Page 5 - CalfCare - Calving and Care of the Newborn Calf
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5 Improve your calving skills
• The ability to deliver a live calf and healthy cow, at
an assisted calving, can vary due to inadequate
skills and lack of practice, as only a minority of
cows require assistance and few of these are
difficult calvings.
• You can improve your calving skills by observing
how your local vet deals with a problem calving
and discussing with him or her how to improve
your techniques.
• Having good calving equipment (e.g. non-slip
calving jack, disinfected coloured calving ropes,
Rotate the calf after the chest emerges
lubricant, arm-length gloves) in the calving unit
will facilitate good calving technique. Coloured
ropes will ensure you don't lose the ropes in the
straw bedding.
TIPS:
• ensure the cow is standing before attempting
to correct a wrongly presented calf
• put ropes on above the fetlock, ensuring that
the knots are not on the sides of the legs
• only pull when the cow forces and relax the
ropes when she relaxes
Check the calf for breathing and alertness
• pull on alternate legs until the head emerges
and rotate the calf after the chest emerges to
prevent a hiplock.
Good technique is particularly important
where a calving jack is used as it can cause
severe injuries to both the cow and the calf if
used incorrectly.
Clean jack and ropes directly after each calving to minimise
disease spread
5 Improve your calving skills
• The ability to deliver a live calf and healthy cow, at
an assisted calving, can vary due to inadequate
skills and lack of practice, as only a minority of
cows require assistance and few of these are
difficult calvings.
• You can improve your calving skills by observing
how your local vet deals with a problem calving
and discussing with him or her how to improve
your techniques.
• Having good calving equipment (e.g. non-slip
calving jack, disinfected coloured calving ropes,
Rotate the calf after the chest emerges
lubricant, arm-length gloves) in the calving unit
will facilitate good calving technique. Coloured
ropes will ensure you don't lose the ropes in the
straw bedding.
TIPS:
• ensure the cow is standing before attempting
to correct a wrongly presented calf
• put ropes on above the fetlock, ensuring that
the knots are not on the sides of the legs
• only pull when the cow forces and relax the
ropes when she relaxes
Check the calf for breathing and alertness
• pull on alternate legs until the head emerges
and rotate the calf after the chest emerges to
prevent a hiplock.
Good technique is particularly important
where a calving jack is used as it can cause
severe injuries to both the cow and the calf if
used incorrectly.
Clean jack and ropes directly after each calving to minimise
disease spread
