One of our herd cows had been trying to have her calf for close to an hour, so we decided to get her up to the barn and into the calving pen so we could help her out.
Definitely different than I remember in the 70's on Wayside Farms in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. My grandfather was Milo Wolrab. I've pulled a few myself without the winch. Tied up with just a halter to a fence post in the pasture, no gloves, chain on the front legs before we pulled, and lots of swinging the calf after getting him/her out to get the fluid out of the lungs. Failing to get the fluid out killed more calves than I'd like to remember - mechanical pneumonia sets in pretty quickly especially in hot, humid Iowa summers.
I remember doing that 50 yrs ago. Used a bumper jack,no gloves. I remember the weight and mass of the membranes and fluids were just about close to the calf's. That kinda grosses you out when yer that young, but watching him struggle up and get ahold that nipple and get to work pulling on it.We were so glad, the mess meant nothing.
Thank you for the video, I lost a calf and cow yesterday because I didn't have the correct set up and knowledge to perform this. I regret not seeking out this video earlier. Thank you,
Muchas Gracias por compartir vuestra experiencia. Muy útil video. Saludos desde Argentina. Thank you very much for sharing your experience. Very useful video. Greetings from Argentina
I just found your channel and really enjoyed this video of the calf being born. Hope that doesn't happen too often as it looks like a lot of hard work for both you and the cow.
Very interesting for a city kid to see how you do this; thanks for posting it. The other cow--I assume she's there to keep the mother calm? Do you have certain cows that you use for this because they're calmer than others, or do you just bring in whichever is nearby?
Good question. The other cow is actually in there because she had calved recently and she is in the loafing area with her calf. It just happens to be adjacent to where the calving pen is. But it does help when other cows are around to keep the one being tended to calm.
The momma looked like a cranky one at first. Those were always the hardest deliveries when they wouldn’t work with you. Looks like this one had a happy ending.
Great video. Enjoy the content as always and I guess I'll go ahead and shoot my shot. Wouldn't mind if you use my name (Andy) and think it would be hilarious if you used my wife's first and middle Ashley Kate. In the south they do the double names haha. Plus there are a lot of Ashleys out there. Either way no big deal if you don't use them but I got a few months till I name a new calf at my place. Looking forward to having a couple new calves of my own.
Better than how I do it. I put a ratchet strap on the chain, ratchet the excess and then start walking up the ratchet strap until the calf comes out. I’m not a big fan of pulling calves, but it’s one of the necessary things of running cows.
Beautiful. How often do you have to assist in the births? That contraption seems like it does most of the work, but I’m sure Brian would say otherwise.
Seemed like a fairly easy pull. Perhaps it happened off camera but i would always put a hand back in just in case there,s a second one lurking in there made that mistake only last week lost half a set of twins when i handled the cow it presented perfectly fore legs and head none of the signs of twins to many fore legs or a combination of fore and hinds that would only be possible if the calf was a contortionist but two hours later two more lega appeared. Wont make that mistake again.
Not really fast in considering that she was trying for over an hour to push...and that's probably just the time they knew she had been trying)..gotta go or you are going to be delivering a stillborn calf!
My dad and me, 15 yrs old don't use gloves when pulling a calf or reaching in to grab the legs. All you got to do after is spray your hands off with some h20 even though gloves would be nice sometimes haha
That was quite a while ago, I don't remember what the calf was. If it was a bull it will get sold as a herd sire to a local producer. If it is a heifer it will probably be kept in the herd as a replacement heifer.
How did you know to intervene? I work for a farmer and we do the manual chain pull often.. but I don't know if we should... Please tell me how you know. ( I don't want to seem disruptive , lazy , or difficult to the Boss.) Thank you in advance.
Based on time and cow effort. If she has been calving for over 45 minutes it is getting close to time to intervene. If she does not settle down or is not putting in effort to push, then you may as well get in there and do something
She was taking too long. The cow will continue to get tired and won't be able to push anymore. Also it is possible that the calf is backwards or in a bad position so we need to make sure that it is coming out okay if it is taking too long
I didn't have a clue that this sort of thing took place in cow-ville. AMAZING!!!! I'm guessing that I'm not ready for raising cows. I do want cows, but I don't feel I know enough to do this. Is there a established system where by I can get my cows raised by someone else but still have a active hand in it???
