Signup to receive email updates
Recent Posts
Categories
Blog Archives
- July 2018 (2)
- June 2018 (1)
- May 2018 (2)
- April 2018 (2)
- February 2018 (1)
- December 2017 (1)
- September 2017 (1)
- August 2017 (2)
- July 2017 (2)
- May 2017 (2)
- April 2017 (1)
- March 2017 (1)
- February 2017 (2)
- January 2017 (1)
- December 2016 (1)
- November 2016 (3)
- October 2016 (3)
- September 2016 (2)
- August 2016 (4)
- July 2016 (2)
- June 2016 (1)
- May 2016 (4)
- April 2016 (2)
- March 2016 (2)
- February 2016 (2)
- January 2016 (3)
- December 2015 (1)
- November 2015 (2)
- October 2015 (2)
- September 2015 (1)
- July 2015 (5)
- May 2015 (2)
- April 2015 (1)
- March 2015 (1)
- February 2015 (4)
- January 2015 (4)
- December 2014 (1)
- November 2014 (3)
- October 2014 (4)
- September 2014 (2)
- August 2014 (2)
- July 2014 (5)
- June 2014 (5)
- May 2014 (5)
- April 2014 (3)
- March 2014 (3)
- February 2014 (1)
- January 2014 (6)
- December 2013 (3)
- November 2013 (3)
- October 2013 (4)
- September 2013 (2)
- August 2013 (1)
- July 2013 (5)
- June 2013 (3)
- May 2013 (4)
- April 2013 (4)
- March 2013 (4)
- February 2013 (2)
- January 2013 (6)
- December 2012 (3)
- November 2012 (2)
- October 2012 (5)
- September 2012 (5)
- August 2012 (3)
- July 2012 (6)
- June 2012 (6)
- May 2012 (6)
190 Total Posts
follow our RSS feed
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Calving Season Tips
Calving season is either here or fast approaching for many Illinois cattlemen. I would just like to share a few tips that I have gathered through some of our winter meetings. Perhaps the most important tip is to have a good relationship with your local veterinarian. Sometimes the difficult decisions during calving season are best made by your veterinarian.
Just a few of the basic things:
- There are three stages of parturition (giving birth)
- Stage 1- dilation of the cervix, occurs 4-24 hours before birth, most times this stage is not noticeable. Some signs may be the cow trying to isolate herself, discomfort, switching of the tail, and increased discharge.
- Stage 2- start of contractions, membranes and fetus enter the pelvic canal, amniotic sac or "water bag" will appear at the vulva, a general rule is that delivery of the calf should be complete within 2 hours after the amniotic sac appears
- Stage 3- placenta (afterbirth) is delivered. Usually passes within 8 hours after birth.
- Colostrum should enter the calf within 4 hours of birth.
- Great time to identify, (tag, tattoo, etc.) administer vaccinations, dip navel in iodine, collect weights, etc.
Some tips for dystocia (calving difficulty):
- Be clean! Be gentle! Be patient!
- Massage cow'svulva to increase dilation
- Double hook chains above and below fetlock joint
- Alternate pulling on legs (helps shoulders come through a smaller pelvis)
- Pull out AND down
- If calf becomes hip-locked, rotate the calf 45 degrees and then pull
- Use calf puller only if necessary. A calf puller will put extreme strain on the cow and the calf
- Remember sometimes a c-section is the only option
Most dystocia is associated with large calves or small pelvic area of the calving female. Twins or Abnormal presentation can also be the cause. It is important to identify what the cause of dystocia is before pulling the calf. You may need to re-position the calf or perform a c-section instead of using the calf puller.
Once the calf is delivered, it is important to clear mucus from its mouth/airway and stimulate breathing. Sticking a piece of straw into the nostril can help to encourage sneezing and coughing, clearing mucus from the airway. If the calf is not breathing and has had mucus cleared, bouncing it on it's rear-end can help stimulate breathing.
Please share this article with your friends!
