Miracle first calf

[Bawndoh]

Dad called me this morning.  Said he had a first in his life.  He had been breeding and raising cattle for over 30 years.  He calves cows on about 160+ acres.  It was a mistake, first off, to have first calvers out on such a large spread, versus watched closer in the yard.  However, thats besides the point.  He said he went to feed them in the AM.  Notised a heifer calving, feet out.  He went to try to help her out.  She was hysterical, and bolted into the bush.  He tried to track her, ended up halfway through the quarter of land, and decided to leave her.  He went the next AM.  Saw the heifer at the straw pile, with those feet STILL sticking out.  If coarse he figured the calf MUST be dead now, as often calves wont last a few hours.  He roped her back leg, and pulled the calf out.  She was STILL LABOURING after 24 hours.  The calf was around 100lbs, and was breech, with one leg back.  The calf was ALIVE!!  He said the heifer got up, showed a bit of interest in the calf, and then took off again.  He made sure the baby was breathing and good, and then went back home (about a mile and a half away).  Dad went back at noon, the heifer wasnt there, she had taken off into the bush again.  He went back in the late afternoon, and she still showed no interest in the calf.  Dad has now adopted the baby as his own, took him home to the warm shop, and fed him up. 
A 24 hour labour with a live calf!  Im sure that doesnt happen often.  Poor management certainly didnt help this situation, but neither does a dingbat heifer.  He is going to try to capture her and bring her home soon.  Show her where her responsibility lies! 
I hope you all have the luck my Dad had in this situation, with live and well babies this calving season!

 

[farmboy]

my dad was telling me about a similar story the other day except he had one with its nose sticking out live for almost two days before he could pull it out.

 

[Jenny]

calves can live quite a while even during the delivery if the cow is not laboring much; the contractions stop or become weak and unproductive....then the calf is not stressed; this is why if we have to wait for a vet to come out for an OB call, and he will be awhile,we try to keep the cow up and walking and distracted from her job of labor. 

 

[CAB]

It kind of a catch 22 situation. The calves being breech is why they were still alive, but it's why they couldn't be born also.

 

[simtal]

It kind of a catch 22 situation.

I say catch the calf and give the cow a .22