22 Mar Preparing for Calving
I have seen and helped with hundreds of calvings over the 30 years that I have had dairy and mini Jersey cattle. From all those years, the first advice I have is to primarily let nature do what it’s meant to do.
As far as human intervention, for calving, one of the most important pieces of advice I can give is BE HOME. If you know a calf is coming, don’t plan a trip. Don’t go to the store if you know the calf could be here any minute. Some calves die simply because nobody was there to help clear its airways.
In terms of things to have on hand for calving, here is what I recommend having ready to go –
1/ Molasses
In 5 Gallon bucket – fill with 1 gallon hot water & mix 1 gallon livestock grade molasses in. The hot water helps the molasses mix better. Then add 3-4 gallons of cold water in with it. Wait for it cool off and then give it to them right after birth. After the cow drinks it down, I use the same bucket, now empty and I fill it up again with regular water and give it back for the cow. The molasses is high in sugar, iron, vitamins and things that are good for the cows. And it makes the cows thirsty and want to drink more water.
2/ CMPK
You’ll want to think about having 1 tube or 1-2 bottles of CMPK vitamins on hand for the mother in case of milk fever (hypocalcemia), which happens because of a calcium deficiency from the strains of calving and producing colostrum. CMPK is Calcium Magnesium Phosphorus and Potassium.
3/ Iodine
I use iodine because my grandmother used iodine and that’s how it has always been done. It’s to keep the calf’s umbilical cord from getting infected. Don’t spray the navel while the cow is still licking the calf off. Once the calf is up and is sucking the cow, that is a good time to spray or squirt the umbilical cord with the iodine. Iodine also works on sores on cows legs or for ringworm, so it’s good to have around. Desitin is also good for treating ringworm too.
4/ Towels
Towels are essential for many reasons. When the cow is in active labor, as soon as the hooves come out, if the toes are pointed toward you with the hoof in the right direction, grab the hooves with the towel, pull down when she pushes. When she pushes, you pull. Once you get the head out, I go ahead and clear the airways and everything even before the calf is fully out.
After birth, I use towels to clear the calf’s airways, wipe the nose, clear the mouth with towels. I also take some straw and stick in the calfs nose until they sneeze. Once they sneeze, I know they are getting air.
If it’s cold, you may want to help the calf warm up by rubbing it with towels.
5/ LA200 (Penicillin)
If the cow doesn’t pass her afterbirth or if some sort of infection happens and she gets a fever, it’s good to have some penicillin on hand. That being said, the next point is the more important, and I always stress this. If your cow is not well, don’t skip the vet. I’m not a veterinarian and I rely on mine often.
6/ Your Vet’s Phone Number on Hand
If something is not right, call your veterinarian. I can not stress it enough. This could be the difference between life or death of your cow and/or calf.
Watch for the size of the hooves. If the hooves are small, the calf will be small. If the hooves are the size of the mother’s hooves, then get ready to help. If the calves are upside down, the cow is going to need help and you need to get that calf out as quickly as possible.
This is also why it’s so important to know the lineage on your bull or cow. So you know whether you may need to pull or need help with a larger calf. Even if the dam or sire are small, the grand-dan or grand-sire may have been mid or full-sized jerseys.
For Newbies
I recommend going online beforehand and looking up Youtube videos on calf birthings. There is so much great information on there, even some videos that let you know what to watch out for when calving. You can also Google things to prepare.
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