There are places out there that feed and calve out your cows for you for sure. But if you want cows as pets you don't have to breed them, then you wouldn't have to worry about calving.
If we wait too long it is possible of the cord to break, and then the calf would suffocate. This girl was taking too long, so we went in to help. We would rather help to early, instead of too late and risk a dead calf.
Yes, my dad did. About 4 years ago a tornado took down most of our buildings and grain bins and we basically got to start over from scratch. That is why we have such a nice facility
Is it because of modern breeding that calves are bigger than they used to be. I never previously heard of a mechanical calf puller, just that occasionally - years ago, human manual intervention was needed, usually if the calf was in the wrong position, not due to size. Was around farm animalsall my younger life. Kind of the same with humans. Sometimes the babies are now just too big to come out unassisted.
We specialize in calving ease. Nobody breeds for big calves normally, it is just makes calving hard. We especially breed for small calves, it just happens from time to time.
@@SonneFarms When I was a kid from age 11 I was kind of put in charge of keeping watch on the cattle sheep and horses housed in the fields around my home. Owned by someone who lived a mile away. Iwould check the fields a couple of times a day and phone if there were any problems - such as new born lambs that had been stillborn or one time 2 sheep managed to tip a trough over on themselves killing both. Proudest moment was age 13/14 when I single handedly assisted a prizewinning trotting mare to foal. I was entrusted to keep an eye on her as they knew she was due. I spotted her lying downn, phoned the owner, but by the time he arrived with a vet they just watched as I comforted her encouraged her, cleaned off the lovely foal's nostrils, massaged him and got him to his feet and was suckling within 20 mins. No intervention needed. I had been this mare's sole companion for a couple of months as she has been housed in an isolated barn for her own protection, with nothing but 1 guy who would check on her for 10 mins, ensure she had hay and the trough was working. I spent several hours a day sat on the barn gate with my arm around her neck talking to her. Hence she trusted and accepted me me. Would not have dared try this with a random unknown animal.
The cow was not settling down nor working at it in the normal pace. When i checked the calf I could tell it was larger than I was comfortable with and its tongue was starting to swell. I have waited too long before and lost a calf. I would rather go too soon rather than lose a calf. I cant think of anything on the farm that eats me up morethan losing a calf. Thanks for the question.
Brian Sonne so right Brian that happened to me, I got back from being out with another emergency, too late to find a first calver in real trouble, immediately jumped into action to help her but the suction was the main culprit plus the calf was way too big. Hence the calf was already dead. Beautiful Mickey but what a sad thing to go through.
Since we sell bulls, we need to know which ones were difficult to calves so we don't sell that one, otherwise our customers could have trouble with that one
Yall did not let her push when pulling yall just went to town give the cow a lil long she would of had it just fine yall need to have a lil more patience
That's a calf jack. At my farm we never use this. Can hurt the calf and more importantly the cow. When we pull calf's from cows we use baler twine. We tie the two ends off in loops in-between the knuckles and the claw. It makes a loop you can stand in and lean back into so we ease the calf out. When she pushes we pull. Back and forth like that until the calf comes. Nice and easy. All by hand, no instruments.
We are very wet and it looks like planting will be a little delayed. In many places the water is running over the road but we have little compared to Nebraska.
@@cindybates2599 Do y'all even watch the video with the sound on? Hooooly g'day, some of the comments on here show you people have never done any work with animals and think everything in nature just works out fine 100 percent of the time. Educate yourself, get experience with it, or don't comment on things you know nothing about.
Just another day at the office. Thanks for our video!!! Brought back great memories. Note: Enjoyed your dad’s midwife work.
Great video! This old farm boy likes to hear the sounds of whatever is going on, not so called music!! Thanks, I am now subscribed.
Thank you for this opportunity to see how you help a cow have their calves when they need help.
I like the way you had another cow there for support. Well done for helping her.
Your dads entrance in this one has to be the best so far.
We lost a calf Monday morning. If we had a setup like yours it would have made a world of difference. Awesome video, thanks for posting this.
