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ANIMAL PRODUCTION - 3 > 2 – Calving Management > Flashcards

2 – Calving Management Flashcards

1
Q

Bos indicus vs. Bos taurus

A
  • Bos indicus
    o Tropical
    o Bigger ears
    o Hump
    o More prepuce skin/area
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2
Q

Discuss the objectives of calving management

A
  • Minimize losses at birth
  • Minimize post-natal losses
  • Reduced disease in calving females
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3
Q

How do you calculate calf crop percentage?

A
  • (Number of calves weaned DIVIDED BY number of cows exposed to bull) MULTIPLY by 100
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4
Q

What is the target of level for calf crop percentage?

A
  • 85%
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5
Q

What are the reasons for reduction in calf crop?

A
  • Failure to
    o Conceive
    o Calve
    o Survive neonatal period
    o Wean
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6
Q

Discuss the various factors contributing to neonatal losses

A
  • *dystocia
  • Maternal nutrition
  • Maternal behaviour
  • Climate (hypothermia)
  • Infectious agents and environment
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7
Q

What are the impacts of dystocia?

A
  • 69% of preweaning mortality occurs within first 96hrs after birth
    o 2/3 due to dystocia
  • 3% dues within 24hrs of birth
  • If a difficulty calving=2.4x more likely to be sick in first 45 days of life
  • 13x more likely to die within 12hrs of birth
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8
Q

Who is most likely to experience dystocia?

A
  • Calves born to 1st calf heifers
    o 18% of heifers assisted
  • Males calves > female calves
  • Twins
  • Calves born to cows in poor body condition
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9
Q

How can you prevent dystocia?

A
  • Select bulls for low birth weights in calves
    o Birth weights account for 30-50% of variability of dystocia rates
    1. Easy calving breeds with heifers
    1. Use expected progeny differences (EPD) data on purebred bulls
    1. Those who had a LOW birth weight
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10
Q

Expected progeny differences (EPD)

A
  • Useful for comparing bulls within breed
  • If birth weight EPD of +4, will have calves 5lbs heavier than bull with birth weight -1.0
  • *need to know breed average for EPD (not usually 0, but pretty close)
  • *accuracy value (between 0 and 1) as a measure of reliability
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11
Q

Replacement heifer rearing to prevent dystocia?

A
  • 65% of mature weight at breeding
  • 85% of mature weight at calving
  • Avoid over conditioning
  • Do NOT restrict nutritional intake in late gestation
  • Pelvic measurements are of limited value (hard to know a ‘good cutoff’, bigger pelvis=tend to have bigger calves)
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12
Q

Adequate surveillance and early assistance for dystocia prevention?

A
  • Can lead up to 9% increase in number of animals cycling at onset of breeding season and a 14% increase in fall pregnancy rate
  • *early assistance increases likelihood of a live calf
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13
Q

What happens during a normal stage 1 of calving?

A
  • 3hrs-72hrs (cows less than heifers)
  • Ligaments of pelvis relax
  • Cervix and vagina dilate
  • Cow separates from herd
  • Tail raised, back arched, may start to strain
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14
Q

What happens during a normal stage 2 of calving?

A
  • Appearance of water bag
  • Expulsion of calf through birth canal
  • 30mins to 3 hours (cows less than heifers)
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15
Q

What happens during a normal stage 3 of calving?

A
  • Expulsion of fetal membranes
  • Usually expelled within a few hours of birth
  • Involution of uterus may take up to 40 days
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16
Q

Calving heifers before cows (2-3 weeks) for dystocia prevention?

A
  • Can concentrate workload early in calving season
  • Heifers more likely to have dystocia or mismother
  • Will calve on least contaminated calving area
  • *need longer to return to estrus than cows
17
Q

When should we interfere?

A
  • Cow actively straining for 40mins and NO progress made
  • 90mins passed since the first waterbag appeared
  • Legs emerge with the sole of hooves pointing up (backwards)
  • Head or tail only emerges
  • Cow demonstrated greater than 5-6hrs of anxiety
  • Uncalved cow is mother another calf
18
Q

When should the producer call for help?

