In the ideal world, a cow will calve on her own and her newborn will suck its mother unassisted within 30 minutes of hitting the ground. But in the real world, some cows encounter problems at calving time.
More often than not, when a calf is born after a difficult labour, the newborn animal will need a bit of extra attention to get off to the best start in life.
Like all management skills, knowing how to resuscitate a calf properly comes with experience.
In the final instalment of our spring-calving series, outlined are some tips to caring for the newborn calf.
Check the airways are clear and sit the calf upright
As soon as the calf is delivered, remove any remnants of the amniotic sac which may be on the calf’s head.
Next, check that the animal’s mouth and throat are clear of mucus that could block the airway.
Do a similar check on the calf’s nostrils.
If the breathing rhythm is weak, stick some straw up the nose. This will make the calf recoil and stimulate breathing. Rubbing the calf’s rib cage by hand also stimulates breathing.
Sit the calf in an upright position by placing the front legs on either side of the chest and hind legs tucked below the body.
By sitting the calf upright, it broadens the chest. This opens up the lungs and helps air intake.
Do not leave a newborn calf, which is having difficulty breathing, lying on its side.
When lying on its side, the calf’s front legs will be crossed. This constricts the chest and airways, making it much more difficult to breathe.
Stimulate the calf with a splash of cold water
If the calf is still struggling to breathe, splash some cold in the newborn animal’s ears.
Cold water “shocks” the calf into waking up, shaking the head and hopefully settling into a normal breathing rhythm.
However, always splash cold water by hand. The aim is to sprinkle small quantities of water on the calf.
Do not pour a bucket of cold water on the calf or dunk the animal in a barrel. This will soak the calf, causing core body temperature to drop and make the situation worse.
If the cow goes down during a difficult labour, and cannot stand to lick her calf, a newborn animal, which has been saturated with cold water, is at serious risk of hypothermia.
Never hang a calf over a gate
If the calf is born backwards, or has a loud rattle in the lungs, many farmers will hang the animal upside over a gate. Alternatively, some farmers will hang the calf upside down by the hind legs.
The thinking is that with its head facing downwards, this will “drain” fluid from the lungs that is hindering the calf from breathing.
Never hang a calf over a gate or by its back legs. When a calf is hung upside down, its internal organs and body weight will press on the lungs, restricting air capacity.
Also, the calf’s front legs will be positioned close together as they stretch out towards the ground. This narrows the airway and is counter-productive to normal breathing.
Yes, there will be fluid coming out of the calf’s mouth as it hangs upside down on a gate.
But the fluid is normally from the stomach, not the lungs.
Slightly elevate the back legs by hand
If there is fluid in the lungs, and you want to see if it can be drained, then simply raise the calf’s back legs off the ground by hand.
The calf’s chest and front legs should not lift off the ground, thereby supporting body weight.
Lift the legs waist high for 20 to 30 seconds, then lower and repeat as necessary.
There is no need to lift the legs any higher.
If there is fluid in the lungs, it will drain at this angle just as quick as it would from hanging the calf upside down.
Alternatively, raise the back legs on the calving jack, again no more than waist-high.
This frees up both hands to rub the calf and stimulate breathing.
When a calf has to be delivered using the jack, the pulling force on the animal’s limbs can cause discomfort. If the calf is sore or in pain, it will be slower to stand and suck its dam.
Giving the calf a painkiller or anti-inflammatory can help get the animal standing on its feet.
Check with your vet about which product to use, dosage and make sure you have a needle with the correct gauge for calves.
Raising body temperature with a calf jacket or heat bulb
Weak or sick calves struggle to regulate body temperature. Fitting a calf jacket for a few days is a great way to raise body temperature.
Heat bulbs are also a useful aid, but the calf needs a separate lying area from the cow to stop the bulb being damaged.
The earlier any calf gets colostrum, the better. With sick or weak calves, colostrum will provide energy and aid recovery.
If the calf cannot stand to suck its mother, the next step is to lock the cow in the calving gate and milk her.
However, trying to milk two litres from a suckler cow that experienced severe trauma at calving is not realistic.
Therefore, using colostrum from another cow may be a quicker option, or opt for a pre-mix colostrum substitute. Life aids products can also give the calf an energy boost.
Feeding a calf with a swollen tongue
The calf’s tongue can be swollen following a prolonged calving. This makes it harder for the calf to suck its dam as well as impeding breathing.
As such, the calf will need feeding via a stomach tube.
An anti-inflammatory can help reduce swelling in the tongue.
Following an extremely hard and long labour, the newborn calf is likely to experience respiratory acidosis.
In simple terms, the calf is deprived of oxygen during labour. This causes CO2 levels to rise in the bloodstream and drop pH levels.
More often than not, the calf will die shortly after it is born.
Calves that are affected by acidosis are extremely lethargic and struggle to hold their head upright.
They also struggle to regulate body heat. The nose and mouth feel cold and the sucking reflex is poor.
Raising the calf’s body temperature is vital to ward off hypothermia. Place a jacket on the animal as soon as possible or introduce a heat bulb.
Getting the calf breathing in a steady rhythm is important and tube colostrum as early as possible.
Some vets recommend giving the calf a spoonful of bicarbonate of soda (bread soda) to raise pH levels, as well as offering glucose.
Ensure there is plenty of clean, dry straw bedding for the calf to lie on. Don’t allow a sick, weak calf lie on dirty, or wet straw. This lowers body temperature and increases the risk of disease. Dry straw is a basic essential for every calf.
In case you missed it
Check out parts one and
two of the series, along with other calving features on
our online knowledge hub at www.farmersjournal.ie/specialist/Calving
Read more
Calving advice: Ten tips for assisting difficult calvings
Calving advice: 10 tips for calving the cow
In the ideal world, a cow will calve on her own and her newborn will suck its mother unassisted within 30 minutes of hitting the ground. But in the real world, some cows encounter problems at calving time.