Definitely different than I remember in the 70's on Wayside Farms in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. My grandfather was Milo Wolrab. I've pulled a few myself without the winch. Tied up with just a halter to a fence post in the pasture, no gloves, chain on the front legs before we pulled, and lots of swinging the calf after getting him/her out to get the fluid out of the lungs. Failing to get the fluid out killed more calves than I'd like to remember - mechanical pneumonia sets in pretty quickly especially in hot, humid Iowa summers.
You made it look so easy for both you and the cow. Nice work.
I’m a power engineer in the oil field but I swear I was a farmer in my last life... if I switched careers I would be a farmer. Great content!
I remember doing that 50 yrs ago. Used a bumper jack,no gloves. I remember the weight and mass of the membranes and fluids were just about close to the calf's. That kinda grosses you out when yer that young, but watching him struggle up and get ahold that nipple and get to work pulling on it.We were so glad, the mess meant nothing.
The miracle of life never ceases to amaze me...well done!
Well done boys! Handled like a couple of real professionals.👍👍
That’s the way that’s supposed to work good job 👍. Very informative for anyone who hasn’t had to experience it thanks.
Thank you for the video, I lost a calf and cow yesterday because I didn't have the correct set up and knowledge to perform this. I regret not seeking out this video earlier. Thank you,
You can do it!
Very efficient and safe calving. Good procedures.
Nice work - love seeing Mother Nature bringing new life to the planet. Nothing could be better.
Great video and you explained every thing really well and so happy you got the calve out and it was okay.
You guys are absolutely awesome!
Muchas Gracias por compartir vuestra experiencia. Muy útil video. Saludos desde Argentina.
Thank you very much for sharing your experience. Very useful video. Greetings from Argentina
I just found your channel and really enjoyed this video of the calf being born. Hope that doesn't happen too often as it looks like a lot of hard work for both you and the cow.
Original appearance of the calf puller
Beautifully done. Keep up the good way.
Thank you so much 😀
We sure did learn a lot about a supported birthing and glad the calf up and about normally.
That has to be one of the best videos I have ever seen! Love your guys content!
Thanks!!
I learned something and I enjoyed the video.
Awesome! Thank you!
That was pretty cool, I've always kinda wondered how the process of birthing calves went
It is usually done unassisted.
Keep up the good work
When the cow on the time warp barked like a tiny dog hahaha
Great job guys. Nothin better than a live calf. Cole, when you gonna be the puller and let dad get the assist?
Very interesting for a city kid to see how you do this; thanks for posting it. The other cow--I assume she's there to keep the mother calm? Do you have certain cows that you use for this because they're calmer than others, or do you just bring in whichever is nearby?
Good question. The other cow is actually in there because she had calved recently and she is in the loafing area with her calf. It just happens to be adjacent to where the calving pen is. But it does help when other cows are around to keep the one being tended to calm.
Great video for learning, next time though you might want to get a different camera angle. Thanks for the video.
Oh, I know that mama felt SO much better!
Great video. Have had to do that a few times. Glad u have shown that.
Thanks 👍
The momma looked like a cranky one at first. Those were always the hardest deliveries when they wouldn’t work with you. Looks like this one had a happy ending.
Nice assisting birthing center. You two make a good team. I really enjoyed this video.
Handsome farmer, I can live there forever
Thats very homosexual of you
😲😲😲
Great video. Enjoy the content as always and I guess I'll go ahead and shoot my shot. Wouldn't mind if you use my name (Andy) and think it would be hilarious if you used my wife's first and middle Ashley Kate. In the south they do the double names haha. Plus there are a lot of Ashleys out there. Either way no big deal if you don't use them but I got a few months till I name a new calf at my place. Looking forward to having a couple new calves of my own.
Better than how I do it. I put a ratchet strap on the chain, ratchet the excess and then start walking up the ratchet strap until the calf comes out. I’m not a big fan of pulling calves, but it’s one of the necessary things of running cows.
My dad always used a rope and brute strength to pull calves.
You have a nice set up. Very prepared.
