How to launch a cow correctly? Preparing cows for calving: features of feeding, terms for stopping milking

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

Many cattle farmers are too careless about launching cows (as the transition from lactation to dryness is called). They mistakenly believe that with an animal that gives a lot of milk before the intended birth, there will be no problems after them, and milk yield will remain at a high level. However, it is not. If a certain technology is not followed, a cow with a calf may suffer due to their he alth problems. In the article, we will take a closer look at how to properly launch a cow.

General information

Before we start studying the main question, let's first understand the general concepts. A pregnant cow is a heifer in the stage of her life between covering and calving. At this time, the animal needs special care and a special diet, since calf bearing and childbirth take a lot of effort. This period in animal husbandry is also called the dry period. How to determine its beginning? Whensend a chick to run? What kind of food and care does the animal need? Find answers to all these questions and more below.

What are the consequences of a wrong launch

As mentioned earlier, failure to follow the technology of preparing for calving can lead to many problems. So, a wrong start of a cow can cause:

• The birth of a weak or underdeveloped calf.
• Difficult delivery that could result in the death of the heifer or calf.
• Development of various infectious diseases.
• Inflammation of the breast.

To prevent all this from happening, every novice farmer should have a detailed idea of how to start a cow correctly. There are two main technologies, which will be described in detail below.

Main signs of calving

A pregnant cow is a rather capricious animal that requires constant attention and increased care. You can independently determine the approach of the upcoming birth by physical and behavioral changes. In about a month, the heifer's udder begins to noticeably increase in size. It may also experience swelling from time to time. If it becomes too large, it will be difficult for the animal to stand on its feet and move around. Therefore, the owner must be very careful to take the necessary measures in a timely manner.

Approximately 10-14 days in a pregnant heifer, the genitals swell, and clear mucus is released from them in the morning. When there's only time left for childbirtha few hours, the cow becomes very restless. She constantly shifts from foot to foot, raises her tail, and viscous muddy mucus flows from her genitals. If the animal begins to tense up, then this is a sure sign of the onset of contractions. If you know how to properly start a cow before calving, and do everything in accordance with the technology, then the birth will be normal and without any complications.

Launch dates

One of the key factors in preparing cattle is time. The vast majority of breeds need to start running no later than 45-60 days before calving. The exceptions are heifers and high-yielding cows. But here it is important to understand that it is impossible to calculate the most optimal period with an accuracy of up to a week. You should also take into account the individual characteristics of the body of each animal.

Experienced farmers recommend that beginners start a calving calendar. The date of insemination is entered into it, an approximate pregnancy schedule is calculated, the duration of which is on average 285 days. With this information at your disposal, you can calculate when to start preparing. How to run a cow correctly? There are two main methods - instant and traditional. Each of them has certain features that you need to be aware of.

Preparing for calving

Approximately 1.5-2 months before the expected birth, the milking of the cow stops completely. This is an important requirement that must be met even ifif the heifer gives a large amount of milk. Such measures are necessary so that the animal can take a break from lactation and accumulate a supply of vitamins, minerals and nutrients in its body. Thanks to this, the fetus will be able to grow normally in the womb, be born he althy and strong.

Preparation also requires making certain changes to your daily diet. Concentrated and juicy feed is gradually removed from it. Milking at first is performed twice a day instead of three, and then it is completely carried out once a day in the morning. If the pregnancy falls on summer time, then the duration of free range is reduced so that the cow does not consume too much fresh grass and twigs of young trees on the pasture.

As for feeding in general, it should be balanced and he althy so that the heifer receives energy, but at the same time does not become too fat. Animal husbandry experts advise giving more quality haylage, silage, as well as fresh fruits, vegetables and root crops. It is also necessary to add chalk and s alt to food, and monitor the water balance. Thus, the preparation of the cow for calving is carried out. If you do everything right, then the birth for the heifer will be easy. Next, you can start launching the animal. How to do it right, read on.

Single start

This technology is one of the most common in the world, used in large industrial livestock farms. Its advantage liesin a more gentle transfer of a cow to a new diet, thanks to which even high-yielding breeds that give up to 20 liters of milk daily can stop lactation in just 7-10 days. In addition, this method allows you to minimize the development of various serious he alth problems and many diseases. A key factor in the one-step technology is the correct diet of dry cows. It is corrected according to the following scheme:

For 50 days, succulent feed is completely excluded from the diet and the amount of concentrates is reduced, and instead they begin to give more hay and straw

• For 40 days, milk is taken for analysis and, based on the results obtained, appropriate adjustments are made to the nutrition program.
• If any pathologies are detected, the animal is prescribed a course of antibiotics.
• S alt must be added to the feed during the entire launch time to maintain optimal water balance in the body of the heifer.
• A cow needs plenty of fresh water every day, so the water should be changed regularly.

Here is such a one-time launch technology. As practice has shown, it is highly effective, for which many farmers prefer to use it.

Traditional launch

This technology is suitable for small scale cattle breeders. Start-up lasts from the end of milking until the start of feeding the calf. If the cow has never given birth and belongs to high-yielding breeds, then it is necessary to milkstop 2.5 months before expected calving.

In all other cases, you need to adhere to the following scheme, left for a week:

• First day - 2 milkings.
• Second and third - one in the morning.
• Fourth and fifth - one in the evening.
• Sixth - one in the morning.
• Seventh - one only in the evening.

This technology also implies compliance with certain features of feeding cows at start-up. The pregnant heifer is no longer given succulent feed, instead of which hay, straw and silage are introduced into the diet. The amount of concentrates is reduced to 1 kilogram per day. So that the udder does not swell and swell too much, the intensity of drinking is reduced. To speed up the adaptation of the animal to a new diet, it is transferred to a new room and the meal schedule is changed. According to experts, if all the recommendations are followed, it takes about 7 days to launch using this technology.

A few words about antibiotics

If any infectious diseases or an inflammatory process are found in a cow during the examination of milk, the animal needs a course of drug therapy based on the use of long-acting antibiotics. The most effective is the use of Primalact. When starting a cow, this medicine quickly kills pathogenic microflora with minimal harm to the he alth of the calf and heifer.

The drug is prescribed for the following ailments:

• Chronic inflammation of the inner layer of the uterus.
• Different forms of mastitis.
• Inflammatory process with accumulation of purulent formations.

It is worth noting that it is best to contact an experienced veterinarian for any disease in cattle, as only he can calculate the appropriate dosage and duration of therapy.

Maintenance of a heifer during pregnancy

Approximately 2-3 months before calving, it is recommended to move the cow to a separate room from the rest of the herd in order to ensure her complete rest. The floor in the barn is covered with straw, which is regularly changed. A s alt stone is placed in one corner, and a drinking bowl is installed in the other. The room should be well insulated and protected from drafts. It is also regularly cleaned and ventilated. Good housing conditions are no less important than the preparation and proper launch of the heifer before birth, so in no case should it be left unattended.

Conclusion

If you want to always get a large amount of milk from your cow, then she needs to be properly cared for and properly prepared to stop lactating. In this article, we looked at two of the most effective technologies that will allow you to start a cow in a way that maintains high milk yields. Stick to them and you will definitely succeed.