More often than not, when a calf is born after a difficult labour, the newborn animal will need a bit of extra attention to get off to the best start in life.
Like all management skills, knowing how to resuscitate a calf properly comes with experience.
In the final instalment of our spring-calving series, outlined are some tips to caring for the newborn calf.
Check the airways are clear and sit the calf upright
As soon as the calf is delivered, remove any remnants of the amniotic sac which may be on the calf’s head.
Next, check that the animal’s mouth and throat are clear of mucus that could block the airway.
Do a similar check on the calf’s nostrils.
If the breathing rhythm is weak, stick some straw up the nose. This will make the calf recoil and stimulate breathing. Rubbing the calf’s rib cage by hand also stimulates breathing.
Sit the calf in an upright position by placing the front legs on either side of the chest and hind legs tucked below the body.
By sitting the calf upright, it broadens the chest. This opens up the lungs and helps air intake.
Do not leave a newborn calf, which is having difficulty breathing, lying on its side.
When lying on its side, the calf’s front legs will be crossed. This constricts the chest and airways, making it much more difficult to breathe.
Stimulate the calf with a splash of cold water
If the calf is still struggling to breathe, splash some cold in the newborn animal’s ears.
Cold water “shocks” the calf into waking up, shaking the head and hopefully settling into a normal breathing rhythm.
However, always splash cold water by hand. The aim is to sprinkle small quantities of water on the calf.
Do not pour a bucket of cold water on the calf or dunk the animal in a barrel. This will soak the calf, causing core body temperature to drop and make the situation worse.
If the cow goes down during a difficult labour, and cannot stand to lick her calf, a newborn animal, which has been saturated with cold water, is at serious risk of hypothermia.
Never hang a calf over a gate
If the calf is born backwards, or has a loud rattle in the lungs, many farmers will hang the animal upside over a gate. Alternatively, some farmers will hang the calf upside down by the hind legs.
The thinking is that with its head facing downwards, this will “drain” fluid from the lungs that is hindering the calf from breathing.
Never hang a calf over a gate or by its back legs. When a calf is hung upside down, its internal organs and body weight will press on the lungs, restricting air capacity.
Also, the calf’s front legs will be positioned close together as they stretch out towards the ground. This narrows the airway and is counter-productive to normal breathing.
Yes, there will be fluid coming out of the calf’s mouth as it hangs upside down on a gate.
But the fluid is normally from the stomach, not the lungs.
Slightly elevate the back legs by hand
If there is fluid in the lungs, and you want to see if it can be drained, then simply raise the calf’s back legs off the ground by hand.
The calf’s chest and front legs should not lift off the ground, thereby supporting body weight.
Lift the legs waist high for 20 to 30 seconds, then lower and repeat as necessary.
There is no need to lift the legs any higher.
If there is fluid in the lungs, it will drain at this angle just as quick as it would from hanging the calf upside down.
Alternatively, raise the back legs on the calving jack, again no more than waist-high.
This frees up both hands to rub the calf and stimulate breathing.
When a calf has to be delivered using the jack, the pulling force on the animal’s limbs can cause discomfort. If the calf is sore or in pain, it will be slower to stand and suck its dam.
Giving the calf a painkiller or anti-inflammatory can help get the animal standing on its feet.
Check with your vet about which product to use, dosage and make sure you have a needle with the correct gauge for calves.
Raising body temperature with a calf jacket or heat bulb
Weak or sick calves struggle to regulate body temperature. Fitting a calf jacket for a few days is a great way to raise body temperature.
Heat bulbs are also a useful aid, but the calf needs a separate lying area from the cow to stop the bulb being damaged.
The earlier any calf gets colostrum, the better. With sick or weak calves, colostrum will provide energy and aid recovery.
If the calf cannot stand to suck its mother, the next step is to lock the cow in the calving gate and milk her.
However, trying to milk two litres from a suckler cow that experienced severe trauma at calving is not realistic.
Therefore, using colostrum from another cow may be a quicker option, or opt for a pre-mix colostrum substitute. Life aids products can also give the calf an energy boost.
Feeding a calf with a swollen tongue
The calf’s tongue can be swollen following a prolonged calving. This makes it harder for the calf to suck its dam as well as impeding breathing.
As such, the calf will need feeding via a stomach tube.
An anti-inflammatory can help reduce swelling in the tongue.
Following an extremely hard and long labour, the newborn calf is likely to experience respiratory acidosis.
In simple terms, the calf is deprived of oxygen during labour. This causes CO2 levels to rise in the bloodstream and drop pH levels.
More often than not, the calf will die shortly after it is born.
Calves that are affected by acidosis are extremely lethargic and struggle to hold their head upright.
They also struggle to regulate body heat. The nose and mouth feel cold and the sucking reflex is poor.
Raising the calf’s body temperature is vital to ward off hypothermia. Place a jacket on the animal as soon as possible or introduce a heat bulb.
Getting the calf breathing in a steady rhythm is important and tube colostrum as early as possible.
Some vets recommend giving the calf a spoonful of bicarbonate of soda (bread soda) to raise pH levels, as well as offering glucose.
Ensure there is plenty of clean, dry straw bedding for the calf to lie on. Don’t allow a sick, weak calf lie on dirty, or wet straw. This lowers body temperature and increases the risk of disease. Dry straw is a basic essential for every calf.
In case you missed it
Check out parts one and
two of the series, along with other calving features on
our online knowledge hub at www.farmersjournal.ie/specialist/Calving
Read more
Calving advice: Ten tips for assisting difficult calvings
Calving advice: 10 tips for calving the cow
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