Just I would like know what's name for this machine which using for deliver
Beautiful site to see
Watching May 2024
Beautiful. How often do you have to assist in the births? That contraption seems like it does most of the work, but I’m sure Brian would say otherwise.
probably 5 percent of the heifers need help, 1 percent of the cows
Was the mom a first time mom ? Beautiful baby
Seemed like a fairly easy pull. Perhaps it happened off camera but i would always put a hand back in just in case there,s a second one lurking in there made that mistake only last week lost half a set of twins when i handled the cow it presented perfectly fore legs and head none of the signs of twins to many fore legs or a combination of fore and hinds that would only be possible if the calf was a contortionist but two hours later two more lega appeared. Wont make that mistake again.
nice calf pullers, one leg then the other...lookin' for them in town next time. Thanks!
thats gotta hurt having a baby pulled out...i hope shes pushing at the same time
Giving birth hurts
But why did you have to assist her?
Because she had been trying and not advancing. The calf could suffocate, and the cow and calf get tired.
Great job!
Love your vids
Awesome thanks for sharing
Truly professional
Thank you!
thats an awful fast pull guys did she breed back no problems? ho bout prolapse?
She did not prolapse. We her and the calf are doing great
I don’t see that as being awful fast...pretty normal for a successful assist to a correctly positioned calf that was not oversized
Not really fast in considering that she was trying for over an hour to push...and that's probably just the time they knew she had been trying)..gotta go or you are going to be delivering a stillborn calf!
My dad and me, 15 yrs old don't use gloves when pulling a calf or reaching in to grab the legs. All you got to do after is spray your hands off with some h20 even though gloves would be nice sometimes haha
Good team work guys, another successful birth!!!
Was the calf a bull or a heifer? And are you guys gonna sell it for beef?
That was quite a while ago, I don't remember what the calf was. If it was a bull it will get sold as a herd sire to a local producer. If it is a heifer it will probably be kept in the herd as a replacement heifer.
How did you know to intervene? I work for a farmer and we do the manual chain pull often.. but I don't know if we should... Please tell me how you know. ( I don't want to seem disruptive , lazy , or difficult to the Boss.)
Thank you in advance.
Based on time and cow effort. If she has been calving for over 45 minutes it is getting close to time to intervene. If she does not settle down or is not putting in effort to push, then you may as well get in there and do something
Love the video one day I want to have a baby cow for my home make this cow into a true 1500 pound cow
Thanks for the video
Why aren’t you waiting for natural delivery? Was there an issue?
She was taking too long. The cow will continue to get tired and won't be able to push anymore. Also it is possible that the calf is backwards or in a bad position so we need to make sure that it is coming out okay if it is taking too long
I didn't have a clue that this sort of thing took place in cow-ville. AMAZING!!!! I'm guessing that I'm not ready for raising cows. I do want cows, but I don't feel I know enough to do this. Is there a established system where by I can get my cows raised by someone else but still have a active hand in it???
There are places out there that feed and calve out your cows for you for sure. But if you want cows as pets you don't have to breed them, then you wouldn't have to worry about calving.
It you do not have a bull or artificially inseminate, you will not have any calves.
I really like the video thanks. Question on average what is a newborn calf weigh. Also how reliable is the John Deere brand
About 80lbs
Holy Cow!
check this video are you doing a little wiggle lol
Just wonder why not let the cow give birth naturally or when finished dilating then help?
If we wait too long it is possible of the cord to break, and then the calf would suffocate. This girl was taking too long, so we went in to help. We would rather help to early, instead of too late and risk a dead calf.
How "dilate the cow"? How attach the chain? We cannot see through your dad.
Great Work!
Good layout of pens and gates. Did you guys design calving barn?
Yes, my dad did. About 4 years ago a tornado took down most of our buildings and grain bins and we basically got to start over from scratch. That is why we have such a nice facility
Great video.
Is it because of modern breeding that calves are bigger than they used to be. I never previously heard of a mechanical calf puller, just that occasionally - years ago, human manual intervention was needed, usually if the calf was in the wrong position, not due to size. Was around farm animalsall my younger life.
Kind of the same with humans. Sometimes the babies are now just too big to come out unassisted.
We specialize in calving ease. Nobody breeds for big calves normally, it is just makes calving hard. We especially breed for small calves, it just happens from time to time.
@@SonneFarms When I was a kid from age 11 I was kind of put in charge of keeping watch on the cattle sheep and horses housed in the fields around my home. Owned by someone who lived a mile away. Iwould check the fields a couple of times a day and phone if there were any problems - such as new born lambs that had been stillborn or one time 2 sheep managed to tip a trough over on themselves killing both.
