Timely intervention can save the day

WHETHER you calve in the spring or autumn, you may run into the odd tricky calving which requires assistance where intervention is unavoidable.

Once you determined the cow cannot safely calve herself, then it’s time to get her in the yard and either pull it yourself or call for assistance.

Agriculture Victoria livestock development officer Dr Hannan Manning said that during calving season, regular monitoring of cows is important to pick up any that are having trouble calving.

“Once a farmer has found a problem and brought the cow in to help, I work on a 20-minute intervention rule,” Dr Manning said.

“A farmer’s strength, a calving jack or a calving pulley are the only acceptable methods to pull a calf, even then you need to be a competent operator.

“There is no point having the equipment if you haven’t had training on how to use it, and if a calf is stuck or not lined up properly then more force isn’t the answer,’ she said.

“Don’t forget if you’re helping with a calving, wearing gloves is a great way to reduce your exposure to any diseases that can affect humans, and it keeps things cleaner for the cow, and if significant progress in pulling the calf hasn’t been made in 20 minutes, it’s time to stop and come up with an alternative plan.”

Dr Manning said that calling your local vet early will be the best result for the cow and calf and that good facilities that are safe for you and anyone else helping is vital.

“It’s amazing how effective a vet can be with drugs in improving the whole situation.

“If calling your local vet isn’t an option, is there someone else you can call or do you need to make some tough decisions?

“The top consideration at all times is the welfare of the cow, tough calvings can result in calving paralysis and down cows are a poor result and require a lot of skill and time to care for properly.”