Each calving season brings an element of excitement and anxious anticipation. During calving season, a farmer often takes on the role of a midwife. It’s important to prepare ahead of time for potential interventions when a mama cow or calf are in danger. Protocols should be in place for late pregnancy observation, labor, delivery, and postpartum. Medicine cabinets should be stocked with the essentials, calving pens cleaned, and equipment disinfected.
Calving Season
On our farm, we’ve divided our main herd into two groups, based on when the cows are scheduled to calf. We have a spring caving crop and a fall calving crop. The spring calves are born primarily in April & May, while the fall calves are born in September & October. Living in Upstate NY we’ve found it best to avoid the frigid temperatures of January & February. And while March is a warmer month it often brings inconsistent temperatures, rain, and mud; breeding grounds for pneumonia and infection. In the summertime our cows enjoy grazing on lush pastures located over a mile from our barnyard, making summer calving an impractical management process for our herd. Summer temperatures also bring flies (which carry disease) & increased predatory threats. Therefore, autumn has proven a second great option for calving. Calves can enjoy cool days, without frigid nights, and they have plenty of time to grow & establish immune systems before the onset of winter.
Bovine Pregnancy
Cows (AKA Bovine) are nonseasonal breeders, meaning they have the ability to conceive at any point in a given year. We typically wait until a heifer is about 2 years old before starting her in our breeding program. Many farms will start this process around 18 months, however, we’ve found the additional 6 months of development to increase natural conception rates with decreased risk of dystocia (AKA problems calving). Cows have a gestation period of approximately nine months, similar to that of a human. Therefore, cows will typically produce one calf per year for approximately 10 years.
Signs of Labor
As calving season approaches, we move the bred cows close to our barnyard for observation and care. Pregnant mama’s will receive our highest quality hay at this time. (Moldy hay can cause late-term abortion) We look for signs of labor such as discharge, swelling around the vulva, and milk letdown. We check on the herd every few hours and notate any changes. If a cow looks close or starts to labor, we move her to the barnyard. In the barnyard, we will monitor her labor. If a cow is in active labor for a duration longer than 2 hours or she’s visibly distressed/tired, we will intervene.
Labor, Delivery, & Interventions
Ideally, a cow will calve without any intervention; however, it’s important to be prepared when necessary. When selecting a sire (AKA bull) for our herd, we study his genetic traits for those associated with calving, growth, and carcass quality. Calving ease is our primary focus (because a cow who can’t calf won’t have an opportunity to grow to harvest weight, making the other traits irrelevant). For the majority of interventions, our mama cow is struggling because of exhaustion with a large or mispositioned calf. By helping pull the calf in rhythm with the cow’s contractions, you can still deliver a healthy calf relatively quickly. However, delivering a mispositioned calf can be much more complex. Sometimes a calf may be stuck in the birth canal and require being pushed back up into the cow for repositioning, requiring the farmer to work counteractive to the cow. Or the cow may need help delivering a breached (backwards) calf. It’s helpful to keep calving chains, a calving winch, towels, and oxytocin on hand during interventions. Oxytocin, although a natural hormone, is not something we typically administer to a cow unless it’s an extreme life or death situation. Oxytocin can stimulate the uterus to contact and aid in milk letdown after a traumatic birth.
Another intervention worth noting would be in regard to a non-responsive calf. A calf, especially one that’s been stuck in the birth canal for an extended period of time, may be born weak or non-responsive. A calf that’s not breathing can be lifted upside down to encourage mucus drainage. You can also clear it’s nasal passage with straw and perform a quick massage along the outside of its rib cage. When the calf starts coughing or breathing, you can lay them back down to stabilize their breathing. These methods have proven highly effective when performed quickly.
Postpartum
After a cow calves she’s placed in our barn for at least 24 hours of observation. It’s important to see the calf stand and nurse within the first hour. The first milk a cow produces after birth is called colostrum. Colostrum is vitally important for producing a healthy calf. Colostrum provides hydration, immune support, nutrients, and establishes the gut biome. A weak calf may need to be tube fed before it’s strong enough to stand & nurse on its own. Farmers should be sure to have colostrum, milk replacer, spare bottles, and a tube-feeder on hand.
You also want to make sure the cow bonds & accepts the calf. Sometimes a new mama will reject her own calf. In cases such as this, we may apply milk from the cow to the calf’s hide or try other ways to aid the cow in detecting the proper pheromones on her calf.
Thirdly, you want to observe the cow to make sure she passes the placenta. A retained placenta would be cause for concern as it can cause severe infection, illness, and even death. You’ll also want to spray the calf’s umbilical cord (naval) with iodine to prevent bacteria from entering the calf’s bloodstream.
Lastly, you want to provide shelter to the calf and extra water & feed to the cow. A single lactating cow will drink 30 to 50 gallons of water a day.
Following the first 24-hours, cows and their calves are moved from the calving pens to the barnyard and eventually graduate to a nearby field. They’re observed daily, provided continual access to water & feed, and always a short walk from the barn. Calves are tagged for identification, provided a dosage of “Convert” Day-One Calf Gel (a blend of naturally occurring microorganisms that aid in immunity and gut health), and a dose of multi-min (minerals).
First-Aid Care
Young calves can fall victim to a number of illnesses within their first few months of life. Some supplies to have on hand should include scour pills, electrolytes, Vitamin B, and Bamamine. Calf scours are essentially diarrhea in calves; therefore, you’ll want to treat the calf with scour pills and keep the calf well hydrated with electrolytes. Vitamin B is essential for immune response, rumen (AKA gut) function, and proper hydration. Banamine helps with inflammation and respiratory issues.
Conclusion
In summary, nothing brings a cattle farmer more joy than the sight of a happy & healthy newborn calf. Thankfully, interventions are uncommon, however, it’s important to be prepared when necessary. Maintain a good relationship with your local vet and push yourself to learn continually. We hope this blog can be a resource for fellow cattle farmers and of interest to other readers. We love and care for our cattle tremendously. It’s important to us that our cattle have happy & fulfilling lives on the farm, starting on their birthday.
Sincerely,
Mattea VanDerwerken