. I reckon the calf bed got perforated being put back in.

Feck

hugo29

Juniorhurler wrote: »

Sickened. Just nipped home on lunch and the calf is fine but the heifer is down and riddled with an infection. She'll be dead by the time I get home this evening. I reckon the calf bed got perforated being put back in.

bad luck junior, deserved better after all yer hard work

john mayo 10

Jasus thats tough. All u can do sometimes is ur best

Juniorhurler

As a neighbour said to me earlier. There are feck all days that are all sunshine in this game.