Bracing Pasterns

a brace supports the pastern of a calf

Thursday morning, we assisted a replacement heifer in calving. We pulled a BIG, healthy bull calf weighing 125 pounds. When we checked on him later, he was still lying down. We noticed he was having problems setting his front feet on the ground. His pasterns seemed to be weak. To support and strenghten, we braced the pasterns of my newborn bull calf. We wrapped each front leg with cotton, placed a piece of PVC pipe that had been cut in half, then secured the brace with duct tape. The braces will stay on for a few days to strengthen the muscles. By Friday, he was running around in the barn!