There are a number of things that can go wrong during the last phase of pregnancy. Some problems can be resolved or dealt with easily, and others are more serious — and can be life threatening to the cow or fetus. EXCESS FLUID AROUND THE FETUS On occasion, either the amnion sac surrounding the fetus […] Read more
Issues Of Late Pregnancy
EZ Milker Simplifies Lambing
P earce McKinney started raising Suffolk sheep in 1954 as a 4-H project. The family farm in western Indiana was established in 1832. It’s one of a few 175-year-old farms in that state still occupied by the same family — now six generations. McKinney’s son Noel is involved in all the computer work with the […] Read more
Tips On Tubing A Calf
When you need to get fluids into a calf there are two ways to use a tube. You can use an esophageal feeding probe (a metal or stiff plastic tube that goes down the calf’s throat and part way down the esophagus — about 16 inches — and is attached to a container or bag […] Read more
Key Tips For Pulling A Calf
Sometimes a cow needs help to deliver her calf. The feet (and maybe the nose) are showing, but he’s too large to move on through the birth canal. In other situations the calf may not even enter the birth canal because he’s in the wrong position. You have to go fishing for him and correct […] Read more
Bringing Cows Home From The Hills
NOVEMBER 21 It was snowing hard last week when Dawayne Hamilton (who hauls cattle to the auctions in southern Idaho) came to pick up our weaned steer — the one that was sick the day we sold our calves last month. Lynn plowed our driveway, to make sure the truck and trailer could make it […] Read more
A Range Rescue Miracle
Ranchers lead a hazardous life. When accidents happen, the nice thing about living in a rural community is friends and neighbours who come to your aid. On a cold, windy late spring day, Don Hatch, 59, was riding a young horse to check cattle on one of his range allotments near Salmon, Idaho. He trailered […] Read more
Poor Weather For Shipping Calves
OCTOBER 24 We took care of Andrea’s girls when she went to Salt Lake last week for some tests for Charlie and for assessment of severe graft contractures on her arms. The shortened scar tissue has pulled the little finger of her right hand off to the side, and pulled her shoulder and spine out […] Read more
Beef Cattle Get Mastitis Too
Mastitis is inflammation and infection of the udder. This is primarily a problem in dairy cows but can also occur in beef cows. Depending upon the infectious organism involved, a bad case of mastitis may kill the cow. It’s not a condition to ignore. Mastitis can develop if a quarter becomes contaminated — if bacteria […] Read more
Treat Calf Pneumonia Early
Pneumonia can affect calves of any age. Most of the pathogens that cause lung infections are always present in the calf’s respiratory tract and become a problem only when his immune defenses are compromised by stress. Stress may be due to bad weather, extreme changes in temperature, a long truck haul, overcrowding in a dirty […] Read more
Cooking For Cows And Calves
My husband and I hate to lose an animal and often try innovative ways to keep a cow or calf alive. On several occasions the past 43 years, Lynn and I have managed to save a “hopeless” case by feeding the cow or calf via nasogastric tube — sometimes for several weeks — while the […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
