Calving problems

For some producers it's less than a month away-calving time. And there is nothing quite like it....  More »

For some producers it's less than a month away-calving time. And there is nothing quite like it. Saving a newborn calf after a difficult delivery. Robert Mortimer is an expert in obstetrics at Colorado State University. Mortimer has been helping producers stay away from calving difficulties for more than 20 years. He says there are four clinical decisions to make during calving. Number one how frequently should you check them? He says reserach shows you should be checking at least every three hours. Then your decisions are when and how do you start helping? And finally when to call for professional help? (Robert Mortimer / CSU) andamp;quot;We are all familiar with the term still birth calf. Well quite frankly that is because we procrastinated our decision and that calf is dead before we even start. That calf lived right up until that point. And it is as much a function of our decision making as it is anything else.andamp;quot; Mortimer says if the calf's tongue is swollen you must also recongnize that swelling is also occuring inside the calf's head. (Robert Mortimer / CSU) andamp;quot;Put a time limit on there, if you aren't making progress in 20 to 30 minutes, get someone there that will because the longer you procrastinate that decision, the more likely you are to lose that calf before you get it delivered.andamp;quot; Mortimer says if you have something abnormal like a backwards calf, you don't need to wait 30 minutes to make the decision. He says you should call for help right away.  « Less