Better than hip clamps

[The Big Cowhuna]

My neighbor has some dairy cows, and I help him when they fall. It doesn't often happen, but it's a production when it does. I think hip clamps have to be one of the worst ways to lift cattle. By the time you get the cow up and undone, the cow is either trying to escape, which can cause further injury, or it has given up and is ready to collapse again. What machinery do you guys use in order to lift your cows? I run beef cattle and haven't had a problem where a cow is down and can't get up.

 

[OhSusanna]

I wouldn't think milk-fever or anything to do with calving would be an issue this time of year, so is the concrete too slick or something? That's fixable if that's the problem, and he should make an effort to improve the surface. When a cow is down, sometimes you can roll her onto her side, slide a tarp underneath, roll her the other way, slide the tarp underneath the rest of her, then drag her out onto gravel or straw where she can get better traction to get up on her own. I've also used a skid steer in the past by rolling the cow into the bucket. I don't use hip clamps if I can help it.