- A few weeks before calving the cow will 'bag up'.
- Nearer calving her vulva will swell and you may see some mucous discharge.
- The cow will separate from the herd if there is room to find a quiet area.
- She will prepare a birth site by smelling the ground, pawing the ground with her front feet, and going round and round.
- She’ll get up and down a lot as birth pains start to build up.
- A small 'water bag' will appear protruding from the vulva. This is the bag the calf is in and is quite normal.
- A prolapse is a large red organ - this is the vagina and uterus turned inside out. This needs very great care to put back and will need veterinary assistance.
- The water bag will burst and then you should see front feet and a nose.
- If you don’t see front feet and nose - things are not normal and some manipulation may be needed. You may need veterinary help.
- The cow will smell the ground a lot where her waters have burst.
- She’ll then soon lie down and push the calf out.
- She may get up and down during these pushes and look round smelling the ground - almost looking for the calf.
- With the final push the calf will be delivered and the membranes over the calf should rupture.
- The calf may drop out when the cow is standing.
- The cow will stand up and turn round to lick the calf - and hopefully chew the membranes from the calf’s nose so it does not suffocate.
- The cow eating the afterbirth is quite normal.
- The cord will break when the cow turns round. Stretching the cord helps to stop any bleeding.
- Don’t break the cord until the calf starts to breathe.
- The afterbirth will be pushed out soon after the calf. If it does not, don’t worry about it unless it hasn’t appeared in about 4-5 days. Seek veterinary advice.
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Calves and calving
Dr Clive Dalton
Clive did a Ph.D. in sheep breeding at the University of North Wales at Bangor. After lecturing at Leeds University, he came to New Zealand to do research with MAF. Because of his communication skills, he moved to the Ruakura Agricultural Research Centre to be fully involved in interpreting science for practical application by farmers.
After 14 years he moved to teach at the Waikato Polytechnic where he taught young future farmers. He won the 1993 Landcorp Communicator of the Year award and the 1999 Sir Arthur Ward award for agricultural communication.