COLUMBUS, Ohio — The birth of a calf is a stressful and critical time for the cow and calf. A safe, easy delivery is crucial for both, said Gustavo Schuenemann, Ohio State University extension specialist and dairy veterinarian.

“If the cow goes through labor without any problems, she most likely will have a healthy and profitable lactation,” Schuenemann said. “The use of bulls with calving-ease genetics is a critical management tool for dairy producers to avoid dystocia, or difficulty in birthing.”

Dairy farmer Carl Summe of Butler County learned that early in his career when two first-calf heifers suffered from pinched nerves because their calves were too big.

“I thought, I’d never go through that again, so now we breed them all to Jersey bulls,” Summe said. “That way they all spit out little calves.”

“Another issue at calving is mal-positions,” Schuenemann said. “When only one foot of the calf is visible outside the vulva, immediate intervention is required.”

Summe’s dairy is a family farm involving parents Carl and Sarah, a son, Drew, another son, Herb, and his wife, Sarah, and their six kids ranging from ages 4-13, all of them involved in the operation. They milk about 70 cows.

Someone is around most of the time. Even the kids know how to watch for difficulty in birthing and can provide that critical assistance. “Anybody around here knows how to pull a calf,” Carl said.

At OSU, Schuenemann provides training to dairy farmers with 50-5,000 cows. Regardless of the herd size, proactive practices matter when it comes to calving management at the farm level, he said.

Being able to recognize the three stages of calving and the signs of imminent birth is key to determine if a cow is experiencing difficulty, he said. Calving progresses from one stage to the next, gradually.

Stage one is characterized by dilation of the soft tissues with particular cow behavior and it ends with the appearance of the amniotic sac, or water bag, outside the vulva. Stage two is the active phase of labor, abdominal contractions are evident and it ends with birth of the calf. Stage three is the expulsion of the fetal membranes.

“There are two landmarks that are very important for the employee to monitor,” Schuenemann said. “The appearance of the water bag and feet of the calf outside the vulva. These are critical landmarks for workers to determine when the clock starts ticking.

“Every 15 to 20 minutes something needs to happen. When I see the amniotic sac, in 20 minutes I want to see the feet of the calf. In other 20 minutes I want to see the entire leg, and once you have reached the shoulder and the head of the calf outside the vulva, the cow will do two or three big contractions and the calf is on the ground.”

The estimated times from the appearance of the water bag or feet of the calf outside the vulva to birth, combined with the signs of calving progress, should be used as guidelines to determine the appropriate time for intervention during difficult births. Also, it is important to monitor the time a cow spends in labor or pushing – no more than two hours; otherwise the cow may run out of energy and give up, Schuenemann said.

Also, he and Summe agree hygiene is important. “If intervention is required, hygiene practices and sanitation must be a top priority for calving personnel,” Schuenemann said.

Farms with full-time employees should check the cows every two hours when it is time for them to give birth, Schuenemann said. At Summe’s farm family members check the cows throughout the day. If one is ready to calve, Luke, 8, won’t go to bed at night until his mom drives him to the barn to check.

Schuenemann said economic losses associated with dystocia can have severe consequences in dairy herds because of an increased number of stillbirths, maternal injury, increased risk for uterine diseases and reduced cow productivity. The use of proven sires with calving-ease genetics should be a top priority for dairy producers, combined with well-trained personnel and established calving protocols.

These strategies have the potential to reduce the negative effects of difficult births, thus improving the overall herd productivity, he added.