The mystery of the emergence of a new life is always an exciting and crucial moment. In livestock farming, where the basis for profit is a large and healthy population, safe burden management plays an important role. In dairy cattle breeding, giving birth to cows is a hope not only for herd repair, but also for milk in general. The process does not always go smoothly. Timely assistance can save the life of both the calf and woman in childbirth.
Caring for a cow
Childbirth in cows is the apogee of painstaking and continuous work of the breeder. There are heifers at the age of 18 months, upon reaching a live weight of at least 380 kg or 75% of the weight of an adult cow. The pregnancy period lasts about 9 months. Fluctuations in the timing are due to the age of the animal, its physical condition and breed.
First of all, the animal needs to be provided with high-quality feeds, conditions must be created that meet all the standards of pet hygiene. A future calf should have a healthy mother. Primary requirements:
- dry, warm (in winter) without drafts stall;
- cleanliness (daily cleaning of the animal and change of litter);
- balanced diet;
- daily exercise;
- timely launch.
Milking is stopped (started) two months before calving. Do this gradually, first switch to double milking, then to single. Finally, stop milking at all. Each stage lasts at least a week. It is important to pay attention to the condition of the udder, it should not have any redness or swelling.
Changing the diet and feeding. Reduce to 1 kg per day or eliminate concentrated feed, remove succulent: silage, root crops. The optimal feed for the cow during the launch period is high-quality hay, in the summer - pasture grass. Regular walks will help reduce the risk of udder swelling. To avoid unwanted injuries, it is better to separate the pregnant cow from the goods (if there is more than one on the farm). On average, during a dry period, a cow gains 50-70 kg. This is due to the development of the calf.
Preparation for childbirth
Directly before calving, the birth canal is treated. For this, solutions are used: 2% creolin, or 0.1% lysol, or 0.1% potassium permanganate. All impurities are washed off the animal, thoroughly washed, the udder and wiped dry.
Cows giving birth require preparation and placement:
- they must carry out disinfection (a 2% solution of creolin or sodium is suitable) of the walls, floor, feeders, and all the equipment;
- change the litter, lay the straw with a layer of at least 15 cm, it is better to refuse sawdust, in extreme cases, lay them under a layer of straw.
There must be warm water and dry clean rags. The condition of the cow is checked every hour.
Signs of approaching calving
After mating, the cow is rectified, checking for pregnancy. Knowing the date of insemination, the calving time is calculated approximately. Permissible fluctuations are within 8-10 days. According to observations, if a cow is shifting term, it will have a goby. Another forecast for udder swelling: if the anterior lobes, the heifer, and the posterior, the goby, are poured.
Experienced farmers notice signs of labor in the cow. From the physical state and behavior of the animal, you can understand that calving is soon:
- the udder is poured with milk, the timing differs for different cows: for some it appears a day before calving, for others for a couple of weeks ("spread" nipples and the excretion of colostrum from them indicate an approaching birth);
- visual swelling of the vulva and transparent discharge from it;
- the tail falls (it falls as if at the base);
- the cow often looks back at her stomach, mooing loudly, behaving uneasily (lying down, getting up, as if she could not find a place), trying to go to the corner of the corral or stall;
- the abdomen drops noticeably.
Typically, cows give birth at night, in the dead of time. Shepherds in the pasture need to be careful not to miss the moment of solitude of the woman in labor somewhere in the bushes.
Calving
Most cattle owners were present more than once at the birth of calves. For beginners, it is important to know theoretically how to take birth with a cow, and all the possible nuances of obstetric care. One of the main conditions for the correct and timely assistance to the animal is the absence of panic in the "obstetrician" himself.
