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That's a huge red flag for a calf that has a brain injury. Unless you want to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars getting the calf fixed, it's best to put him down.

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14y ago

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How does the esophageal groove in the calf work?

In the calf, the esphageal groove works by contracting muscles in such a way so that the fluid (being milk) that the calf drinks by-passes the rumen and heads straight for the abomasum. The calf's head as to be tilted up and out in order for the groove to properly work. As the calf ages and the rumen reaches maturity, this groove disappears.


How do you help a cow give birth?

First, you have to get her in a head-gate, if she's a bit nervous of you poking around her rear. Then reach inside the birth canal to see if the calf's coming normally. If it's not, you will have to correct the calf yourself or phone the vet to come out and help you. Get the calving chains or calf puller on the calf and start pulling. Pull out and down, and pull when the cow strains. Once the calf is out, get it breathing by clearing the air-way and tickling its nose or ear with a clean piece of straw. Once and if the calf starts breathing and shaking its head, move it to a small pen where you can let the cow in with her new calf. Keep them there for a couple hours or until the calf has been up and suckling at his mother's udder. If you cannot pull the calf out without causing injury to the cow or calf, get the vet out to do a C-section on the cow.


What if you see a leg hanging out the birth canal of a cow?

Then that calf (and the cow) is in a lot of trouble, and you need to assist that cow right away. The calf needs to be pushed back in in order to get the other leg into the birth canal. The head is probably turned back as well (if the calf is coming front-first), and also needs to be straightened out before you pull out the calf. Of course, pushing a calf back into the uterus is easier said than done!


Why would a calf come out dead?

There are a lot of reasons why and reasons that often still have to be figured out yet. Here is a list of why a calf might be born dead:Lethal genetic defects such as Curly Calf SyndromeCow had in fact aborted the calf and the calf came out as a premie but didn't surviveCalf was retained in the uterus too longPlacenta detached from the uterine wall before the calf could be delivered on timeDifficult birth (see bullet #3 and #4)Malnutrition of the dam (i.e., not enough selenium results in sever White Muscle Disease of calf)Other causes that would leave even a veterinarian scratching their head...Other possible reasons that you may find a dead calf could be that you weren't out there enough or soon enough to catch a cow stepping on a calf, or a predator like a coyote, wolf, bear or even a pack of dogs chowing down on it. In the South vultures are to blame for newborn calf deaths. Screwworm flies or blow flies can infest a calf so bad that they are literally eaten alive by the maggots the flies lay on the just-born calf. Even swarms of mosquitoes and black flies can kill a young calf--driving the cow insane in the meantime.If a calf is born in the dead of winter--like on a terribly cold and stormy day--chances of survival could be questionable if you're not out there right away to put the calf in a warmer place. A calf born on a hot day may also have a slim survival rate, especially one that is of a breed not adapted to such hot-temperature days. A calf that is born in a puddle can drown.


Why do people say 1 head of cattle instead of 1 cow?

Because chances are that 1 head is not a cow but another type of bovine, like a steer, heifer or bull. Cows are mature female bovines that have had a calf.