Calving in cows: signs, symptoms, preparation, norm, pathology, acceptance of a calf and advice from veterinarians

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Once a year a cow brings a calf to her owner. Most often, childbirth goes well, but in some cases complications are possible. Veterinarians recommend that owners be with the wet nurse during calving. If the process is going well, then it is not worth interfering with it. If the birth is pathological, then it is urgent to call a veterinarian.

Launch and calving calendar

The birth of a cow will occur at the moment when her body is completely ready for them. But the owner must know the approximate date, so you need to keep a special calendar. After covering, the owner records the time of insemination. If the next hunt has not come, then the cow is considered conditionally covered. In order to accurately determine the pregnancy of the nurse, you need to invite a doctor in a few months. The veterinarian will perform a rectal examination and find out if the cow is covered.

If the answer is positive, then the owner makes a note on the successful insemination in the cow's calving calendar. From this date heshould count 285 days, this will be the expected day the baby will appear. This does not mean that the cow will give birth inconspicuously on this date, the event may occur a little earlier or a little later. Also, the owner must calculate the day of launch, it occurs 60 days before the expected day of calving.

Preparing for calving

A cow should give birth in a clean room. The owner needs to clean up the cow's stall in advance. If possible, it is advisable to whitewash all the walls in the room before calving at the cow. The bedding must be replaced with a clean one. If chips are poured on the floor in the barn, then it should be large. If only small sawdust is available, then it is advisable to replace them with hay or straw.

About a week before the birth, the nurse is no longer driven into the herd. This is done for several reasons. Firstly, a cow can calve right in the field, where it is not always possible to provide timely veterinary care. Secondly, eating fresh grass increases postpartum edema. In addition, other animals in the herd can harm a cow in the last stages of pregnancy.

Signs of imminent calving

The closer the day of the expected birth, the more attentive the owner should become to the cow. Thanks to the observations, the owner will be able to understand that the process will begin soon. A sign of calving in cows is the filling of the udder with colostrum. But in all animals this process occurs at different times. In one cow, the udder begins to fill 3 weeks before calving, in others - 3 hours.

Uthe belly drops, the bones of the spine begin to be clearly visible. A few days before the birth, the ligaments near the tail relax at the wet nurse. In a cow before calving, the external genital organs swell, characteristic discharges appear from them. The animal looks restless, twitches its ears, examines its belly. The cow often raises her tail and licks her sides. At the moment of contractions, a wave seems to pass through the nurse's stomach, which means that childbirth begins.

How does normal calving work?

In most cases, cows give birth without complications. Veterinarians do not recommend interfering with them without a special reason. It matters how many calvings the cow has already had, if 6-7 or more, then the likelihood of complications increases. The first birth of a cow can also be unpredictable.

Cow calving is divided into 3 stages. In the first of them, the cervix opens. The nurse begins to worry, beats with her hoof, looks back at her stomach. Waves of contractions are noticeable on her sides, she often defecates and mooing plaintively. This stage in cows takes about 3-6 hours, in heifers - up to 10. At the end of this phase, the fetal bladder is shown. The owner must watch the nurse, but not interfere with the process.

At the second stage, the fetal bladder bursts. Water flows out. If the owner has the opportunity, then they need to be collected and drunk by the cow. Contractions become more frequent, the nurse is breathing heavily, the head of the calf is shown from the vagina. Soon the cow begins to push, pushing the baby out of her body. The fetus is born. The second stage lasts 1-2 hours, for heifers - 2-4.

Then the placenta is expelled. This is the third and final stage. Usually the afterbirth departs within 8-12 hours after childbirth. Sometimes it may linger. After its separation, the calving of the cow is completed. It is better not to feed the cow's afterbirth, as it can cause diarrhea.

Calf reception

A baby is born and needs to be met properly. Reception of the calf is carried out only on a clean cloth or sheet. His nose and eyes are cleaned of mucus. You can entrust this work to a cow, but heifers are sometimes frightened and do not know what to do with a child. Tie the baby's umbilical cord with sterile threads and cut the remaining edge with scissors. Treat the wound with any antiseptic, such as hydrogen peroxide or alcohol.

If a cow's calving went well, she usually copes on her own. If the birth was difficult, then the nurse often does not have the strength to take care of her baby. In this case, milk the cow and feed her colostrum to the calf. This must be done no later than 60 minutes after its birth. After the calf is put in a separate paddock or left under the cow.

Possible Complications

If the cow's calving time has come, but she has no signs, then this should alert the owner. You can invite a veterinarian who will determine the reasons for the lack of labor activity. If calving has already occurred, then complications sometimes arise after it. Most of them require consultationveterinarian.

Complications may be related to the age of the nurse. It has long been observed that older cows calve harder and have more problems later on. Young cows are also often difficult to give birth. The main reason for the appearance of pathologies is improper preparation of the animal for calving. At risk are malnourished and obese cows, as well as cows with gynecological problems.

Retention of placenta

The cow's calving ended safely, the calf is he althy and fed, but it's too early for the owner to relax. Within a maximum of 10-12 hours, separation of the placenta should occur, only after that the birth is considered fully completed. If this does not happen, then the owners should call a veterinarian.

Retained placenta may be caused by:

• unbalanced feeding during pregnancy;
• lack of vitamins;
• lack of exercise;
• stress.

Before the doctor arrives, the owners can give the cow sweet water to drink. If you managed to collect amniotic fluid, then you can give them. The veterinarian must examine the cow and give her drugs. If all these actions have not yielded results, then the placenta is separated manually.

Prolapsed uterus

Sometimes cows have complications at calving. After childbirth, the uterus begins to come out behind the baby in some cases. This is very dangerous and can lead to the death of the nurse. Prolapse of the uterus occurs due to too strong attempts, which expel not only the fetus. Sometimes this pathology is caused by incorrectchildbirth, such as when a calf is roughly pulled out.

Treatment for uterine prolapse consists of repositioning and suturing the uterus. This procedure must be performed by a veterinarian. The doctor also usually prescribes a course of medications. For the next calving, it is better to arrange in advance with the veterinarian, as uterine prolapse may recur.

Postpartum paresis

This pathology is most common in older cows. Usually postpartum cut starts within the first 3 days after calving. First, the chewing gum disappears from the cow, then the trembling in the limbs begins. Soon the cow falls on its side and does not get up again. The disease begins suddenly, the owner should call the veterinarian as soon as possible and bring him to the farm.

Without treatment, a cow dies in a couple of days. The doctor examines the cow and prescribes drugs. Usually use droppers with glucose and calcium. Additional drugs may also be used in the regimen with these drugs. In some cases, the doctor inflates the udder according to Evers.

Vet advice

A cow during pregnancy must be properly fed. You can not keep it only on hay or grass. This is especially true for highly productive cows, for example, the Holstein breed. By the time of calving, the cow should have an average fatness. You can’t feed her, but it’s also undesirable to bring her to exhaustion.

After calving, the cow needs to drink a couple of buckets of warm water. One of them can be addedsugar. Now some companies produce a special composition for postpartum drinking. It just needs to be diluted with water and offered to the cow.