One-cow Family Meets the One-family Cow
(Page 8 of 14)
May/June 1972
By Hank Rate
With most—but not all—dairy cows, you'll receive a warning several hours before the mother actually gives birth. The first change (which may occur a half-day prior to calving and which can be difficult to see) will be a rather sudden loss of "spring" in the cow's flanks as the calf moves up into delivery position. At the same time, the muscles near the mother's tail head will relax and noticeably "fall away" from the hip bones.
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The cow will then commonly alter her normal activities two to six hours before the calf is born. If you have other cattle, she may turn antisocial and leave them. She might walk around nervously with a big figure "8" in her tail . . . or lick her flanks . . . or just crank her tail way off to one side.
These observations are of value primarily in bad weather when you'll want to stable the expectant mother before she delivers so that the new, wet baby will be protected from cold, wind and storms. If you do miss the signs of an approaching birth, though, it's comforting to know that a fresh dairy calf is remarkably resilient and that a mother cow will usually do her best to deliver the baby in a sheltered area.
The period of labor can vary greatly but I have yet to see a mature dairy cow go over four hours under normal circumstances. Generally, a water bag will appear (and burst), then the front feet (usually in a smaller sack) followed by the baby's nose above and between the legs.
Once you can see the calf's two feet, soles down, you are practically assured of a normal presentation. The greatest breadth of the baby's head is passing as its eyes come into view and, after that, there is little to worry about. At that moment, a cow which has been lying down will commonly stand up and let the calf fall to the ground. It looks horrible, but serves as artificial respiration to inflate the baby's lungs for their first gasp.
As soon as the calf hits the ground, most mother cows let out a bawl that sounds like a cross between a gentle low and a cry of surprise . . . and swap ends to claim the new baby. You'll only hear this sound once a year, so keep your ear-flaps open.
Ole Bossy will be quite rough with the fresh calf and will knock it around with her head as she cleans the membranes off its body with her tongue. That's quite natural and, again, serves to help the baby clear its air passages.
I've occasionally seen a persistent membrane remain wrapped over a calf's head long enough to suffocate it. If you think this is happening, I'd sure jump in and remove the tissue by hand. Then too, a fresh baby will sometimes lie very still with seemingly clogged air passages. When that occurs, try tickling the inside of the calf's nostril with a straw to cause a sneeze. Remember, that baby must start to breathe immediately.
Don't go into shock when you see the cow eat the afterbirth, either. The action is an entirely normal function and a sanitary necessity.
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