Making the Most of Calving Season
Beef producers usually look forward to calving season, no matter spring or fall. Most enjoy the sense of renewal that comes with the arrival of a new calf crop, and anxiously await the results of the time and money they’ve invested into genetic selection.Even for the savviest of producers, challenges during calving season may crop up, some of which may be avoided, or at least reduced, with sufficient preparation before that first heifer or cow gets the urge to calve.
Focus on pre-calving nutrition
Scott Reynolds, a veterinary practitioner in Broken Bow, Neb., believes that common sense and good
management are the best tools producers can apply to calving season. A cattleman himself, Reynolds also runs a 100-head spring-calving herd.
He says it just makes sense to evaluate body condition and manage nutrition to have the herd prepared for calving.
Reynolds relays, “I advise producers to monitor body condition continuously to make sure cows reach a body condition score (BCS) of at least 5, and preferably 6, well ahead of calving time. Fetal programming studies indicate nutrition of the pregnant cow influences how her developing calf will perform throughout its life. When cows are in proper condition, their calves generally get up quicker and suckle faster. The volume and quality of cow colostrum will be better. That’s also important to lifetime health and performance of her calf.
”He says adequate body condition ensures cows will have enough energy for the laborious task of delivery, whereas a thin cow may weaken and give up during labor. Additionally, cows below BCS 5 at rebreeding exhibit lower conception rates.
“We have seen the repercussions (of this) in our practice,” Reynolds assures. “In 2009, feed quality was generally lower and a higher percentage of area cows were thin-ner at calving and at rebreeding. We saw more open cows at preg-check – 50 to 75% more – especially among young (first- and second-calvers) and old cows whose nutri-tional needs probably weren’t met.
”Reynolds encourages producers to have feedstuffs analyzed and be certain to provide necessary energy, protein, and mineral supplementation. Furthermore, he advises to pay particular attention to a cow’s diet dur-ing the last trimester of gestation.
Plan ahead to assist
Assuming cows are nutritionally ready to calve, producers need to plan ahead in the event they need to assist with calf deliveries.
Make sure facilities are clean and in good repair. Find the calf chains, handles, and calf-puller. Have them cleaned and ready, along with obstetrical sleeves and lubricant.
Veterinary practitioner Dee Whittier says it’s a good idea to have a supply of frozen colostrum or commercial colostrum “product” on hand. Whittier is an Extension veterinarian and professor at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, Va.
He says, “The real thing (colostrum) is always best when you can get it by milk-ing out a just-calved cow. Or sometimes a producer can obtain frozen colostrum from a nearby dairy. There are a bunch of co-lostrum products available, but look at the label and choose a colostrum ‘replacement’ rather than a ‘supplement.’”
Be familiar with parturition stages
Once a producer has readied facilities, equipment, and supplies, it’s a matter of observing the herd. Whittier says first calves are likely to arrive about 270 days after cows were exposed to the bull. He reminds producers that selection for calving ease has been accompanied by shorter gestation periods. Since heifers are generally bred to calving-ease bulls, they should be observed accordingly.
“Heifers might calve 10 days earlier and sometimes sooner than that,” Whittier cautions. Indicators that parturition is near may include “springing” – the relaxation and enlargement of the vulva. A relaxation of muscles around the tail head also occurs, but is less evident among animals with greater fat cover. A little better indicator, says Whittier, is the filling of the udder and teats. Often, when the teats become filled with milk, calving may be only a day or two away.
“Very near signs might be apparent discomfort and nervousness – especially in first-calf heifers – and an increase in vaginal discharge,” Whittier adds. “And cows and heifers tend to isolate themselves just prior to calving. That’s a pretty reliable sign.
”Both practitioners advise producers to become familiar with the stages of parturition in order to gauge an animal’s progress, and to determine if and when intervention is needed.
During the first stage, the calf should rotate to an upright position and the mother’s cervix dilates. Uterine contractions begin during this preparatory stage and the water sac is expelled.
“The first stage may take only a couple of hours, but it could take eight to 10 hours too,” explains Whittier. “If you check in the morning and find a cow in the first stage, she should be progressing with delivery by noon. If not, an examination is probably in order. But before sticking an arm in there, wash the vaginal area with soapy water, tie her tail out of the way, and use a clean plastic sleeve with plenty of obstetrical (OB) lube. If examination reveals the cervix is not completely dilated, she may need a couple more hours.
”In some instances, cautions Whittier, a calf might be in an abnormal position that does not stimulate the second stage of labor, so assistance is needed.
The second stage of parturition involves the actual delivery. The calf enters the birth canal and, typically, the cow will lie down and strain with the contractions. In a normal presentation, the calf’s nose and forefeet protrude first, followed by passage of the shoulders and then the hips. First-calf heifers may require up to two hours, but mature cows usually deliver in an hour or less.
“If she’s in stage two, you ought to see progress,” Reynolds explains. “If there’s been no real progress in a half-hour, assistance is probably needed and it’s time to act.
”He stresses that producers facing dystocia (calving difficulty) need to know their limitations.
