# Photos of stages of labor



## translplant (Sep 27, 2005)

These were taken of two of my Dexter cows in labor. The dun, Poppy, had her 3rd calf, a 55 pound heifer on her due date. The black, Abby, had her 5th calf, a 65 pound bull calf, two weeks late. Each was a very easy labor compared to some first time heifers. These are the largest heifer and bull calf born here. The average weight is typically 45 pounds. 

Poppy just beginning labor. Notice udder is very bagged up and bones on hips (what are they called again) are prominent. Notice also that Poppy is very alert and her eyes are a little bugged out. 










Getting onry. Poppy is walking around pasture kicking the other cows because if she's miserable she wants everyone else to be too.


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## translplant (Sep 27, 2005)

Wandering off on her own. That's her in the distance. She kept pacing for about 3 hours before any real action started.










Lots of getting up and down but not really settling in. Agitated.


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## translplant (Sep 27, 2005)

Bag of waters appears. Takes a while to come completely out and eventually is hanging and bursts. There is sometimes active contractions starting immediately and sometimes a break in the action for a while. It is always best to record the time that the bag breaks in case you need to call the vet. Ours says wait an hour before calling him or getting ready for any intervention. Poppy's calf was born 45 minutes later. 










Now cow will begin active contractions and pushing, here is Abby with a classic tail out/back arched early contraction and then down on the ground pushing (and grunting/mooing)


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## translplant (Sep 27, 2005)

Contraction









The calf appears. Sometimes covered in the sack and sometimes not. Abby's still had the sack over him.


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## translplant (Sep 27, 2005)

You can see through the sack the hooves and the nose. This is a good thing!









Calf out but sack over his face. I moved in with a dry towel to pull it away from his face but I know Abby would have gotten there soon enough (note the poaching spade in case she got jiggy with me. She didn't)


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## translplant (Sep 27, 2005)

A new calf all wet and messy and mama goes right to town cleaning him off. He and she were up and nursing within minutes!

Windy









Lilac









After a while the cow will pass the afterbirth/placenta. Sorry I don't have photos of that. She will usually eat it. I'm NOT sorry I don't have photos of that!


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## veme (Dec 2, 2005)

Great pictures!


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## Guest (May 18, 2008)

Great pic's! Thank the girls for sharing their birth stories with us! The only thing you left out was the wee one's names!


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Thanks for all your time, the photos were exceptional...Congrats..John


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## translplant (Sep 27, 2005)

Oh yes, sorry. The black bull calf is Windy and the heifer is Clover Bell Lilac. Here is a link to her pedigree on the American Dexter Cattle website
http://www.dextercattle.org/pedigreedb/ponyweb.cgi?horse=020348&OwnerName=reeve&SearchFor=1&Page=1&Sort=0

If and when we ever have to pull another calf I'll try to get pics of that too. Fortunately that doesn't happen too often. Happy calving!

Linda Reeve
Clover Bell Farm
Vanleer, Tennessee


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

Wow! Those were big calves. You must feed well. I'm glad everything went so smoothly.

Thanks for the great pictures.

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## translplant (Sep 27, 2005)

Hey there Gene. I just had Sarah Grove to the farm yesterday. She had a great time seeing you.

All of our calves have been larger than normal this year. We had that terrible drought last summer and had to start feeding hay in July. We supplemented with range cubes starting in October. Now the pastures are going ballistic with all the rain (over 35" so far this year, more than all last year by far). The cows never lost conditioning but I'm really wondering if the stressful conditions in their first trimesters or the hay or ? has something to do with all the calves being bigger this year. I'm shocked every time we step on the scale with a calf. What do you think?


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

My pastures are so lush after all this spring rain. I've restricted the cows from all the paddocks. They can eat from the common areas and the woods. I put out a round bale to help tighten them up.

Tata is as big as a house. She worries me. She's such a small cow. She's shown all the signs of impending birth for over a week now. I have my fingers crossed on this one. I may have a big calf, too.

We had a good time when the Groves were here. We talked Dexter, but had to eat Angus. I'd used up the last of the Dexter burgers the week before. I know you'll help them get going when they complete their barn and fences.

When are you coming to see us?

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## 6ncounting (Apr 23, 2008)

great pics, thanks for sharing.


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## translplant (Sep 27, 2005)

Bump.
(sorry, someone wanted to see these)


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Dag Linda, I'm gald to see them again too....Awesome snapshots....Topside


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## translplant (Sep 27, 2005)

Oh John, you are such a sweetie. How are you anyway? I gave a gal from Georgia your number -did she call?
I tried to copy this link to another site and it wouldn't work. Is there a time limit on doing that? Does anyone know?


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## meganwf (Jul 5, 2005)

Great pictures -- I can't wait to show my kiddos. But I'm NOT getting them out of bed to do it.

Very cool.


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## cjb (May 2, 2006)

great pics!

The one calf born on our place so far (from my Jersey) was born the one time that I walked away. I was disappointed.

I want a Dex!


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## translplant (Sep 27, 2005)

bump.


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## translplant (Sep 27, 2005)

Sorry. Someone asked to see these photos again so I bumped it back to the top.

Cheers.


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## freedomfrom4 (Jul 27, 2009)

I love the pictures!! My kids think they a "cool" and can't wait till we have goat babies.


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## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

Thanks for bumping it! I missed it somehow and I'm really glad I got to see it this time! Wow~ thanks so much for sharing!


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## Merit (Jul 15, 2009)

Wow, what great shots & explanation!!


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

I like the look of the handles on that black cow's bag. I might just have to get me one of those! I'm tired of trying to milk with thumb and forefingers!


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## jrk53 (May 24, 2012)

Am waiting on my first calf (just acquired my little herd of Red Devons a couple months ago) so this was invaluable - I just want it in my head what i am going to deal with!


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

jrk53, here's a link for you that has a lot of useful information about calving, as well as another link within the article (near the end):

Signs of impending calving in cows or heifers


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## Dreamfarm (Dec 10, 2011)

Thanks. I appreciate these photos and links. I found more pictures on another forum as well.
Cattle Forum & Cattle Discussion Boards at Cattle Today


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