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After a cow has calved, the recovery process of the animal takes about 14 days. At this time, she needs specific care. It should also be borne in mind that calving does not always go without problems. In the next month, it is better to carefully monitor the condition of the animal. The milking procedure will take a total of about 3 months. Therefore, it cannot be said that after calving all the chores end.
Features of the state of the cow after calving
Calving is a physiological process and normally does not require human attention. Intervention is necessary only in case of complications. After the birth of the calf, the cow must lick it. This starts the process of milk flow, and the newborn receives a stimulating massage.
After calving, until the afterbirth comes out, the cow will go through contractions. She needs to expel the placenta. The uterus will be swollen for some time after the end of the process, but then it will return to normal.
Within 2 weeks after calving, the cow will have lochia. At first, the mucus is brown in color, with gore, gradually they will become lighter until transparent. If the lochia liquefies somewhat and becomes an even brown color, the cow has postpartum complications.
The udder swelling will also subside after 2 weeks. Softened pelvic ligaments will also recover in about 14 days. In general, within half a month, the cow should return to a normal physiological state.
Usually the calf is not left under the cow, but sometimes it can be a way to eliminate postpartum problems.
What to do after a cow calves
Half an hour after the placenta comes out, sweetened or salted water is soldered to the cow. You can drink amniotic fluid. In veterinary pharmacies today you can find special electrolytes for cows after calving.
Hay is a dry product and can be placed in the feeder in advance. The cow will eat whenever she wants.
After the placenta is released, the integrity of the placenta is checked. Next, they clean out all the dirty bedding, which is destroyed along with biowaste. The stall is lined with fresh straw. The latter is more convenient to use, since it will not harm the cow when eating and well passes the liquid down.
Milking a cow for the first time should be 30-40 minutes after calving. The skin of the udder is pre-cleaned from physiological fluids. The resulting colostrum is immediately soldered to the calf.
After the placenta comes out, the entire back of the cow is washed: genitals, udder, hind legs and tail. It would be nice to clean the whole cow as a whole.
This is what the afterbirth looks like after calving
How to care for a cow after calving
A calving cow must be observed. The development of some pathological processes takes several days. It is necessary to monitor the dynamics of the recovery of the animal.
Pay special attention to the udder. It is daily lubricated with a moisturizer or ointment to restore tissue elasticity. Before milking, the mammary gland is washed with warm water. After milking, the nipples are smeared with ointment. Observe the milking regime and gradually distribute the animal.
Feeding rules
On the first day after calving, the cow is given only water and high-quality hay. Sometimes dried grass can be mixed with hay. Within 3 days, in addition to hay, 1-1,5 kg of concentrates are also fed:
- wheat bran;
- oatmeal;
- sunflower shrok;
- compound feed.
All concentrates are given in the form of a mash.
From the 4th day after calving, succulent feed is gradually introduced. By the 12th day, she is transferred to a full diet.
Feeding rates depend on several factors:
- fatness of the cow;
- milk yield;
- fat content of milk;
- lactation time.
The more milk an animal gives, the more feed it needs. As a percentage, the structure of the diet looks like this:
- hay – 20-25;
- succulent feed – 40-50;
- concentrate – 30-35.
On average, for 100 kg of weight, a cow needs 2 kg of hay and 8 kg of succulent feed. Concentrates are given taking into account milk yield: 100-400 g per liter of milk.
The frequency of feeding depends on productivity. Low-yielding animals, giving 4000 thousand kg per year, are fed 2 times a day at the beginning and end of lactation. High-yielding and fresh-bodied – 3-4 times a day. Set feed immediately after milking in a certain sequence: concentrates-juicy-coarse.
Quality hay during the dry period is an important factor contributing to a successful calving
Milking and further milking
The lactation period includes 4 phases:
- calving and recovery – 2-3 weeks;
- milking – 2-3 months;
- peak / peak – before the beginning of the 6th month of a new pregnancy;
- launch.
If the calf is taken immediately after calving, the cow is milked 4-6 times a day from the first day. Frequent milking with udder massage also helps relieve swelling. The procedure is carried out strictly at certain hours and at regular intervals. Therefore, it is better to stop at 4 or 6 times milking. High-yielding cows are milked more often than low-yielding ones. If the udder is full, spontaneous milk production may begin.
The milking phase begins after the transfer of animals to a full diet. It is carried out in order to find out the maximum productivity of a freshly calved cow. To do this, use the “advance method”. That is, depending on the productivity of a particular animal, 1-3 feeds are added to its diet. units Feed is increased until the cow ceases to “respond” with an increase in milk yield.
During this phase, highly productive cows are milked 3-4 times a day. Low-yielding – no more than 3. Animals “come out” at the peak of lactation approximately 3 months after calving. 2-time milking is permissible if the cow gives no more than 10 liters of milk per day.
Possible difficulties
In the case of a successful calving, only two problems can arise: udder edema and mastitis due to too high productivity. The first often goes away on its own, but the animal can also be helped. To do this, at each milking, the udder is massaged using softening ointments.
With high productivity and insufficient milking frequency, a cow may develop mastitis. In this case, its appearance provokes spontaneous leakage of milk. The udder becomes rough and inflamed.
With a dysfunctional hotel, there are a few more options:
- afterbirth delay;
- prolapse of the uterus;
- postpartum paresis;
- subinvolution of the uterus;
- postpartum sepsis;
- birth canal injury.
The first 4 diseases are almost always a direct consequence of a violation of the conditions of detention and feeding.
