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Faunsdale, AL | Darned near impossible to prop one up. If you find something that won't slide over, the heifer will slide over instead. On the other hand, if she's on good bedding, I wouldn't worry about her laying on her side for a few hours, but too long and they seem to forget which way's up. She needs something to think about other than dying! Any calves around ( even her own dead one may interest her) or maybe bring the farm dog by to check on her, sometimes that will help snap them out of the fog they seem to get into when they're hurt and exhausted from pushing for so long.
I think tying their legs together (hobbles) sometimes hurts more than it helps as long as they're on good surface to get up on. We do use hobbles with the dairy cows when it's time to take them back across concrete. Some of them that can't handle their legs just get tangled up in the hobbles and wind up frog-legged. There's no wrong way to do all this unless it isn't working and you don't try something else!
The float tanks are amazing. Sort of like baptism in a way,
As they are winched into the tank on a mat, you can see in their eyes, they're sure they're dying, but as the water floats them up and they realize that they can stand, they usually take on a whole new outlook. Some don't and I think many would just drown if you didn't keep their head above water as the tank is filling, but the ones that are still "with it" enough really brighten up when they get back on their feet. Unfortunately they have to walk out of the tank and some just never get to that point. | |
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Feedlot heifer calved. Problems.
