Everything to do with calving
Calving is a crucial event for the dairy cow, setting the course for the coming lactation and ensuring the calf gets a good start in life. A series of videos covers the key aspects of calving assistance and offers tips to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible.
Those who take the needs of both the animals and the care staff into account when designing the calving area help ensure that the natural birthing process progresses well and that monitoring the birth is straightforward. In addition to hygiene in the calving area, good documentation of the progress of the birth and the care of the cow and calf after birth is particularly helpful on large farms with changing staff. If the birth stalls, a manual examination is necessary. For example, the patency of the pelvis should be checked to assess whether the calf can be born naturally at all. How to use the mechanical birthing aid correctly and what to look out for in cases of fore- or hind-foot presentation when assisting with the birth. This is also important for helping a healthy calf into the world whilst minimising stress on the cow. How the calf can be properly cared for even after difficult births where there is a lack of oxygen, e.g. with the aid of a breathing pump, is also an important part of the initial care immediately after birth.