1. Condition Scores
“There are two stages of production going through the winter,” Shane Gadberry, Assistant Professor of Ruminant Nutrition at the University of Arkansas, said, “late gestation and lactation. These are both points of high nutritional requirements. We must match the quality and quantity of hay, forage or grains with the needs of the animal to maintain body condition score.”
“Probably one of the important things to be thinking about,” Ted Cunningham, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist, added, “is making sure those cows are in good condition and receiving good levels of nutrients, keeping them in ample flesh. That really helps for not only allowing that cow to milk and go through the calving aspects, but also allows that cow to have plenty of condition, and allow her to rebreed on a timely basis.”
2. Check the Quality of Feed
If it appears a cow is too thin heading into calving, Gadberry advised producers to check the quality of the feed. “The most accurate forage test is how an animal performs after a period of time on that hay. But those results are hindsight, and if results are a poor calf crop, it becomes an expensive means of forage testing,” Gadberry warned.
Stockpiling tall fescue has become increasingly popular in this region; Cunningham said the standing, undisturbed fescue works really well for supporting spring-calving cows in terms of protein and energy. But for stored hay, “it might be wise to take and test your hay to make sure that that hay is meeting those cows’ requirements, and if it is not, try to develop some sort of least-cost supplement plan to keep those cows in good condition.”
3. Pregnancy Checks
It’s also a good time to pregnancy check cows that have just finished weaning; if they’re open. “We need a cow to be having a calf every year,” Gadberry said. Getting rid of those cows that are not going to be producing a calf here in the next calving season saves having to feed them through the entire winter, which is a really costly time period for beef cow/calf producers.
4. Know the Stages of Labor Now
“The economic impact of calf loss in the U.S. is $2.5 billion, or 2.2 million calves each year,” Dr. Jeremy Powell, DVM and professor of animal science at the University of Arkansas, said. “Two-thirds of the calf death loss in the U.S. are a result of four factors, respiratory problems, scours, calving difficulty and weather,” he added. Calving difficulty, or dystocia, accounts for $350 million in losses, he noted, but that is one area we can really improve upon with a little extra care. Recognize dystocia by understanding the three stages of labor.
Stage 1: The behavioral stage; the cow gets away from the herd, her tail is raised. “Stage 1 ends when you can see the water bags,” Powell said.
Stage 2: The cow is actively in a hard labor. “If a cow has just begun stage two, and you come back in an hour and there’s no calf, give assistance,” Powell said.
Stage 3: During this period, the cow will expel the placenta and afterbirth. “This stage should be finished within 8 hours. If it takes longer than 48 hours to expel the afterbirth there’s a problem,” Powell said.
5. Assisting with Calving
There are many ways a calf can present itself in the birthing canal. The correct way, per Powell, is for the front feet to be followed by the head, torso then back legs.
“Other issues can create a calving difficulty, such as ‘are there twins?’ “The calf might be too big, or the birth canal too small. Generally, if you can pass a hand over the top of the calf’s head while it is sitting in the birth canal, there’s probably enough room to successfully pull the calf. However, there are other factors that create issues such as complete cervical dialation, as well as the possibility for the calf’s head or a leg to be turned back.”
Powell offered a few helpful pointers for malpresentations, when a producer tries to proceed in pulling the calf.
1. Pump in one gallon of lube – not soap – to manipulate the malpresentation. “Soap breaks down the natural lubrication of the cow.”
2. Use chains. Double wrap with one loop both above and below the ankle, and the chain should leave the leg on the underneath side.
3. Pull in an arc direction, toward the calves’ hocks, then turn the calf about 90 degrees, to prevent hip lock of the calf in the birth canal. “Avoid pulling unless the cow is pushing, and be as sanitary as possible. Clean her up, sanitize the OB chains,” he advised.
“The best advice is if in doubt, get out. Call your vet,” Powell said.
