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Farming Chit Chat

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Comments

  • #3212
    johngalway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,271 ✭✭✭✭johngalway


    Timing is important.

    Last night myself and a friend spent a cold evening perched on the side of a hill watching over a foxes den. I :o had missed the fox the previous evening as she was coming for another of the neighbours lambs.

    I happened to look over my shoulder and was horrified. I could see all of my farm pretty much plan view. Bloody fox could step out of the den and see when I'd have had lambs. Ding, ding, ding, dinner!

    Just as the light was going I heard Pssshtwop! Pssshtwop! Pssshtwop! Friend had seen the fox and shot her three times. I missed all the action.

    This morning I see one of my ewes has a ewe lamb, so yeah, timing is important :)


  • #3213
    pakalasa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,552 ✭✭✭pakalasa


    1chippy wrote: »
    has anyone heard of turning a cow on her back when in difficulty calving? it was an old woman who told me who knows stock pretty well.
    I heard that too from an old neighbour.

    I found this site before. It describes how to 'walk out' the shoulders of the calf through the pelvic cavity, one shoulder at a time. It makes sense when you think about it.
    It also shows how to rotate the calf to allow the hips to get through. The pelvic opening is wider sideways than across, left to right. i tried to rotate the calf before, not easy in practice.

    http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/ilm/proinfo/calving/notes/abnormalcalving.htm

    pelvis3w-text.jpg


  • #3214
    Bodacious
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,274 ✭✭✭Bodacious


    just do it wrote: »
    Bodacious wrote: »
    I'm sorry for your loss, I read your earlier post and when I saw 306 and FL25 I thought you'd have bother he hard enough calved.
    Yeah I know, I'd been watching her like a hawk! She's been on restricted feed though but 3 weeks overdue and FL25 bull calf didn't help!
    Head rope ? For holding the cow is it? Excuse my ignorance if it's for pulling the calf
    The head rope is for around the calves head. It's like a lasso that goes around the back of the ears and the knot tightens in the mouth above the tongue. Have you noticed your calving jack has three hooks on it for holding ropes? The third one is for the head rope. Attach it here with a little less pressure than on the legs. It keeps the head coming with the legs. But before pulling the head out make sure the shoulders coming behind it aren't too wide to come out. I like someone else's suggestion by the journal vet to only loop the rope around the back of the calf's head and pull the two ends, but you'd really want 2 lads then to calf the cow. The head rope is only really to keep the head coming with the legs, rather than "pulling" the head - if you catch my drift.

    At this stage of course you're in the grey area where maybe you should be considering a C section, so it's really only for the more confident guys at calving cows. I lost the gamble on this occassion:(.

    Hindsight of course is a great thing, and I did make a big mistake. The cow kept going down in the sitting position when I'd apply some pressure. This of course is a disaster so let off the jack, let her get up and about the 3rd time she went to go down I got her over on her side. But I didn't get the lower back leg out from under her. I should have had her completely over on her side. I put a rope on that leg and did give a bit of a pull, but I should have made sure to get that leg right out from under her. (I hope the OH doesn't read the next bit). My first born was a borderline C section due to his size and space available to come out. OH has expressly stated natural delivery unless absolutely necessary so consultant obliged. She was prep'ed in the operating theatre and ready for C section before the consultant tried to pull. He explained that he would give one pull to get a feel of the lie of the land. Then he would give a second pull, if nothing was happening on the second pull it was straight to C section. He later credited a mid-wife for the natural delivery as she had said if my OH's pelvis was tilted just a bit more in a certain direction the baby would come - and so it did! (Jeez I shouldn't be telling you all this). But my point is presentation at the time of delivery is v. important when it is a difficult delivery.

    Anyway, I'm posting this in the hope it helps someone else. I love calving cows and never fail to enjoy a healthy newborn hitting the ground. Conversely I take it a bit too much to heart when it goes wrong, and I'm glad to say that is rarely.

