Running a cow before calving: basic rules. When to stop milking a cow before calving

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

Before calving, a cow requires the most careful care. Such an animal needs to be provided with good conditions of detention and develop the right diet for it. In addition, farms perform such a procedure as starting a cow before calving. Of course, you also need to perform such an operation correctly.

What is a launch and why is it needed

Cattle are kept on farms, of course, primarily for milk production. However, before the birth of the calf, the cow must rest a little from milking. In this case, she will subsequently bring he althy offspring, and then will give milk of high fat content in large quantities. The period in which the cow is not milked before calving is called the start.

Timing

Usually, the procedure for starting cows is started 2-2.5 months before birth. The only exceptions in this case are highly productive animals that give more than 15 liters of milk per day, as well as cows who become pregnant for the first time. Launching cows of these groups before calving is a more complicated and lengthy procedure. So they start itfor such animals earlier - about 3 months before calving.

Basic rules

It is impossible to violate the technology of launching cows in any case. This is fraught with the development of mastitis and other udder diseases in cows. First of all, at the start of the launch, the animal is transferred to a special diet. Cows exclude juicy food and some concentrates from the menu. Such products are replaced with roughage, that is, hay. Concentrates are given to the animal no more than 1 kg per day.

In the summer, when starting, reduce the time of grazing. After all, grass can also be classified as a succulent feed. Cows are driven out to pasture during this period, but the time spent on the meadow is gradually reduced to 4-5 hours.

As soon as the cow is transferred to dry food, they begin to gradually reduce the number of milkings. This leads to the burning of milk in the animal. Within 1-2 weeks it becomes less and less. Eventually milking stops altogether.

Rules for walking pregnant cows

The time spent by a pregnant cow on the pasture is thus reduced. However, it is believed that short walks in the meadow for such cows can be very beneficial. It is recommended to expel pregnant animals from time to time outside not only in summer, but also in winter. In the period from October to April, a cow should spend at least half an hour a day in the fresh air before calving. To do this, a walk is organized next to the barn. Its area should be such that each cow has at least 8-9 m22.

It is not recommended to let out pregnant cows with non-pregnant cows in one run. itcan lead to injury and abortive processes. Also, experts do not recommend releasing pregnant cows for walking during ice. If a pregnant cow slips, this can also lead to a miscarriage. Very carefully, of course, cows should be walked in the last months of gestation. Such animals on the street need to be closely monitored.

Special Instructions

Cows are watered during the launch most often in normal mode. But sometimes it happens that even after changing the diet, the animal produces the same amount of milk as before. In this case, the number of cows to drink is reduced. Water is given to such an animal three times a day.

You need to water a pregnant cow, of course, correctly. Water for pregnant cows is given exclusively warm. Using too cold or hot can cause miscarriage.

During the start of a cow before calving, among other things, it is necessary to monitor the condition of her udder. If it hardens, contact your veterinarian immediately. Otherwise, the cow may develop mastitis. If this happens, the launch should be stopped until the animal is fully recovered.

You can prevent the development of mastitis in a cow, among other things, by periodically massaging her udder. It is imperative to perform this procedure from time to time before starting.

How long can it last

The number of milkings before calving is usually reduced from two per day to one. In cows with mediummilk production, the launch procedure most often lasts no more than 5 days. However, they usually stop milking such animals only on the 7th day. In private farms, in most cases, they use the following scheme for launching cows before calving:

• 1st day - two milkings;
• 2nd - 2 milkings;
• 3 and 4th - milking only in the morning;
• 5th and 6th - only in the evening.

On the seventh day, the animal is milked for the last time in the morning. How long a cow at start-up should be in a private household - the answer to this question depends primarily on its individual productivity in terms of milk yield. They stop milking a pregnant cow when her udder decreases in size, and the amount of milk in it drops to one glass. By this time, the risk of developing mastitis will be reduced to zero.

How to milk high dairy cows

In such animals, the starting procedure usually takes longer. Most often, milk from high-yielding cows disappears only after 2 or even 2.5 weeks. How many times to milk a high yielding or first heifer cow during start-up? In such animals, the milk will, of course, burn out longer. Therefore, two-time milking after changing the diet in this case is usually extended for 4-5 or more days. The cow can then be transferred to the same schedule as for medium dairy cows. They also stop milking such animals only after reducing the udder and reducing the amount of milk to a glass.

How to tell if a cow is pregnant

It is believed that the launch of cows of any breed should be started no earlier than 3 months beforecalving and no later than 45 days before. But of course, you need to start this procedure only if the animal is really pregnant.

Cows of almost all modern dairy breeds reach sexual maturity at about the age of 1.5 years. At this time cows are usually brought together with bulls. A cow can be considered pregnant if she shows no signs of heat 3-6 weeks after being covered.

In the household, you can determine the presence of pregnancy in a cow by the following signs:

• careful behavior and a quieter lifestyle with maintaining appetite;
• presence of vaginal discharge in the first couple of months;
• changing the texture of wool to a smoother and shinier one.

A good answer to the question of how to determine the pregnancy of a cow is, of course, palpation. The procedure is complicated, but even in the private sector it is quite feasible. Palpation is usually performed as follows:

• a couple of helpers should hold the cow by the horns and legs;
• the inspector lathers his hand and inserts it into the rectum of the animal;
• having felt the cervix, the inspector controls its position.

In a non-pregnant cow, the uterus will be located in the pelvis. In a pregnant animal for 2 months, one horn increases in size and fluctuates. Of course, in a pregnant cow, the uterus itself will be quite large.

Rules for palpation

It is best to carry out such a procedure in the morning - before the first feeding. At this time, the stomach of the cow is emptied. Accordingly, it is much easier to do palpation in the morning.

