The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Calving and Handling Calving Difficulties Handout Available

Dr. R. G. Mortimer is A Veterinarian from Colorado State University. Last week he was presenting to ranchers in southern Montana on the issue of calving. The Chouteau County Extension Office has the handout from the seminar. Our office can e-mail it to you, or you can come into our office for a hard copy. We are located in the basement of the Chouteau County Courthouse. In addition, a 20.00 CD on calving is available from Dr. Mortimer. The charge for the CD supports the Veterinary program at Colorado State University. Below is a short summary of the handout.

The most common reason for calf losses in the beef cattle industry is still calving difficulty. Looking only at the effects of calving difficulty on the calf, we find the following four relationships well established in the literature. First, the more difficult the calving difficulty the greater risk for infectious disease. Typically, this is reflected by higher incidences and death loss associated with either diarrhea or respiratory disease. Second, the more difficult the calving difficulty, the harder it is for the calf to maintain body temperature following calving. The third relationship with degree of calving difficulty is the decrease in absorption of protective antibodies with more difficult deliveries. The fourth relationship with calving difficulty that has been firmly established is the increased infertility losses in the dam. To these losses must be added the increased maternal deaths, treatment costs and diminished productivity of the dam. In a survey of the effects of dystocia on fertility in 1889 cows, Laster et al. (1973) found that cows which experienced calving difficulties had a delay in resuming estrus and showed 15.9% reduction in conception rate compared with cows which had calved normally.

Commonly, producers and veterinarians alike, agree that successful dytocia management is achieved with a calf that is alive at birth. Dr. Mortimer says that the successful management of calving difficulty is achieved when we optimize calf survivability and dam reproductive performance. Thus, the goal of providing assistance is to minimize stress on the calf and dam.

Please feel free to stop in and pick up Dr. Mortimer’s handout. In addition we also have a worksheet which lists important vet supplies needed during the calving process. The list was compiled by John Matta (Retired Liberty County Extension Agent).