    Many thanks

    We are all the same I hate to lose anything I lose the plot entirely.. It's not the money it's the should have/could haves and blaming myself


  • #3215
    whelan1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    vet skulled 2 animal yesterday...took over an hour:rolleyes: blood everywhere, ended up using dehorning iron to stop bleeding and both animals now have strings on their heads, when do i take the strings off, afraid to take them off today in case they re start bleeding... alot to be said for disbudding:cool:


  • #3216
    leg wax
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,296 ✭✭✭leg wax


    whelan1 wrote: »
    vet skulled 2 animal yesterday...took over an hour:rolleyes: blood everywhere, ended up using dehorning iron to stop bleeding and both animals now have strings on their heads, when do i take the strings off, afraid to take them off today in case they re start bleeding... alot to be said for disbudding:cool:
    leave it on for a couple of days as sure you take off today they will hit their head off something and off they start again


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  • #3217
    Kovu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,241 ✭✭✭✭Kovu


    whelan1 wrote: »
    vet skulled 2 animal yesterday...took over an hour:rolleyes: blood everywhere, ended up using dehorning iron to stop bleeding and both animals now have strings on their heads, when do i take the strings off, afraid to take them off today in case they re start bleeding... alot to be said for disbudding:cool:

    Is it just us in the west that call it polling cattle??:confused:
    Make sure when you are taking the string off to silver/blue spray them again. Especially if you are letting them off to grass.


  • #3218
    Kovu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,241 ✭✭✭✭Kovu


    1chippy wrote: »
    KAREN
    you should organise a boards day down there with special discounts on all stock:D


    Yup, plan for the future alright!;) I will need lots of lovely boxes of Ivomec and Roundup for the auld lad though.


  • #3219
    Bodacious
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,274 ✭✭✭Bodacious


    whelan1 wrote: »
    vet skulled 2 animal yesterday...took over an hour:rolleyes: blood everywhere, ended up using dehorning iron to stop bleeding and both animals now have strings on their heads, when do i take the strings off, afraid to take them off today in case they re start bleeding... alot to be said for disbudding:cool:

    What age were they Whelan?

    If they young heifers 12-24mts with re growth left in them that you are keeping for cows you'll be glad he/she kept in close with the wire especially if he put a nice triangle shape on the butt towards the middle of the head.

    I often do that with young breeding stock put hay string on and cable tie to front to put pressure on the arteries/veins while cutting then keep to the string as close as you can and tidy up with hot iron, a little blood now is better than dehorning again as 2nd calvers !!

    I've seen vets as well as farmers keep back an 1 " from the base of the head and have to re do them in less than a year again to go through the mart


  • #3220
    whelan1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    on one of them she left about an inch of horn on both sides:mad: bloody useless- excuse the pun- my dad said just aswell you wheren't doing 22:D they are around 15 months old


  • #3221
    Bodacious
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,274 ✭✭✭Bodacious


    whelan1 wrote: »
    on one of them she left about an inch of horn on both sides:mad: bloody useless- excuse the pun- my dad said just aswell you wheren't doing 22:D they are around 15 months old

    I don't blame you for being mad ... Good summer at grass and that horn will thicken and double as she is young , bigger hole in head then too... I wouldn't have minded the strings coming off at all as long as she kept in close and cauterised the veins with the dehorner before leaving


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  • #3222
    whelan1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    Bodacious wrote: »
    I don't blame you for being mad ... Good summer at grass and that horn will thicken and double as she is young , bigger hole in head then too... I wouldn't have minded the strings coming off at all as long as she kept in close and cauterised the veins with the dehorner before leaving
    she also expected the dehorning iron to be hot straight away, the fact that the blood was quenching the flame on the iron didnt help either... if anyone had of seen the state of us yesterday they would have thought we where in a war:o


  • #3223
    Kovu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,241 ✭✭✭✭Kovu


    whelan1 wrote: »
    she also expected the dehorning iron to be hot straight away, the fact that the blood was quenching the flame on the iron didnt help either... if anyone had of seen the state of us yesterday they would have thought we where in a war:o

    Was this a vet that expected the iron to be hot instantly?


  • #3224
    BeeDI
    Closed Accounts Posts: 805 ✭✭✭BeeDI


    pakalasa wrote: »
    I heard that too from an old neighbour.

    I found this site before. It describes how to 'walk out' the shoulders of the calf through the pelvic cavity, one shoulder at a time. It makes sense when you think about it.
    It also shows how to rotate the calf to allow the hips to get through. The pelvic opening is wider sideways than across, left to right. i tried to rotate the calf before, not easy in practice.

    http://www.cvmbs.colostate.edu/ilm/proinfo/calving/notes/abnormalcalving.htm

    pelvis3w-text.jpg

    Interesting stuff. However, rotating the calf and using a calving jack at the same time, wouldn't seem possible?? Am I right? Cue different design head for the jack!!!


  • #3225
    whelan1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    Karen112 wrote: »
    Was this a vet that expected the iron to be hot instantly?
    yup, seriously, thank god we only had 2 to be done


  • #3226
    JohnBoy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,342 ✭✭✭JohnBoy


    the one positive about having to work today is that most of our clients are shut so the phones are dead.


