Steps of a Cow's Birth

Insemination

• When selecting a bull and cow for mating, the emphasis should be on improving the genetic merits of the breed line. Effective cattle breeding focuses on three criteria of animal selection: progeny, family and pedigree.

  Progeny selection accentuates the actual progeny, or close descendants, of specific animals with established qualities. Traits breeders look for in stock include high milk yield, history of longevity and disease resistance. The drawback in progeny selection is that it is a slow process that requires years of careful breeding to establish these qualities in your own animals. The only other consideration is to spend large amounts of money buying the specific traits you want with the use of stud service.

  Family selection concentrates on analysis of the qualities of relatives of the potential breed animal. This method is faster than progeny because a large group of the breeding animal's relatives can be tested and analyzed at one time. Family selection also allows you to be able to accurately estimate sex-related traits such as males with a strong sperm production.

  Pedigree selection focuses on the specific qualities of an animal's ancestors. The pedigree technique is used for selecting traits which are proven to have a strong heritability.

Pregnacy

• Rectal palpitation examination is the most comprehensive test to assure accurate information about a cow's pregnancy. The rectal pregnancy exam allows you to eliminate the potential for false positives, recognize the pregnancy at the earliest stages, record age of the conceptus, determine viability of the conceptus, and you may even be able to determine the sex of the fetus. The gestation period for a bovine pregnancy is 10 months.

Delivery

• Small farms are often operated by the owners themselves, and most want to be present at the births of a calves. If the delivery is occurring naturally, it is best to allow nature to take its course. An indication of successful birth includes continuous movement once the calf has breached the vaginal opening. The mother's hormone levels have already elasticated the pelvic cavity, delegating a smooth flow of the newborn. Cows should calve between 2 and 3 hours after the water has broken.

  Calves are born in what is called the dive position: the sole of the hooves appear first and are pointed down. The head should be resting on the legs. There may be a slight hesitation following the presentation of the calf's head as the hips are next, and they are the widest part of the fetus. Complications can occur if the bull was over-sized, making the fetus too large for the cow to deliver naturally. A veterinarian should be on hand if this is suspected.

After Birth

• The period from 60 days prior to birth until 40 days after calving is called the transition period. During this time, cows make the transition to producing milk and need to continue consuming a high-energy feed. Close observation should be maintained after birth because you want to recognize any medical concerns with the calf as soon as possible. The mother should immediately begin to lick and nudge its calf, encouraging the newborn to stand and walk. Once standing, the calf should nurse at once. The containment enclosure selected for the mother bovine and her newborn calf should be kept especially clean, and the climate controlled to eliminate too-cold temperatures or drafts.