Organize your calving needs to prevent hassles when you’re in a hurry
Simply put, calving season is the culmination of 365 days of work. Though the first steps to ensure healthy newborn calves begin with taking good care of the dam year-round, you’ll want to be prepared when the time comes for calving.
Because of this, calving season should be handled with care and met with preparation. What happens during the time closest to calving and shortly after can impact the future success and failure of your herd. The focus needs to be on keeping dam and calf healthy, so being prepared is essential. Here are some calving essentials I recommend keeping handy during calving season:
• Colostrum
Store a plentiful supply of colostrum from healthy dams. It can be refrigerated for up to a week (or frozen for up to a year) as a backup when cows in poor condition or health can’t meet calf needs. Always monitor newborns shortly after calving to ensure suckling has begun. And if bottle feeding is necessary, administer 2-3 quarts within the first 6 hours after birth, and an additional 2-3 quarts within the first 12 hours.
• Lubricant
During birthing, when calving isn’t progressing and intervention may be necessary, lubricant eases the task of checking the calf’s position and location.
• Tagging equipment
Proper identification is best accomplished when calves are tagged shortly after birth. Check to make sure your tagging equipment is in good working order, clean and ready to be used.
• Iodine
One item that can be difficult to locate in a hurry is iodine. Check your current supply and purchase additional iodine if necessary — you’re looking for 7 percent tincture-of-iodine solution. While it won’t replace calving in clean, dry areas, dipping navels with iodine as soon as possible after birth helps prevent infection of the navel.
• Disposable obstetric gloves
Calving should be as sanitary as possible. Disposable gloves help prevent the transfer of bacteria to the cow.
• Veterinarian’s phone number
Lastly, know what steps in calving intervention are best left to the veterinarian. It is a good idea to keep your veterinarian’s phone number handy to ask for advice or request a visit for more serious calving challenges.
For more information on calving tips and preparation, I recommend visiting with your local veterinarian.
To learn more, contact— Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., and visit
www.bi-vetmedica.com
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