Delay afterbirth
The maximum interval between calving and the exit of the placenta in a cow is 6 hours. After the expiration of this time, the placenta is considered delayed. The causes of the disease are atony of the uterus, edema of the chorionic villi or inflammatory hyperemia. Predisposing factors are errors in the conditions of keeping and feeding, as well as trauma to the birth canal.
Delay afterbirth can be:
- complete;
- incomplete;
- partial.
The type of disease is established on the basis of vaginal and general examinations, as well as according to the anamnesis. If the placenta is delayed for more than 6 hours after calving, it is necessary to invite a veterinarian.
Sometimes, as a result of unsuccessful calving, the placenta has to be removed manually
Uterine prolapse
Occurs in case of difficult calving, with trauma or dryness of the birth canal or delayed delivery of the fetus. Provoking factors:
- improper diet;
- obesity;
- overdistension of the uterus;
- very large fruit.
The prognosis depends on how long the uterus is outside the cow and the degree of mucosal damage. In the air, the organ swells very quickly. The mucosa is damaged by the walls of the stall, the floor and other surrounding objects. The more damage, the worse the prognosis.
All possible factors leading to sepsis after calving: prolapsed uterus, dirty bedding and sharp glands
Postpartum paresis
Outwardly, it is characterized by the fact that the cow after calving cannot stand up. Limbs lose sensation. Signs of paralysis of the gastrointestinal tract and other internal organs appear later. It usually occurs in highly productive cows 2-3 days after calving. It is believed that the provoking factor is the concentrated type of feeding these days.
Subinvolution of the uterus
Involution is the return of an organ to its previous size. Subinvolution – slowing down the restoration of the previous size of the organ.
The delay in the involution of the uterus after calving occurs due to the lack of active exercise during pregnancy and an inadequate diet. Often accompanied by a violation of the functions of internal organs.
With subinvolution, a cow observes:
- atony of the uterus;
- delay lochia or their allocation in small portions;
- 4 or more days after calving, the release of brown liquid lochia;
- increase in the period of allocation of lochia.
Due to intoxication of the body with decay products of rotting lochia, the cow develops mastitis. There is also a violation of the sexual cycles.
Treatment should be carried out by a veterinarian, since ergot preparations are used in the treatment of subinvolution of the uterus. Lochia is pumped out with a vacuum pump. This procedure must be carried out carefully so as not to damage the uterus and vagina even more.
postpartum sepsis
There are 3 types: pyemia, septicemia and septicopyemia. It occurs as a result of penetration into the blood of various cocci or clostridia. Entry routes:
- violation of the integrity of soft tissues of any type;
- difficult or pathological calving;
- fetal emphysema;
- prolapse of the uterus;
- afterbirth delay.
In cows of 3 types, pyemia prevails, that is, sepsis with metastases. Brown putrefactive exudate accumulates in the uterus, the walls thicken. The general body temperature fluctuates.
Injuries of the birth canal
Injuries occur when calving is difficult or when a calf is born too large. They can also be applied by personnel helping the cow to calve. The main symptom of injury is bleeding. You can’t do without a veterinarian when treating an injury. The actions of an inexperienced owner are more likely to bring harm. There are no preventive measures in this case either.
Forced pulling of the calf often leads to trauma to the birth canal
Veterinary advice
To relieve swelling and prevent mastitis after calving and before each milking, the cow’s udder is massaged using a softening and moisturizing ointment. Skin moisturizing preparations can be bought ready-made in the store. The Zorka ointment, designed specifically for moisturizing the skin of the udder, has proven itself for a long time.
When retaining the placenta, it is better even before the expiration of the maximum period, the cow needs to clean the external genitalia. Epidurally apply oxytocin at a dose of 20-30 IU. Subcutaneously 0,5% solution of proserpine or 0,1% solution of carbachol. These drugs contribute to the contraction of the uterus and the removal of the placenta.
If the uterus prolapses, you should immediately invite a veterinarian. The owner of the cow will not succeed in adjusting the organ on his own. Until the arrival of the veterinarian, the uterus must be protected from unnecessary damage. To do this, the uterus is first washed with salted warm water, then irrigated with a cold disinfectant solution and wrapped in a sheet. You can use a large new plastic bag if you have one on hand. Also, the owner must prepare inclined walkways where the cow can be placed. Before the arrival of the veterinarian, they need to be done only for reasons of saving time. What happens next does not depend on the owner of the cow, since he will not be able to set the uterus alone and without anesthesia.
With paresis, the owner needs to cover the sacral region of the cow with something warm. Usually it is straw under burlap. Before wrapping, the lower back and sacrum are thoroughly rubbed and massaged. As a preventive measure, the animal is not given a lot of concentrates during the dry period. Drink sweetened water.
Subinvolution is easier to prevent than to treat. For the owner, this is not difficult, since the main way is to provide active exercise for the cow. After calving, amniotic fluid or salted warm water with bran is soldered to the animal. Newborn calves are kept under the cow for 2-3 days.
It is difficult to cure pyemia on your own, since a complex of procedures using various medications is required. It is in the power of the owner to carry out the prevention of postpartum sepsis:
- provide a complete diet;
- observe hygiene during and after calving;
- treat postpartum complications promptly.
If pemia could not be avoided, the prescribed course of treatment is fully maintained.
For local treatment of mastitis, you can use special syringes-tubes with antibiotics.
Conclusion
If the cow calved safely, the owner has practically no serious troubles. To prevent pathological calving and postpartum complications, it is necessary to follow the rules for feeding and keeping cattle.