Assisted calving: Advice on how and when to help

Some calving cows and heifers may just need more time to go through the different stages of labour, rather than have immediate assistance to get the calf out quickly.

Yet too many dairy and beef herds could be intervening in the process unnecessarily.

See also: 5 ways to ensure a safe and successful beef calving

Reviewing 305 responses from British dairy and beef farmers to a CVS Farm calving questionnaire, vet Jorge Silva of Castle Vets, Malton, North Yorkshire, says he was “worried” by the relatively high incidence of dystocia reported by individual farms.

“The high prevalence of dystocia in this study pairs with another UK study from 2021 where calving assistance was found in 17.8% of calvings.

“Preventative measures and farmers’ attitudes towards calving management need to be reviewed,” he says.

Jorge is concerned that problem calvings are being logged based on every animal helped, whether this was required or not. “Cows could have calved without assistance if given more time,” he suggests.

Gaps in training

Dystocia is defined as a hard or abnormal calving (at any stage of labour), but it is not necessarily linked to an assisted calving, says Jorge.

He says there are fine lines between a cow needing time, farmer assistance, or veterinary intervention and possibly a caesarean section.

He thinks that early intervention in some herds results from a lack of knowledge about the different calving stages.

Furthermore, he wonders whether farms with a high turnover of employees, or a team of people working in rotation, are training their staff properly.

“Often, only the herd owner or manager will know how to intervene in a calving. Everyone on the team should at least be able to identify a cow in labour and get help,” he says.

“It is important to be able to distinguish the signs in each of the three stages of calving and define the timings.

“For instance, stage one in heifers takes 24 hours; in a cow, two hours. Knowing when the cow needs assistance is a balance between being too soon and too late.

“This is why you need to know how to do a vaginal examination, be able to identify what’s wrong, and know when to ring the vet.”

Calving protocols

Jorge is keen for farm vets to take the initiative and work more closely with clients to draw up calving protocols.

They can identify herd-specific, preventative measures for dystocia, as well as set up an aftercare plan for cow and calf, he says.

Vets can also teach a calving course bespoke to the farm team, including the best ways to help a calving animal and training in how to correctly use calving aids.

“Accidents happen [when assisting a calving] – you see calves with broken ribs or front feet – so it is important to be aware of how much strength you are applying to deliver a calf.

“The maximum to use is 100kg of strength – not more than the equivalent of two men. A calving jack can apply 400kg in a pull,” he explains.

Risks of problem calvings

Any problem calving (whatever level of assistance is given) results in both cow and calf becoming at-risk animals.

The negative impacts put them at greater risk of disease, death, or leaving the herd early. In calves, this ranges from oxygen deprivation, resulting in acidosis and a lethargic calf, to higher stillborn rates.

“A cow may have trauma such as a ruptured uterus or paralysis, and she is at high risk of a prolapse.

“Dams that calve with assistance tend to retain their placenta, which leads to metritis and future fertility problems,” says Jorge.

This is why good aftercare following a difficult calving can make a difference to outcomes, yet it is often overlooked.

Jorge says only 40% of survey respondents said they gave a cow additional help afterwards.

“When I do a calving on farm, I give pain relief to the cow. Calving is really painful, and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory [NSAID] should be a basic requirement: it gets her eating sooner and leads to faster recovery.”

Post-calving care

Other ways to help include offering the cow clean fresh water immediately post-calving to restore fluids lost during the process; Jorge also suggests drenching cows with electrolytes.

Learning useful “survival techniques” to use on calves is also valuable. Apart from drying off wet, shivering calves, rubbing, poking straw up the nose, or applying cold water on the forehead stimulate life.

Jorge says modern practice is to place the calf upright in a “recovery” position to reduce pressure on the lungs and help it to breathe.

The traditional method of hanging a calf upside down from a gate to drain fluid from its lungs must be avoided.

“In reality, the fluid is coming from the stomach, and the calf actually struggles to breathe like this,” he points out.

“He advises keeping the calf warm (in a deep straw bed and/or with a jacket); giving it an NSAID (“proven to improve vigour and their suckle reflex”) and making sure colostrum is tubed (for effectiveness).

However, the routine use of antibiotics is not advised because of resistance.

“Not even at an assisted calving – only when there are signs of infection. This means checking the cow two or three times after calving for the first 24 hours, looking for retained placenta and taking her temperature to check for infection.”

Prevention plan

By sifting through the dystocia survey answers, Jorge hopes to understand more about on-farm management and prevention tactics.

Difficult calvings arise from factors including big calves, or dams with small pelvises; abnormal calf presentation; a twisted uterus or one that cannot function properly because the cow lacks calcium; and Schmallenberg (producing deformed calves).

His advice is for farmers to work with their vet to identify the main issues in their own herd.

All herds can ensure their heifers are well grown and hit target weights (and pelvic size) at calving, he says.

Diets can be managed to ensure correct mineral balances and avoid having fat or thin cows, while setting up maternity pens, observation schedules and using cameras, keeps a close eye on at-risk animals.

Apart from the significant economic cost arising from dystocia, Jorge says farmers must be proactive in prevention because of the growing public awareness of animal welfare and perception of farming.

“Whenever I ask farmers about their dystocia incidence, they say it’s ‘not much’, but by the end of the year, sometimes they have had 20 cases,” he points out.