A
  • Calf is too big
  • Can’t get hands along side feet in pelvis
  • Can’t get head and feet into pelvis at same time
  • Heifer has been actively straining for 30mins and can’t get head and feet into birth canal
  • If can’t correct position in 20mins or less
19
Q

What percentage of beef heifers require assistance at calving on average?

A
  • 18%
20
Q

Weak calf syndrome: was in birth canal for too long

A
  • Head and tongue swollen
  • Likely wont get up and suck right away
  • Acidotic
21
Q

**How to assess calf vigour: ‘weak calf syndrome”

A
  • How long it takes to get from birth to STERNAL RECUMBANCY
  • Assessing suckle reflex
22
Q

How long it takes to get from birth to sternal recumbency?

A
  • Usually within 2-3 mins
  • If takes more than 15mins=likely to be acidotic
23
Q

Calves suckling reflex

A
  • If weak=41x of failing to consume colostrum within 4h after birth
  • *used suckle reflex and calving ease to predict colostrum consumption by 4h after birth
  • *very important for immunity and preweaning health of beef calves
24
Q

Assessing suckle reflex

A
  • 10mins after birth
  • 2 fingers along length of top of calf’s tongue
  • Gently rub the roof of mouth
  • Poor jaw tone, poor suckling rhythm=weak
  • Good jaw tone, good rhythm, quick latch=strong suckle reflex
25
Q

If a hard pull and failure of colostrum consumption: %’s

A
  • 64%
    o If strong suckle reflex=49%
    o If weak suckle reflex=98%
26
Q

Abnormal maternal behaviour (AMB)

A
  • 1st heifers more likely
  • Heifers and calves with dystocia more likely
  • Prolonged birth more likely
  • *less vigorous calf result in AMB
  • High incidence can come from poor condition of cows
27
Q

How do you ‘treat’ abnormal mothering behaviour?

A
  • Match the cows and calf correctly
  • Confinement in a box stall wehre there are no disturbances
  • Tube the calf with colostrum
  • Restrain cow regularly so calf can suck
  • Make sure calf is not obviously sick
28
Q

Hypothermia

A
  • Calf within first 2-3hrs is unable to regulate body temperature very well
  • *happens to even normal calves
  • Chilled calves will NOT get up, suckle and make use of colostrum
29
Q

Climatic/seasonal effects: calves born from December to March were

A
  • 4x more likely to die within 24hrs of birth
  • 2x more likely to have diarrhea
  • *calves admitted that were hypothermic are 4.3x more likely to DIE
30
Q

How do you know if you need to move a calf indoors after 3hrs from birth so it’s not too cold?

A
  • *did the calf suckle? Look at the COW: teat shinny and smaller quarter
  • Take TEMPERATURE
31
Q

Hypothermia protocol: measurements

A
  • Electronic thermometer is essential to note the severity of hypothermia
  • Calves <35degree: have cold mouth, limbs and no suck reflex and are unable to move limbs
  • Calves >37.8 degree = NORMAL
  • *consider using duct tape to protect ears from freezing
32
Q

What do you do if a calf is less than 35 C?

A
  • Tube with 1-2L of warm colostrum
  • Place in warm room or ‘hot box’
  • *Hot water baths essential for calves less than 26C
  • Warm fluids IV, warm water enemas
33
Q

**Describe management strategies for reducing infection pressure

A
  • Minimize confinement of cow herd
  • Utilize separate wintering and calving areas
  • Move cows onto calving area 2 weeks before calving
  • Rotate calving area from year to year
  • Snow removal and adequate bedding
  • Separate nursery areas for cow-calf pairs
  • Avoid restricted feeding/bedding areas
  • Creep areas or ‘calf condos’
  • Quarantine of diarrheic calves
34
Q

What is the Lacombe-type management system for groups of 100-200 cows?

A
  • Wintering areas
  • Move cows 2 weeks before calving
  • Calving area 100-200 cows ~20acres
  • Move pairs within 24 hrs of calving
    o 2 nursing areas of 35-50 pairs, 10-12 acres
  • At 3-4 weeks of age move to summer pasture
35
Q

What is the sandhill calving system?

A
  • Overwinter (500cows)
  • Multiple calving areas
  • *cow calf pairs are LEFT behind, pregnant cows MOVED to next clean calving area

ANIMAL PRODUCTION - 3 (20 decks)

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