Calving
Basics: The Critical First 15 Minutes
Published March 8 2018, DairyHerd.com - Dairy Management
Subject: The first few minutes of a calf’s life can impact how she performs
the rest of her life.
Content-Location: Calving
Basics: The First 15 Minutes
Author: by Jim Dickrell, jdickrell@farmjournal.com
Not to put too dramatic a spin on it, but
what you do—or don’t do—in the first few minutes of a newborn calf’s life can
impact how she performs for the rest of her life.
“Events in the first 15 minutes after birth can make a lifetime of difference
for newborns,” says Amanda Fordyce, a technical dairy calf consultant with Milk
Products, Chilton, Wisconsin. She lists 6 key areas to help calves get off to
their best start:
- Delivery. The natural inclination is to
help in delivery as soon as the calf’s front hooves appear. Doing so can cause
more harm than good, and interferes with some important natural processes.
When cows deliver naturally, they often pause for a few minutes after the
calf’s ribcage appears and the calf takes its first breath. At this point,
the placenta transfers its blood supply, about one pint of blood, to the calf.
This transfer is crucial for timely placenta expulsion and a thrifty calf,
says Fordyce. “As long as the cow is progressing normally and the calf is
in the correct position, with no signs of stress from the cow or the calf,
the best strategy is to monitor the process,” she
says.
- First
Breaths. If the calf is not breathing, use a clean piece of straw in the nostrils
or pour cold water on the calf’s forehead. Sit the calf up on its sternum
by tucking the front legs under the body. “This sternal recumbency position
helps ensure airways are open and make it easier for calves to breath,” says
Fordyce.
- Dangling calves. Some believe every newborn
calf should be lifted upside down to help clear fluids from lungs. “Research
has shown this practice does indeed expel fluids, but they are contents of
the stomach—not the lungs,” says Fordyce. Upending the calf actually causes
more stress to the animal. Internal organs press against and crush the diaphragm,
making it more difficult for her breathe.
- Stillbirths. “Some calves may be born
not breathing but still have a heartbeat,” she says. Check for the heartbeat
by feeling the heart under the left leg on the rib cage. If you feel even
a slight beat, vigorously rub the calf’s chest and use the straw-poke or cold-
water techniques to stimulate her. You’ll be surprised how many calves ‘wake
up’ and perform just fine, says Fordyce.
- Warming boxes. “In instances of very
cold weather, warming boxes are necessary,” she says. “But they can actually
harm calves in the long run if used for too long or not cleaned regularly.”
The problem: Warming boxes become reservoirs of harmful bacteria that can
easily infect newborn calves. Plus, spending 48 hours or more in a warm box
can deplete calves’ internal stores of brown fat, leaving them less capable
to making adjustments when they are moved to hutches. Fordyce recommends using
warm boxes sparingly, up to 24 hours, until the calf’s hair coat is dry. Consider
using a calf jacket or extra bedding in frigid conditions when temperatures
are below 30°F.
- Colostrum. “Calves can absorb critical
antibodies and other immune factors from their dams only through colostrum,”
says Fordyce. That ability drops rapidly after 24 hours. So once the calf
is breathing normally, deliver 3 to 4 quarts of high quality, biosecure colostrum
within the first 2 hours of life. The colostrum should have a Brix refractometer
reading of 22 or higher to ensure adequate quality. Consider keeping a separate
collection of sanitized bottles, nipples and esophageal feeders for colostrum
feeding only. If you can’t milk the calf’s dam immediately, consider using
colostrum from other dams or a high-quality colostrum replacer with 150 grams
IgG per dose, she says.
published online: June 2019
author: Jim Dickrell, March 2018
Sources:
CentralAgSupply.com
DairyHerd.com
CalfSolutions.com
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