  • #3227
    johngalway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,271 ✭✭✭✭johngalway


    200% increase in lambs today.

    Gone from 1 to 3 :pac:

    For a nice change the % is in favour of ewe lambs!


  • #3228
    Muckit
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,171 ✭✭✭✭Muckit


    Spent the day driving fencing stakes and laying water pipe for more troughs. Wrecked now, but it's a nice kind of wrecked. More of same tomorrow. Pics to follow;)

    Great to be out in the fresh air all day for a change!


  • #3229
    Kovu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,241 ✭✭✭✭Kovu


    JohnBoy wrote: »
    the one positive about having to work today is that most of our clients are shut so the phones are dead.

    The one unpositive thing about no work today is that I have work tomorrow:mad:


  • #3230
    1chippy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,716 ✭✭✭1chippy


    Karen112 wrote: »
    Yup, plan for the future alright!;) I will need lots of lovely boxes of Ivomec and Roundup for the auld lad though.

    Has he worms or are you trying to kill him:D


  • #3231
    Kovu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,241 ✭✭✭✭Kovu


    1chippy wrote: »
    Has he worms or are you trying to kill him:D


    I think I need a new laptop after all the tea that just hit it:rolleyes:


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  • #3232
    whelan1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    the crows are back:eek:


  • #3233
    johngalway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,271 ✭✭✭✭johngalway


    Scouting part of Dads land to set a couple of fox snares I came across a ewe down. As big as a house and panned out with her chin on the ground and the nose running. Had to rush miles to my own farm and get the "vets" bag :D Kicking myself I didn't have it in the car with me.

    Calciject is great stuff, unfortunately I only had a 5 syringe so she was a bit of a pin cushion but she got up and I managed to walk her to the old house and put her in. Got some Glycerine and long acting Alamycin I think it was into her to cover all bases.

    Fingers crossed now she'll make it through until tomorrow then she should be flying it again. Just pure luck I happened to be there, if it had been Dad doing the rounds tomorrow she'd have been dead as a dodo.


  • #3234
    whelan1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    remember years ago when i was young:rolleyes: my dad was away for the night went to check cows and there was a cow down, couldnt use the flutter valve so i gave her 2x400ml bottles of calciject with a 20ml syringe:o did the job, she was up the next morning but was like a pin cushion too


  • #3235
    Conflats
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 224 ✭✭Conflats


    whelan1 wrote: »
    vet skulled 2 animal yesterday...took over an hour:rolleyes: blood everywhere, ended up using dehorning iron to stop bleeding and both animals now have strings on their heads, when do i take the strings off, afraid to take them off today in case they re start bleeding... alot to be said for disbudding:cool:
    Did the vet not take out the veins are arteries with a tweezers and kinda tie them?


  • #3236
    whelan1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    yup she had taken them out...our place is the worst place for bleeders ever:rolleyes:


  • #3237
    johngalway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,271 ✭✭✭✭johngalway


    whelan1 wrote: »
    remember years ago when i was young:rolleyes: my dad was away for the night went to check cows and there was a cow down, couldnt use the flutter valve so i gave her 2x400ml bottles of calciject with a 20ml syringe:o did the job, she was up the next morning but was like a pin cushion too

    Better to have a live pincushion than a dead body :D:D


  • #3238
    whelan1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,786 ✭✭✭✭whelan1


    johngalway wrote: »
    Better to have a live pincushion than a dead body :D:D
    ye, had my sister refilling the syringe each time, real er stuff:rolleyes:


  • #3239
    foxylock
    Closed Accounts Posts: 429 ✭✭foxylock


    Happy Easter lads, hope the easter bunnies dont eat all your good grass. Had three lambs born last night and expecting another blast today.


  • #3240
    Richk2012
    Closed Accounts Posts: 528 ✭✭✭Richk2012


    foxylock wrote: »
    Happy Easter lads, hope the easter bunnies dont eat all your good grass. Had three lambs born last night and expecting another blast today.

    Hope they are all well and everything going smoothly .
    Just had a ewe after lambing triplets and after realising she has only one spin :mad: .
    Lambing is just about over with 9 ewes left , with 8 twins and a triplet . No adoption cases on the horizon so ..
    A great strong 4 year old ewe wit 3 super lambs .
    I checked all the ewes closely twice last autumn for mastitis when culling ............obviously not that close :o ?


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  • #3241
    bbam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,408 ✭✭✭bbam


    We got cattle out yesterday...
    Had to treat some for ringworm on the way out... Great to see them out kicking their heels up as they go :)


This discussion has been closed.
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