New Born Calves at Kelleys Dairy
Early Sunday morning the 30th I found a cow in labor. I just saw one hoof and the nose so I reached down to check and found the other front foot back with the leg bent backwards. As I was trying to straighten the leg I found two more front feet - uh-oh I said to myself : "Twins". I hurried back to the barn and gathered up the calf-pullers and a bucket of warm soapy water and headed back to the field. (it is still dark). Once there I attached the puller to the one foot that was offered and gently pulled the first calf out. Then I reached back in to see if I could get the other one attached to the OB chain and found its head backward. I manipulated the head until I got it straight and then pulled with my hands instead of attaching the chain, to my surprise it started coming right out. Anyway both calves were born alive successfully. Mama cow was just too stressed by trying to have two calves at once and did not get up until Tuesday. I was glad because I was getting tired of carrying food and water to her. Now she is doing great with no visible signs of the struggle. The vet will be here Tuesday and I will have him check her out more thoroughly . Below is a short video of the calves taken shortly after birth. You can see the calf puller on the left and the dam in the background.
Cheerily
IJK