Beef Cattle Calving Assistance

Five Important Steps Related To Beef Cattle Calving Assistance

Assessing the need for intervention
Assisting the delivery
Anterior Presentation
Posterior Presentation
After the delivery
 
Assessing the Need for Intervention
     Limit the calving season to as short a period as practical. With a short  calving season it becomes more practical to observe cows often enough to provide timely assistance. It is important to have a calving watch so all signs can be observed and help given when needed, without interrupting normal parturitions for unnecessary examinations. Record expected calving dates of individuals; this is practical only with artificial insemination or hand breeding but is very helpful in determining which cows to watch more closely.

Cattlemen should develop a competence and confidence in determining when to intervene, in aiding deliveries, and in assessing the need for professional assistance. A cow should be examined if she has labored two or three hours without progress or if the calf has not been born within two hours after appearance of a waterbag. Overzealous intervention before the cervix is fully dilated may result in severe injury to the cow as well as the calf.

A cow can be more easily examined when she is standing. Lying down forces her abdominal organs and the fetus into or against the pelvic cavity. If a cow will not or cannot rise, it will help to position her upright on her sternum and stifles with her rear legs extended behind her.

The vulva and surrounding area as well as the hands and arms of the person making the examination should be washed thoroughly with warm water and soap. Cleanliness at all times during examination and delivery cannot be over-emphazized. Thoroughly lubricate the arms of the examiner and the birth canal. Lubricating gels are available commercially, or one can be prepared by dissolving mild soap flakes in a small amount of hot water and allowing the solution to cool.

Carefully examine the birth canal to determine if it is fully dilated and free of twisting and obstruction. Evaluate the size of the fetus in relation to the diameter of the passage. Pull on and pinch a foot of the calf to determine if it is alive. Examine the fetus to determine its position and the presence of any abnormal structures. Normal birth is possible only with the fetus in anterior or posterior presentation, right side up, with head and limbs extended. The possibility of twins should always be considered.

Determine whether the feet presented are front or rear feet. Front limbs have two joints between the hoof and elbow, whereas rear limbs have only one joint between the hoof and hock. A cow is more apt to require assistance with a posterior delivery than with an anterior delivery. Rear limbs are not as effective in initiating dilatation of the birth canal and stimulating abdominal contractions as is the head, the tail head of the calf tends to impact against the cows back bone, the hair of the calf lies the wrong way, and compression of the calf's abdomen causes its rib cage to expand. With posterior presentation, flow of blood through the navel cord is impeded early in delivery, and the calf's head is submerged in fluid. Once the hips enter the birth canal, delivery must be rapid for a live birth.

If examination reveals abnormalities of the fetus or birth canal, failure of the tract to properly dilate, or a calf apparently too large for safe delivery through the birth canal, professional help should be sought at once.

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