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continued from page 44 Consider whether you need to move some cows or heifers closer to the house where you can watch them. Get mentally prepared to look for signs of calving. “A lot of this is pretty basic,” she says. “Things like ‘Do I have my emergency phone numbers available?’ If I plan to give some vaccines, maybe some scours vaccines if there have been issues in the past, do I have those covered? It’s basic. It’s about being ready.” PHYSICAL SIGNS Hicks says she and her students have some very specific parameters they watch to help them know when a cow is close to birth. She stresses these are indicators, not guarantees. “Look at the udders, the vulva and the cow’s behavior. There are a lot of resources on this, but nothing is a guarantee. Some believe once she loses her cervical plug, the cow is going to start calving. I’ve seen that happen a week out. If you watch your cows
as they get close to calving, they will teach you what you need to know. Everyone can be different, and they will fool you. Different breeds will look different as they get close to calving.” Once the cow is in labor, Hicks says to keep in mind that every 20 to 30 minutes, some progress should show. If that’s not the case, call your herd veterinarian. NEWBORN BEHAVIOR The clock is also an important tool after a calf is born. Hicks says once that baby is on the ground, make sure the placenta is off its nose. If it’s not, you have to gently remove it. Within 15 to 30 minutes, that calf should start to attempt standing. It’s OK if he’s wobbly as long as he’s up. Within an hour, he should be nursing. “I tell my students it’s so important at this point to be patient. Just hang on. We don’t want to jump in there and run the mama off. Note whether the cow is paying attention to her calf, and if that calf is getting up. We try
to get a visual identification tag on the calf and weigh it. The tags identify if it’s a bull (left ear) or heifer (right ear). We record who the dam is, weight and sex of the calf. We also like to record color and markings. “It’s important to add, just because you go to the pasture with the intent of putting in IDs doesn’t mean that’s going to happen. Be patient and read the animal’s behavior. If you go out and the situation doesn’t present itself, you have to go back and do it later.” POST-CALVING It’s easy for a cow to lose body condition after calving, which can make rebreeding challenging. This is where it becomes critical to match the cow’s efficiency to available forages. “We have a group here of about 30 pairs, and the most acreage they have is in the neighborhood of 16 to 17 acres. We don’t bring a lot of feed to them. Their efficiency matches the forage that’s here. We’re looking at body
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condition scores on them of 7, and some will be 1,400 pounds.” Hicks says they move cows into groups where those that are more high maintenance will get more attention, and their body condition can be closely monitored. “If I put the wrong type of cow in the wrong environment, she starts to lose body condition. She just doesn’t fit. That will work against your goals, so it’s something to be aware of,” says Hicks, adding that at ABAC, they forage-test everything. “If we harvest forage, we test it. We want to match it to the needs of the right group of cows. They are all at different nutritional levels. You need the information to make the best decision. You need to know the cows. You have to be patient and take the time to learn. Put your puzzle pieces together the right way, and it all just fits.” Myers is a senior editor for Progressive Farmer. Reprinted with permission.