“If they’re not experienced in assisting delivery, especially if they have no experience with abnormal presentations, they should call in a veterinarian.”
The third stage of calving is expulsion of the placenta, which normally occurs within eight hours after delivery. If it hasn’t happened within 48 hours, consult a veterinarian. Treatment with antibiotics may be prescribed to fight infection, and removal of a retained placenta is sometimes necessary.
Build a relationship before calving season
As these practitioners note, the need for assistance from a veterinarian can be a very real probability during calving. And this is why Whittier encourages producers to develop a relationship with a veterinarian before, instead of during, calving season.
He’s often heard producers complain that a veterinarian was reluctant to come when summoned to help with a difficult birth. But there may be good reason for this.
“Maybe the last time a veterinarian heard from one of those producers was two years ago, at midnight, on Christmas Eve. The producer probably waited too long before calling, so things were already a mess,” Whittier suggests.
“Producers should consult with their veterinarian, buy products from him (or her), and develop a relationship. It can make a difference when you need some professional expertise on a cold, dark night.”
Dystocia Affected Calves Need Extra Care
Newborn calves that are weak following a difficult delivery or other stress often require attention. Dee Whittier says any newborn that hasn’t stood and nursed within a couple of hours probably needs help, but dystocia-affected calves are often exhausted and may even suffer from mild brain damage. Therefore, it may be necessary to teach them how to nurse.
“Calves lost within two days after birth usually die because of starvation, hypother-mia, or both,” states Whittier. “Hypother-mia can be prevented in a lot of ways – in a pickup cab or under a heat lamp, but a warming box is one of the best ways to warm a chilled calf.”
A warming box doesn’t have to be fancy. Whittier says an enclosure (about 3' x 3' x 4') with an electric hairdryer as a heat source can create a 100-degree environment that quickly warms a calf. But be forewarned – a calf can die if it is overheated. Therefore, Whittier recommends checking a calf’s temperature with a rectal thermometer, calling 100°F warm enough.
Whittier and Scott Reynolds emphasize the importance of getting colostrum or a suitable colostrum replacement product into a stressed newborn as soon as possible. Reynolds warns against thawing frozen colostrum in a microwave oven, as its antibodies are destroyed by extreme heat. Rather, place the container of frozen colostrum in warm water and allow it to slowly thaw.
He advises, “I recommend feeding a quart of colostrum within the first hour after birth. Don’t try to feed two quarts all at once. A second quart can be given during the next four to six hours.” He adds, “It’s better if the calf suckles it from a bottle rather than administering with a tube. If colostrum is tube-fed and it gets in a baby calf’s rumen instead of the abomasum, there is virtually no absorption and no transfer of immunity to the calf.”
Minimize pathogens
These veterinarians also agree that preparation for calving season should include some thought about calf scours prevention. Their take: the most important thing is to limit calf exposure to disease-causing organisms.
“I started my veterinary career in Sas-katchewan (Canada) where most calves were born in calving barns during cold weather,” Whittier says. “But we found that calves born outside, on clean ground, were less likely to get sick. In the calving barns, calves were exposed to all kinds of bugs that cause scours. So I think the Sandhills Calving System is good.
”Cows in a Sandhills Calving System are managed so that the transmission of scours-causing pathogens is minimized. This is done through segregation of calves by age and regularly moving pregnant cows to uncontaminated pastures.
The complaint among many producers, says Whittier, is that it requires multiple calving pastures. Reynolds concurs, noting that many of his Nebraska clients aren’t set up to fully implement this type of system.
“But even if a producer sorts heavies into a different pasture only one time, it really helps,” Whittier states. “Just having one more pasture available and splitting the herd one time can help reduce the younger calves’ exposure to bugs shed by older calves. And the larger the herd is, the more good it does.
”To further help protect calf health, Reynolds warns against buying a sale-barn calf to foster onto a cow that has lost her own. By doing so, a producer may be buying trouble.
“I think it’s a big mistake,” he says. “You don’t know if the calf received colostrum or not, but you can be sure it was exposed to all kinds of pathogens. You might bring home disease organisms you’ve never had on your place before. It’s not worth the risk.”
About the Sandhills Calving System
University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers, working with Nebraska ranchers and their veterinarians, designed the Sandhills Calving System to prevent baby calf diarrhea.
The effect is to re-create the more ideal conditions that exist at the start of the calving season – when environmental pathogens are relatively low –each subsequent week of the season.
Cows are turned into the first calving pasture as soon as the first calf is born. Calving continues in this pasture for two weeks, and then the cows that have not yet calved are moved to Pasture 2. Existing cow-calf pairs remain in Pasture 1. After a week of calving in Pasture 2, cows that have not calved are moved to Pasture 3 and cow-calf pairs born in Pasture 2 remain there. Each subsequent week cows that have not yet calved are moved to a new pasture, while pairs remain in their pasture of birth.
The process continues throughout the season. It results in cow-calf pairs distributed over multiple pastures, with each pasture containing calves within one week of age of each other. After the youngest calf is four weeks of age and the risk for scours is low, cattle from different pastures can be commingled.