calving: calcium
This question from an email:
We have a cow who is due to have her first calf in September and I don’t know anything about cow breeding and calving. I trust that God made her instinctively and naturally able to bear her own young, but what should I be prepared to do if necessary besides having IV calcium on hand? Can I feed her extra calcium supplements leading up to calving to try and prevent the need for IV treatment when she freshens? Does she need a barn to calve in? Will the new mother and new calf be ok out on pasture full time without a barn?
Well, the industry says don't give her any Ca beforehand; they think it increases the likelihood of milk fever. That said, we usually give a tube of Ca the day of/day before we expect calving -- if we notice in time! -- and it has never been a problem. More important, I think, is that a cow that calves while she is on really rich spring grass is more likely to get milk fever, so I prefer calving before the spring flush or after it; that is, for us, March or early April, or June/July or later. If a cow is due to calve in late April, we want to put her on hay until the calf comes.
We keep IV Ca and an IV flex and some 14 or 16 ga. needles on hand for milk fever.
Calving outside is great. Cows will often make a 'nest' if the grass is tall, eating down the grass very short so the calf won't get snarled in it as it is getting to its feet. No need for shelter unless the weather is very inclement, like an ice storm or a hurricane. If you do decide to have her calve inside, make sure she has plenty of room so she doesn't accidentally step on her baby.
After calving, they'll be just fine outside. Watch a while and make sure he figures out the nursing thing. Once he scores for a few sucks, you're fine; he's got it figured out. And don't worry if, after the calving, you can't find the baby for a couple of days. In an intensive grazing system using polytwine, the calf can walk out under the fence and bed down at a distance, but he won't wander off.
Relative to a first calving (yours, I mean, not the cow's) I would be very patient, but if you see hooves at the vulva for a couple of hours and no progress, I'd call the vet. Most things you can do yourself, but it's nice to see them done once first by someone who is good at it. If the vet can't come, take a quick look at some youtube videos.