Proudest moment was age 13/14 when I single handedly assisted a prizewinning trotting mare to foal. I was entrusted to keep an eye on her as they knew she was due. I spotted her lying downn, phoned the owner, but by the time he arrived with a vet they just watched as I comforted her encouraged her, cleaned off the lovely foal's nostrils, massaged him and got him to his feet and was suckling within 20 mins. No intervention needed.
I had been this mare's sole companion for a couple of months as she has been housed in an isolated barn for her own protection, with nothing but 1 guy who would check on her for 10 mins, ensure she had hay and the trough was working.
I spent several hours a day sat on the barn gate with my arm around her neck talking to her. Hence she trusted and accepted me me. Would not have dared try this with a random unknown animal.
An hour does not sound too long. Was the cow or calf in distress?
The cow was not settling down nor working at it in the normal pace. When i checked the calf I could tell it was larger than I was comfortable with
and its tongue was starting to swell. I have waited too long before and lost a calf. I would rather go too soon rather than lose a calf. I cant think of anything on the farm that eats me up morethan losing a calf. Thanks for the question.
Brian Sonne so right Brian that happened to me, I got back from being out with another emergency, too late to find a first calver in real trouble, immediately jumped into action to help her but the suction was the main culprit plus the calf was way too big. Hence the calf was already dead. Beautiful Mickey but what a sad thing to go through.
Um, I'm confused... they said they had to attach to the back legs. Maybe I mis-heard it.
Debio they only attach to back legs if it is not coming out head first
Yeah. Calf’s are like a dresser from Ikea, assembly required and no manual.
You keep tabs on difficult birthers, to maybe sell them off?
Since we sell bulls, we need to know which ones were difficult to calves so we don't sell that one, otherwise our customers could have trouble with that one
That calf was not huge.you done a fine job though.
50-60 yrs ago it was sure different.
Was that a fox that wandered into the barn? Keep the baby safe!
Ha, that was my dog Ellie
It sure looked like a fox, but was way too brazen to waltz into a calving barn. Better safe than sorry!🥰
Was the after birth hanging out and on the ground already
That was from the previous cow that we had in there. We pulled one earlier that day before this one.
Very late to the party but how do the chains perform versus ropes?
We have never used ropes, the chains are nice because you can hook them anywhere up and down the chain.
Couldn't see a thing.
Yall did not let her push when pulling yall just went to town give the cow a lil long she would of had it just fine yall need to have a lil more patience
That's a calf jack. At my farm we never use this. Can hurt the calf and more importantly the cow. When we pull calf's from cows we use baler twine. We tie the two ends off in loops in-between the knuckles and the claw. It makes a loop you can stand in and lean back into so we ease the calf out. When she pushes we pull. Back and forth like that until the calf comes. Nice and easy. All by hand, no instruments.
@@zacharyforrest2858 sounds like you work with Mother Nature.
❤❤❤❤
Kelly
Sorta like forceps for humans.
I’m sorry but at 3:50 did a FOX just roll up in there and then skrt rq?!?!
Nvm I see it’s a dog now. I was hella confused for a sec
Hahaha thats Ellie
Did you get any of the flooding?
We are very wet and it looks like planting will be a little delayed. In many places the water is running over the road but we have little compared to Nebraska.
That is good, hopefully calving season go's well
Hello! Tell me, how do you sell meat?
Poor Baby...why not let her have her Baby on her own?! 😢
No Female wants Chains inside them. And a crank pulling something out before her time. God Bless that Mama and Baby. 😢🙏
Did you not watch the video? We explained it, the cow was not able to do it herself. If we would have waited they both would have died
@@SonneFarms trouble is, some people watch but don’t listen.
@@cindybates2599 Do y'all even watch the video with the sound on? Hooooly g'day, some of the comments on here show you people have never done any work with animals and think everything in nature just works out fine 100 percent of the time. Educate yourself, get experience with it, or don't comment on things you know nothing about.
Dude there is a fox in your pens. Watch the video
Sounds like you had a cold
Haha yea, I had been sick for a couple weeks, really stuffy
HELLO, MAY YOU ACCEPT ME AS AN EMPLOYEE IN YOUR FARM?
🤣🤣🤣
Black cow
Wow🔝🤝🛎🛎🛎
This is live
Great video new sub to you looking for support.