Contents
The cow does not give milk after calving because during the first week she produces colostrum. It is vital for a calf, but not suitable for a person. Moreover, the second without the first does not happen. And you need to start distributing the cow from the first day after calving. Otherwise, you will not have to count on good productivity.
How much milk does a cow give after first calving
The first heifer always produces little milk compared to subsequent calvings. True, this “little” varies depending on the future milk production of the cow.
Low milk production is directly related to the evolutionary adaptability of animals to wild life. The female, in order to save the body’s resources, produces exactly as much milk as her cub needs. And not a drop more. Nature “did not count on a person as an additional burden”.
A newborn calf does not need much food. On the first day, a first-calf heifer can produce only 3-4 liters of colostrum.
The cub grows, he needs more and more milk, and the cow gives him the necessary food. But at the peak of lactation, a first-calf heifer will give about 1,5 times less than an adult animal that has calved more than once. The exact amount depends on the breed and individual characteristics.
Then the calf switches to regular feed, and lactation declines. In beef cattle or low-productive outbred individuals, this state of affairs persists throughout their lives.
A dairy cow also gives little milk immediately after calving. Its amount increases later. But in order to obtain maximum milk yield, the animal begins to be milked from the very first day, simulating a lack of food for the cub. This allows at the same time to store colostrum with the maximum amount of immunoglobulins. Some experienced cow owners use “cross” colostrum drinking. So the calf can get those antibodies that the mother does not have.
Supplementing a calf with colostrum from another cow will improve its colostral immunity
Can a cow calve without filling her udder
Under the influence of hormonal changes in the body, the udder of a cow, strictly speaking, does not pour, but swells. And the degree of this swelling depends on the individual characteristics of the animal’s body. Therefore, a sign of early calving, a swollen udder, is not always found. The terms are also different: from 3-4 weeks for heifers to 0 hours for old cows. In some cases, the udder is poured already in the process of calving.
Very rarely, but it also happens that there is no edema before and during calving at all. According to the observations of livestock breeders, this is the worst option of all possible. Due to hormonal failure, the udder can fill up after calving, and in several stages. However, colostrum begins to stand out. In the future, milk production takes place as standard. This phenomenon may be due to a slight hormonal failure. But when a cow licks a newborn, along with the remnants of mucus, she also receives the hormones necessary for milk production. Therefore, it is not worth rushing to separate a newly born calf from the uterus.
Licking a calf stimulates milk flow in a cow
Why does a cow not give milk after calving?
The main reasons why a cow does not give milk after calving are usually caused by postpartum pathologies or diseases. Physiological can be characterized by the phrase “harmful character”.
Physiological causes
It happens that a cow does not give milk after calving for no apparent reason. Most likely, the “wild” instincts of her ancestors leapt up in her. In the general herd, the uterus did not give milk to someone else’s calf. In this case, the cow “clamps” the nipples and “refuses” to milk. A similar situation occurs when a stranger tries to milk an animal. In dairy breeds of cattle, these instincts are almost destroyed, but in outbred or native animals this still occurs. The control measures here are relatively simple: a calf is allowed to approach the cow during milking. Sometimes it is enough if the cub is next to the partition.
The second reason may be chronic thirst experienced by the cow. This does not mean that the owners keep the animal without water. In the absence of succulent grass or feed that replaces it, the cow drinks enough to support her own body. For milk production, she “allocates” much less liquid than she could if there were foods containing a large amount of liquid in the diet. Even in old milked cows during a dry period, milk production can drop to 4 liters per day. Under such circumstances, a recently calved animal may not produce milk at all. Or it will be enough only for a calf.
Another physiological reason is the consequences of previously transferred mastitis. Often due to adhesions in the nipples after inflammation, the cow becomes tight. Getting milk from such an animal is a difficult task. Especially when it comes to colostrum on the first day after calving. It is much thicker and does not pass well through the narrow canal of the nipple. It may seem that such a cow has calved, but she has no milk. It is, but in the early days only a calf can get it. Sometimes it makes sense to teach such an individual to feed several alien cubs.
Due to severe edema, the cow may also not give milk, as it hurts her from touching the udder. Such queens sometimes also drive away the calf. Whether it can be considered a pathology is a difficult question. Udder swelling before calving is normal. It is called “fill”. It is believed that the cow will soon calve if all the skin folds on the udder are straightened.
But the swelling is very strong. Then the animal simply hurts, it does not allow to touch the udder and “clamps” the colostrum.
Sometimes the reason is that a cow is “unwilling” to give milk in an unsuitable milking machine. It may be damaged. A cow may have irregularly shaped teats. The machine may be very old and cause pain to the animal during milking.
Pathological causes
With pathologies, the situation is worse, as they range from a simple hormonal failure to infectious diseases dangerous to humans. The reasons why a cow does not give milk can be:
- hormonal disbalance;
- metabolic disease;
- any of the postpartum complications;
- mastitis;
- brucellosis;
- other infectious diseases.
Any malaise and even too dry food leads to a decrease in milk production. But the cow does not give milk after calving for a relatively small number of reasons.