In order for the cow to experience less discomfort, fingers can be additionally lubricated with vaseline oil before performing diagnostics using this method. In any case, palpation should be done as carefully as possible. The walls of the rectum in cattle are quite thin. And with any careless movement, they can be easily damaged.

It is impossible to move the hand during palpation at the moment of contraction of the intestinal walls. In order to conduct a study on the position of the uterus, you need to wait until they are completely relaxed.

Feeding before childbirth

A week before calving, concentrates are completely excluded from the diet of well-fed cows. They are given to thinner animals in an amount of not more than 900 g per day. What is the best food to feed cows during this period? The answer to this question, of course, is of interest to many farmers. During this period, in order for the calf to receive all the vitamins, microelements and nutrients necessary for its body, it is definitely worth including bean and cereal hay rich in fiber and useful components in the menu of its mother. Such feed should be given to cows at this time in plenty.

Single start

In large farms, it is, of course, difficult to pay attention to each pregnant cow before giving birth. Therefore, on such farms, one-stage start of cows before calving is usually used with the use of special preparations. ATthis case:

• cow's diet is changed about 50 days before calving;
• after 10 days, milk is taken from each nipple for analysis to detect pathologies.

On the day of launch, before calving, the cow is thoroughly milked and wiped dry, and her udder is also disinfected. Then, using a dosing syringe, an anti-mastitis drug is injected into the mammary gland of the animal through the nipple. It can be, for example, "Orbenin" or "Nafpenzal DC". Thus, each quarter of the udder is pumped with the drug. After that, the milking of the cow is stopped and the animal is transferred to the dead wood. At the same time, concentrates and silage are included in the diet in an amount of up to 2 kg per day.

Injections of anti-mastitis drugs at start-up usually only if the animal is he althy and when milk production is reduced to 10 liters per day. On the first day after using the drug, the udder of the cow may swell. But this phenomenon is temporary and does not lead to any negative effects.

The main advantage of the instant method is the elimination of the possibility of untimely launch of the cow. In addition, those animals that were injected with a drug intended for this purpose are much less likely to suffer from mastitis in the future.

Important

Most of the preparations intended for starting cows should not be used during lactation to prevent mastitis. Milk for food after using such products should not be eaten for 1.5 months or more.

What is the danger of untimelystartup

The individual characteristics of some cows are such that it can be very difficult to start them before calving. When transferring to dry food, a cow, for example, may experience a stoppage of the stomach, which often even leads to the death of the animal. Often, even with the exclusion of succulent feed from the diet, the cow continues to produce large amounts of milk. In such cases, some owners of farmsteads refuse to release the animal. Of course, quite often this does not lead to any negative consequences. However, allowing a cow to give birth without running is still quite dangerous.

It is necessary to try to prepare even a problem animal for childbirth. Such a cow should be transferred to dry food carefully, gradually reducing the amount of succulent in the diet. To stop lactation in this case, as already mentioned, you can use special drugs.

Incorrectly carried out the start of a cow before calving or ignoring this procedure can lead to such unpleasant consequences as:

• fetal abnormalities;
• significant reduction in milk production after calving.

The amount of milk in a cow after calving will decrease if it was not started correctly, maybe up to 40%.

Early start

Sometimes it also happens that the lactation period of a cow, on the contrary, ends too early - 3-3.5 months before calving. For the cow itself and its fetus, an early start is usually not harmful. But the owners of the farmstead in this case, of course, do not receive quite a lotamount of milk.

Why does a cow leave early? In most cases, early cessation of lactation does not mean that the animal has any pathologies. This usually happens simply because of the individual characteristics of the organism of this particular cow. To extend the lactation period for such an animal by about a month, experienced farmers advise giving a cow prone to early start more succulent feed. It can be, for example, silage, beets, fruits, carrots, etc.

Sample menu and care

So, we figured out how to properly run a cow on the farm. Just before calving, cows on farms are kept mainly on roughage. In the household, the cow menu during this period, for example, include:

• silage and cereal hay - 60%;
• concentrated feed (grain, bran, compound feed) - 24%;
• other types of roughage (regular hay) - 16%.

Feed the animals before calving usually 3 times a day. Also, when performing the launch procedure, the cow must be offered 30-50 g of chalk and s alt per day. Of course, you need to give a pregnant cow only high-quality food without mold and bad smell. Otherwise, the cow may miscarry.

There are negligent owners who believe that since a cow does not give milk at the start, it is not necessary to feed it well. This approach is fundamentally wrong. Poor feeding of the animal during the launch period can lead to such, for example, negativeconsequences like:

• difficult calving;
• diseases of the udder and reproductive organs;
• delayed afterbirth, etc.

Among other things, a cow before giving birth, of course, must also be provided with decent living conditions. Cows should be kept in a warm, bright, well-ventilated barn.

What to do after calving

Pregnancy in cows can last about 280-310 days. Thus, the answer to the question of when to stop milking a cow before calving is about 7.5 months. Of course, cows need good care not only before calving, but also after it. In any case, the normal diet for the animal should be returned gradually.

30-40 minutes after the cow has a calf, she needs to drink plenty of water. Then fresh, clean, high-quality hay should be put in the feeder for the cow. In summer, it is allowed to give freshly calved cows and green grass.

Concentrated feed is usually introduced into the animal's diet the day after birth. In most cases, at this time, cows are given the simplest, not too high-calorie bran mash with water. On the third day, such food is allowed to be replaced with a mash of oats in the amount of 1.5 kg. Such food will be especially useful for constipation in a cow after childbirth.

Juicy feed, like concentrated feed, is gradually introduced into the animal's diet after calving. A sharply large amount of such food should not be given to cows. Otherwise, they may not onlyudder disorder. Too much succulent forage in the diet after calving often, unfortunately, causes udder edema.