The weather has recently been perfect for calving. Perfect, as in, perfect for creating very cold and muddy calves. Tis’ the season I suppose. We love calving season. There is nothing more rewarding than correcting an improperly positioned calf and then helping a cow/heifer deliver a live calf. They shake their wet little heads and get to work trying to stand; such strong-willed little creatures.
We get to see the best of the problem situations and would like to offer up a few tips to help you have a really successful calving season.
1. Measure heifer pelvis size prior to breeding. This allows us to identify underdeveloped and undersized heifers and eliminate them from the potential breeding herd before they are allowed to cause problems.
2. Vaccinate cows, heifers, and bulls prior to breeding. Modified-live vaccinations are very effective and vaccinating open females allows you to get all the benefit without having any concern about the potential side-effects.
3. Limit your calving season to 60 days (or really close to it). Calving season requires a lot of time and very little sleep. Doing a really good job is hard work. The best way to use your time is to get your cows on a really condensed schedule. This will also pay dividends in a nice uniform calf crop.
4. Have your cows and heifers pregnancy tested. The ability to have your cows in a close-up lot will save time when there is a problem. Cows due to calve soon should be in an area where they can be easily caught and examined. Often times, a timely examination will save a calf’s life.
5. Be prepared. I recommend having a calving bucket with necessary supplies. Here are the things we recommend you have on hand:
· Head catch or at least a solid gate in the corner of a solid barn
· 2 calf chains and handles
· OB Lube
· Shoulder length sleeves
· Iodine or chlorhexadine scrub
· Tincture of iodine
· Calf bottle with esophageal feeder and nipple
· A bag of colostrum replacer or frozen colostrum
· Towels
· The comfort level to examine a cow and decide if she needs help, if you can provide the help she needs, or if you need to call for back-up.
· Phone number to your veterinarian. Timely action is essential.
6. If a cow stalls during labor, someone should examine her. Progress should be made at least every 30 minutes. Follow this link to a very good resource on progression of calving and how to help. http://beefcattle.ans.oregonstate.edu/html/publications/CSHandbook.htm
7. Proper post-calving care for the cow and calf is extremely important. The calf has to consume colostrum within 24 hours after birth. 12 hours is much more ideal. If for some reason a calf can’t consume colostrum from its mother, a colostrum REPLACER must be given. Be sure you are using a colostrum replacer and not just a supplement.
8. Dip the calf’s navel stump in concentrated iodine.
9. Watch the pair closely to be sure the cow has plenty of milk and that she passes her afterbirth.
Hopefully these tips find you in the middle of a successful calving season. Green grass and summer grazing are just around the corner!
This blog was written by Kacie Ulhorn, DVM
We get to see the best of the problem situations and would like to offer up a few tips to help you have a really successful calving season.
1. Measure heifer pelvis size prior to breeding. This allows us to identify underdeveloped and undersized heifers and eliminate them from the potential breeding herd before they are allowed to cause problems.
2. Vaccinate cows, heifers, and bulls prior to breeding. Modified-live vaccinations are very effective and vaccinating open females allows you to get all the benefit without having any concern about the potential side-effects.
3. Limit your calving season to 60 days (or really close to it). Calving season requires a lot of time and very little sleep. Doing a really good job is hard work. The best way to use your time is to get your cows on a really condensed schedule. This will also pay dividends in a nice uniform calf crop.
4. Have your cows and heifers pregnancy tested. The ability to have your cows in a close-up lot will save time when there is a problem. Cows due to calve soon should be in an area where they can be easily caught and examined. Often times, a timely examination will save a calf’s life.
5. Be prepared. I recommend having a calving bucket with necessary supplies. Here are the things we recommend you have on hand:
· Head catch or at least a solid gate in the corner of a solid barn
· 2 calf chains and handles
· OB Lube
· Shoulder length sleeves
· Iodine or chlorhexadine scrub
· Tincture of iodine
· Calf bottle with esophageal feeder and nipple
· A bag of colostrum replacer or frozen colostrum
· Towels
· The comfort level to examine a cow and decide if she needs help, if you can provide the help she needs, or if you need to call for back-up.
· Phone number to your veterinarian. Timely action is essential.
6. If a cow stalls during labor, someone should examine her. Progress should be made at least every 30 minutes. Follow this link to a very good resource on progression of calving and how to help. http://beefcattle.ans.oregonstate.edu/html/publications/CSHandbook.htm
7. Proper post-calving care for the cow and calf is extremely important. The calf has to consume colostrum within 24 hours after birth. 12 hours is much more ideal. If for some reason a calf can’t consume colostrum from its mother, a colostrum REPLACER must be given. Be sure you are using a colostrum replacer and not just a supplement.
8. Dip the calf’s navel stump in concentrated iodine.
9. Watch the pair closely to be sure the cow has plenty of milk and that she passes her afterbirth.
Hopefully these tips find you in the middle of a successful calving season. Green grass and summer grazing are just around the corner!
This blog was written by Kacie Ulhorn, DVM
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