Freak accident!

[willow_girl]

When I got to work this morning, I found one of the cows had calved in the close-up pen.

Inside the pen is a feed bunk made of 2 concrete troughs pushed together with a gap of about 2" between them.

Somehow (as near as I can figure) this cow managed to drop her calf right over the top of where the troughs meet. One of its legs got caught in the gap ... it was sort of flipped over backwards, hanging by its leg (the leg was broken) and it had thrashed around enough to abrade its flesh right down to the bone. :waa:

I did what I could for the little guy, and he drank a full bottle even though he wasn't able to stand up. He didn't look good when I left, though (he had been thrashing around trying to stand up, I can only imagine how painful that must have been with his broken leg flopping around ). I don't think he'll make it ...

I'm off tomorrow (I go in for orientation for my new job) so I won't even be able to look after him (if he's still alive). It has been a rough weekend on the farm ... :no:

[Ross]

That has to be teh most frustrating thing about farming, the weird ways you lose animals. We used to give our ewes 18 litre buckets of water in their claiming pen so they would have lots after lambing. Wouldn't you know it if a triplet born after we thought she was done went straight into the bucket and drowned! They get pans of water now for the first day.

[Tom S]

I've had pretty much the same thing happen last year. New born calf from an angus heifer. The heifer was nervous and spinning in cicles every once in a while.On one of her spins she stepped on the calf's front leg and broke it bad between the knee and the ankle. I thought it would be a goner but went to work on it anyhow. Cleaned the torn skin, set the leg as normal looking as possible, splinted it with a peice of black plastic pipe that I cut all the way down on one side to snap it on the leg, and duct tape.Oh, and have to mention the leg was first wrapped in first aid gauze from the house kit. Have to make sure it's not to tight. The calf did alot of swelling on the top and bottom of the splint. I replaced it in about a week because the little fella was growing fast and I didn't want to get it to tight. And also gave it some LA 200 to help with any infection.

This worked so well I had the calf sucking her mother in a short while the first day. The following winter when I sold calves I had to smile when I seen it go around 650 lbs and the leg looking normal. Never give up.

[willow_girl]

Tom, if it were my calf I wouldn't ...

However, this is a calf at work ...

I did what I could: got him into a clean dry pen, put a jacket on him, washed the leg with soap and water, and put teat dip on it (hey I figure it's mostly iodine right?). And milked him momma and got a whole bottle of colostrum into him ... (all this running back and forth between milking cows!). There was nothing available I could have splinted the leg with ...

And I called my boss right away and let him know ... he didn't do anything for the little bugger ... I have tomorrow off and I'm sure he'll be dead by the time I get there Tuesday. :waa:

I thought about asking my boss if I could just take him home with me, but I'm going out of town for 2 weeks shortly, and didn't think my husband would appreciate being asked to nurse an injured calf (along with taking care of our other 55 animals by himself!). I don't know how I would have even managed to get him in my car!

It IS frustrating though ... our neighbor who raises beef cattle has a pond in the pasture, occasionally a cow (usually a heifer) will drop its calf right in the water and drown it. GRRRR!

[Tom S]

I'm new here willow_girl and hope the post might help anybody out there in a similar situation. Hope all goes well for you these next couple of weeks!

[willow_girl]

I'm new here willow_girl and hope the post might help anybody out there in a similar situation.

Absolutely!

I actually had a ram end up with a broken leg a few years ago, wish I'd have known about that plastic pipe trick then!

[Haggis]

Two of my geese have drowned in the last year.

The first managed to get itself flipped upside down in a five gallon bucket of water and the goose being large, was not able to flip right side up.

The second was drowned while mating. The water was shallow and the gander seized on the opportunity to mount the goose while her head was under her body. As he was young it took some time figuring how to align tab "A" with slot "B" she met her demise. I watched this second drowning and remarked to Herself "Isn't that cute? The geese are growing up." After the gander had parted ways with his lady I got to wondering why the goose didn't move and checked; alas too late to be of help.

[coso]

She died in the millpond while standing on her head. What a way to go though huh !!!!!!!!

[willow_girl]

Hmmm ... I suppose I wouldn't mind dying during sex (hey there are worse ways to go) but I'd prefer killing my partner!

:haha:

Seriously though ... condolences! I've heard of ducks doing this BTW ... never geese though. I have a bunch, and can testify they're none too bright ...

Anyway, good news about the calf! My boss let the night milker take it home!

He was gonna patch up its leg and let the grandkiddies raise it.

Boss said he considered giving it to me, but he knows I'm going out of town later this week, and said he didn't want my husband to have to take care of it for 2 weeks!

Man, you guys really stick together, don't you? :no: :haha: