Chris Bennett: Calving masterclass highlights value of help
Chris Bennett © Johnny Houston Nobody likes calling the vet out. You feel like a child asking for help with your homework.
As farmers, we like to think we can do everything ourselves. Can a vet do anything that we can’t do ourselves? As I found out this week, they absolutely can.
See also: Chris Bennett – SFI set to reduce insecticide use
About the author
A cow had been calving for a while, but making little progress. We could feel two feet but no sign of a head.
Were they front or back legs? Were they legs from two separate calves? Where is the head? What would happen if we just pull? Do we really have to call the vet?
Having farmed in New Zealand, my reluctance to ask for help has been amplified. The typical Kiwi farmer is seen as having a “can-do” attitude.
In my four years on a 300ha arable and sheep farm, I don’t recall ever seeing the vet and very seldom a mechanic.
While undoubtedly beneficial for a large proportion of the time, I am now learning that specialist help in certain situations is needed.
We fought the urge to just pull the calf’s legs, swallowed our pride and rang the vet.
It turned out the calf was backwards and both it and the uterus were twisted 180deg, creating a pinch point. Any attempt to deliver the calf by force would not have ended well.
The vet then began a masterclass in how to deliver the calf. The process involved pulling one leg followed by the other and at specific angles while applying pressure on the hip, something only an expert would know how to do. Against all odds, the calf was delivered alive.
Meanwhile, our vet was constantly giving nuggets of advice, such as “if you’re ever pulling a backwards calf, pull it horizontally” and “if a calf breathes in a lot of liquid, pouring water in its ears will make it cough”.
We had a healthy cow and calf and I went home enthused with what I’d learned. The tighter margins get, the more reluctant we are to pay for assistance – but this is a false economy.
Vets are expensive, but not as expensive as losing animals.