Hormonal disbalance
Possible with a lack of prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production. Cows of any age are affected. The production of prolactin directly depends on the amount of oxytocin in the animal’s body. But it is very difficult to determine the lack of this hormone without special tests. If in humans, a lack of oxytocin is manifested by a whole list of psychological symptoms, then with animals it is more difficult. It is unlikely that the owner of the cow will pay attention to some irritability of the cow. Write off on a bad character or the search for his place in the herd. Especially when it comes to a chick.
Therefore, a situation may well arise when the heifer calved, and the udder did not fill up before the appearance of the calf. There may be no milk either. This means that there is not enough prolactin in the body of the first heifer. You can try to correct the situation by injecting oxytocin, which stimulates the production of prolactin by the pituitary gland.
Improper feeding provokes metabolic disorders and postpartum complications. One of the symptoms of these problems is the development of mastitis. The latter can also occur “by itself” due to damage to the udder and penetration of pathogens into the wounds.
Twins in a cow is also an undesirable hormonal failure during hunting, due to possible hormone surges, such animals are culled from further breeding: today they brought twins, and tomorrow they will “refuse” to give milk
Mastitis
Occurs in a mild or severe stage. Private owners usually notice the disease when the cow has already calved, and the udder is still hard, and there is little milk. The easy stage cannot be determined without analysis. Express verification is also available to a private owner, but it is usually neglected. On farms, after calving, colostrum samples are taken from each teat for testing before the newborn is allowed to approach the udder.
If the inflammation of the breast is caused by non-infectious causes, treatment is usually carried out with massage and frequent milking. In the presence of Staphylococcus aureus, the use of antibiotics is recommended.
Brucellosis
The most unpleasant reason for the lack of milk. The disease develops slowly, at an early stage there are no symptoms. It is for this reason that dairy cattle owners are required to be tested for brucellosis. In addition to the results of laboratory tests, at an early stage, the disease is manifested by abortions at a late stage. Therefore, if a cow has calved prematurely, and she does not have milk, it is necessary to check the animal for brucellosis as soon as possible.
Pregnancy lasts 9 months, and miscarriages usually occur just at 8-9 months. Since this is not a normal calving and the necessary hormonal background has not been established, milk is not produced.
This is dangerous primarily for the owner of the animal. Brucellosis is well transmitted through raw milk.
Often the owner does not want to believe that his outwardly healthy and high-yielding cow is terminally ill.
What to do if the cow calves, but there is no milk
It would be desirable to determine the reason for the lack of milk. But if the calving was normal and on time, and there is no mastitis, then you can induce lactation with an injection of oxytocin. Mistakes in feeding that lead to metabolic disorders can no longer be corrected anyway. You can only stimulate milk flow.
But we must remember that the “main task” of oxytocin is the contraction of the smooth muscles of the uterus during calving. For a non-professional, it is easiest to inject the hormone subcutaneously or intramuscularly. In this case, a dose doubled compared to intravenous or epidural administration is required. But side effects from an overdose of oxytocin have not been identified. The dose for a cow with intramuscular injection is 30-60 IU. Single injection. Also, the drug is injected if the cow has too weak contractions.
Mastitis cannot be cured instantly. In this case, the calf is given colostrum from another cow, and the uterus is treated with antibiotics. The latter can be of local or general action. In the first case, an antibacterial ointment is injected into the nipples. It is impossible to let the cub near the udder at this time.
If mastitis has spread to the entire lobe or the entire udder, it is better to use intramuscular injections of antibiotics. The contents of the udder should preferably be milked every 2 hours.
If the calving was premature, the calf is unlikely to survive. The cadaver tissue samples must be taken to the laboratory for analysis.
Retained placenta, even with a timely birth of a calf, may be an early sign of brucellosis
Veterinary advice
Except for the treatment of mastitis, there are no special recommendations from veterinarians. Sometimes it is even impossible to understand why an outwardly perfectly healthy animal does not give milk. Therefore, recommendations are possible only if there are clear reasons.
If the cow is not milked due to edema, she is given diuretics. In order not to overload the liver and kidneys with strong drugs, they drink a decoction of dill. It is better to brew only seeds. They have a stronger diuretic effect. In parallel, the udder is massaged with movements from the bottom up. The posterior lobes bulge slightly in the direction from the nipples to the tail. Front – forward to the stomach.
To prevent severe edema, the cow must be removed from concentrates in the last month of pregnancy. After two weeks, the udder should return to normal.
Perkutan is well suited for treatment with mastitis. This product is for external use in the form of a spray. It is used not only for mastitis, but also for the disinfection of minor skin lesions. Use milk from unprocessed healthy portions. Infected with staphylococcus aureus is harvested and destroyed. You can’t give it to a calf either.
All manipulations can create problems for a cow owner who does not have special skills. In this case, it is better to invite a veterinarian.
Conclusion
If the cow does not give milk after calving, but looks healthy, an injection of oxytocin is given as a first aid. Edema can also be removed independently. The remaining problems of lack of milk require the intervention of a specialist and an accurate diagnosis.