Astonishing moment stockman saves the life of a dying calf by using an ‘old farmer’s trick’

A cattle farmer has saved a dying calf with an unusual ‘farmer trick’.

Bryan Littlely was forced to think quickly after the calf failed to take its first breath after being born in a dam on his property in Victor Harbor, 80km from Adelaide.

Footage of the miraculous recovery shows Mr Littlely picking up the limp calf by her hind legs and swinging her around in circles several times.

He then places the calf back on the grass and begins massaging her neck, torso and inside of her nostrils to clear her airways.

Just as the video ends, the calf is seen taking a deep breath.

“This is what saving a cow and calf looks like,” Mr Littley captioned the footage.

‘During my routine check-up I noticed that Netty looked a bit sad during calving.

‘I was watching her from the deck with binoculars and the drone and we decided she needed help.

“I went and got the calf and got ready to catch her. I went back to her, she was lying on the ground and her calf was halfway out with one front leg underneath.

“They were in big trouble.”

Mr Littlely said he was unable to get a rope around the calf before the mother took off and headed straight into the nearby dam.

“Both useful and challenging,” he continued.

‘We were able to get her moving, which freed the trapped leg and eventually the dead-looking calf ended up in 0.9 meters of water.

“Mom ran and Crissina pulled the calf out of the dam.”

Mr Littley then places the calf back on the grass and begins massaging her neck, torso and inside of her nostrils to clear her airways (pictured)

The farmer explained that the ‘whizzy’ clears the air passages of the birth sac and in this case the mother water that the cow had ingested during birth.

“I massaged her chest, throat, buzzed a second time, stuck my fingers in her throat and nostrils… and thought about mouth to mouth, but after a few minutes caught her breathing when Crissina turned mom around,” he explained.

‘It took a few more hours, patience and a few calf movements, but Ducky is now sitting up with a loving mother. Fingers crossed she finds her feet, drinks up and takes her place in the herd like a very happy little girl.”

The farmer received applause in the comments of the video, while many other Australian farmers shared when they were forced to use the life-saving trick.

‘I have often done this with lambs, but putting your fingers in the nose/mouth to remove the mucus does not help either. Well done!’ said one.

Mr Littlely explained that the ‘whizzy’ clears the airways of the birth sac and in this case the dam water that the cow had ingested during birth (photo, Mr Littlely and ‘Lucky Ducky’)

‘This is very normal. If a calf had trouble breathing at birth, we always hung it upside down on the fence to help it breathe and stimulate it. The fluid drains from their lungs. Very happy calf,” wrote a second.

A third said: ‘It is common practice to do this in the dairy industry, it quickly clears the dirt from the airways so the calf can breathe, and this has been done for over 30 years.’

Mr Littely gave an update on the calf’s recovery and said she had been reunited with her mother.

The farmer decided to name the calf ‘Lucky Ducky’, as a tribute to her birth story.

Mr Littlely said hundreds of farmers used the unusual technique every week and said he learned how to do it from his father.

“She is absolutely beautiful and we are very happy that she came through,” he said.