Birth of a Calf

I've tagged and weighed thousands of Angus calves through the years, but it is fairly infrequent that I get to see the actual birth of a calf. On Monday, I was making the regular rounds of checking for new calves, and looking for signs of labor in the first calf heifers, and I saw a black heifer sprawled on her side nearly hidden by the dead brown grass in the pasture; she was pushing for all she was worth.  By the time I got to her, I figured she would have the calf out, but I was lucky enough to see the front feet and a nose protruding from her and I knew the birth would be within minutes. I sat quietly and pulled out my blackberry to try to catch a few pictures to share here!

The heifer in labor is my daughter's heifer she showed last year and she was concentrating on labor so completely, that she didn't mind me watching and documenting the birth for you!  One of the first signs of labor in a cow or heifer is her desire to get away from everyone else. We provide a clean grass pasture for them to calve in, and if the weather is bad, we will roll out straw or hay to provide bedding.  If the heifer is having trouble we will bring her into a barn in a stall to calve and stay close in case she needs our help. But it is by far the best situation if she will calve on her own and immediately get up to mother her calf without us assisting.

When a cow starts to feel the contractions of labor, nature kicks in and tells her to find a safe place to calve. Early labor makes a cow excitable and she will cock her tail out from her body. She may lie down and stand up frequently and may even kick at her side as the contractions strengthen.

Once a cow finds her favorite spot for labor and delivery, she will begin to lie down and push. Calves should come out with their front feet first, followed by the head cradled between their front knees.  The calf should be lying on its belly as it is delivered, as this is the easiest way to proceed through the cow's pelvis.  The head and knees are the hardest to deliver, and once they are out, the birth should be just a few seconds to finish. Sometimes the hips of the calf may become stuck inside the pelvis of the cow; we call this "hip-locked."  The best remedy for this condition is for the calf to rotate a bit to the side, freeing the largest part of the hips from the interior pelvic opening. This is usually done naturally as the cow rolls from her belly to her side during labor. Rarely do we have to help at this stage.

Immediately after the delivery, a cow will get up and begin to call a low and short "moo" to her calf to encourage it to get moving. She will vigorously lick it all over to clean the membranes off it and this also puts her scent all over it.  Licking it dries the calf nearly as well as rubbing a towel all over it! A good mama cow will have her calf trying to stand within a few minutes of birth. By licking it all over, she gets the circulation going and the calf starts to recognize her calls as well.  Nature is an amazing thing, as the wobbly calf will immediately head toward the cow looking for milk.  The first milk, called colostrum, is very important to all babies.  It is filled with antibodies and the rich nutrition that the calf needs to be healthy throughout its life.  If a calf does not get up right away, it runs the risk of death due to cold, dehydration or a weakened immune system due to the lack of colostrum.

We check our heifers as they are due to calve about every 3 to 4 hours day and night, to make sure that they not only deliver a calf without help, but are able to get it up and sucking right away.  If they do not, we intervene to make sure the calf receives the all-important colostrum.  This calf was trying to stand within five minutes of birth and my daughter's heifer continued to lick it and call to it for encouragement.

Calves may be born breech and even upside down just like any baby.  They may be back feet first, tail first, and even upside down.  If the calf is presented in a way different from the typical way, the cow or heifer may need help to deliver the calf.  Even if the calf is coming right (front feet and head first), a cow or heifer may need help to deliver. We watch closely and are always ready to help.  Tonight I head to a junior high basketball game and I have planned to check for labor before I leave. If any heifers are in labor, I may miss my sons' game.  It is very important to take care of our cattle--and labor and delivery are critical times to assist. But Nature is awesome--when everything works right (and it does most of the time) the product is a healthy, happy calf and mother cow.