Normally, an animal is able to give birth to a baby without human intervention. The cow lies down (or stands), attempts to force the fetus to move out of the birth canal. The birth of a cow (photo in the text) with the correct head or posterior presentation passes without complications and quickly enough (no more than two hours). Water leaves, the amniotic fluid bursts, the calf is born. In the baby, mucus is removed from the nose, eyes, mouth, ears, if the umbilical cord does not break itself, it is pulled with a thread (necessarily disinfected) at a distance of about 10 cm from the abdomen, cut and treated with iodine. Then wipe dry and allow the mother to lick it.
When the birth of the cows is over, you need to control the separation of the afterbirth. He leaves after 5-6 hours. Instinct makes the woman in labor to eat it, this cannot be allowed, the last is taken away and buried.
Premature Calving
If the animal shows signs of calving before 240 days, premature birth is possible. In this case, a weakened calf is born with a cow, with little chance of survival. Causes:
- a fall;
- contusion in the abdomen;
- cold water (when watered);
- poor-quality forage;
- careless rectal or vaginal examination.
A pregnant cow is provided with complete rest, wrapped in a lower back and sacrum. It is drunk with vodka (0.5 - 1 liter). This is if the fruit is alive. Early births in cows can be caused by an infectious disease or fetal death.
Obstetric care
Calving, which requires the help of a person, is not uncommon in cattle breeding. In large complexes, there is always a veterinarian on duty, ready to help a woman in labor. Consider how to give birth to a cow at home with assistance to the animal.
It will be required if:
- An oversized fetus cannot pass through the birth canal. Loops of disinfected ropes are placed on the legs of the calf (at least 1 cm in diameter), and they begin to pull slightly upwards and towards themselves, only synchronously with the attempts. This is enough to help a woman in childbirth.
- A cow has two or more calves. Gently enter the hand into the vagina, try to push the lower calf and, first of all, help the upper one be born. With a large number of calves, it is better to call a veterinarian.
- Incorrect presentation of the fetus. There may be many options. The task is this: if the calf is heading, give it a position in which the legs are stretched forward and the head rests on them. With posterior presentation, both rear legs should be straightened. With the transverse - the calf needs to be deployed in any position convenient for childbirth (head or backwards).
It is necessary to pay attention to how the cow lay down, too close the location of the pelvis to the wall of the stall will not allow the calf to leave the birth canal. After the appearance of legs in the birth canal, the calf leaves completely no more than 30 minutes later. If there is no self-confidence, they invite a specialist. A difficult birth in a cow without proper care can result in the death of the fetus, and sometimes the woman in childbirth.
After calving
After a successful resolution of the burden, the calf is placed under the face of the mother. Licking stimulates the formation of colostrum in the cow, strengthens the connection with the baby. The calf receives a massage of the whole body, all its internal organs begin to run at full power. In the stall, the litter is changed, the cow is given slightly salted warm water.
An hour after calving, the mother is taken off for the first time and the baby is given milk to drink. The cow is given a talker: salted warm water with crushed grain, based on 10 liters of 600 grams of grain. On the first day they give a little hay (6-7 kg) or grass (up to 8 kg), it is better to slightly dried. On the second day, concentrated feed is introduced, juicy is added to 4-5, and after a week put on a normal diet. Root crops do not give while it is colostrum.
In order to prevent swelling of the udder, the cow is milked 5-6 times, gradually transferred to three times milking. For 3-4 days, you can let the family out for a walk. The stall of an animal is cleaned especially thoroughly; the litter is often changed. The field of labor in a cow can be a discharge from the genitals.
Afterbirth
For the reproductive ability of a cow, timely separation of the afterbirth is important. Its delay may be full or partial.
Reasons for delayed afterbirth:
- hypotension (weak contractility of the uterus);
- atony (complete absence of contractions);
- adhesion of the uterine placenta with the fetal parts;
- poor physical condition of the woman in childbirth (exhaustion);
- lack of exercise;
- overfeeding an animal (obesity);
- twins or heavy calving (cause general cow weakness).
Control over complete release from the afterbirth will save the animal from the troubles associated with rotting (for 4-5 days) of the flesh inside the body.