Cow pregnancy: duration, determination of due date and date of birth

Maintaining high milk yields and ensuring an increase in the herd population is impossible without the period of pregnancy and childbirth of the cow. Experienced breeders know very well how these processes take place, and they do not raise questions about them. For a novice farmer, breeding cows raises many questions when he is faced with the difficulties associated with the pregnancy period. Without knowing the basics about this process and without an idea of ​​how long a cow carries a calf, it is impossible to provide the animal with the necessary care and prepare in a timely manner for the birth of offspring.

Pregnant cow

During the period of bearing a calf, serious changes occur in the cow’s body that must be taken into account. If you do not take them into account during pregnancy, nothing good will come of it. Problems with pregnancy and calving are most often caused by the inexperience of the owner, who incorrectly and untimely transfers the cow to dry land and makes mistakes in starting her up. Before starting a cow, you need to find out exactly what the animal will need in the future.

Types of insemination

This can be done in two ways:

• artificial;
• and natural.

Artificial is preferable. Since then

• eliminates the possibility of infection with various cattle diseases,
• and there is an opportunity to use higher quality sperm from productive bulls.

It is better to impregnate a cow during the second or third heat. This

• increases the chances of the event being successful;
• and increases the duration of lactation in the future.

It is advisable to inseminate twice (the second after twelve hours). This makes it more likely to achieve results.

Duration of pregnancy (pregnancy)

How long a cow's pregnancy lasts depends on a number of factors. The duration of pregnancy varies quite a lot. The average gestation period for a cow is 285 days. Deviations from this period may be large. Calving on day 311 or day 240 is not considered pathological. Cases when a cow takes too long are not common. The number of out-and-out heifers usually does not exceed 10%. Early birth is observed in 4-6%.

Hormonal disorders in the body and the slow formation of the calf due to the individual characteristics of the female can extend the gestation period.

Early calving occurs in cases where the cow has had poor, illiterate care, she experiences a slight deficiency of vitamins and minerals in the body, or suffers from stress. Large calves are also born earlier. When the fetus is small, birth is usually observed closer to the 300th day of gestation. Pregnancy longer than 311 days is pathological and requires veterinary intervention.

The average gestation period for a cow is 285 days.

If the birth of a calf occurs before the 140th day, it is not viable and we are talking about a miscarriage. Many factors can provoke it. Most often, miscarriage in a cow is caused by the following reasons:

• Poor content;
• Diseases of the reproductive system;
• Improper examination - especially rectal and manual;
• Ultrasound too early - before 1 month of pregnancy;
• Strong physical activity - driving a pregnant heifer to distant pastures.

A miscarriage can also occur in a cow in the event of sudden hormonal fluctuations. They can occur during rapid weather changes or when the animal is given a number of medications that are contraindicated in pregnant females (when pregnancy has not yet been detected, due to the short period).

Pregnant cow

Knowing how long a cow carries, it is possible to calculate the approximate date of calving and qualitatively prepare for it. It is necessary to agree in advance with an experienced veterinarian so that, if necessary, he can urgently arrive and provide assistance to the animal.

Nutrition during this period

If the cattle produced large volumes of milk per day before the start, then succulent feed and plenty of drink are removed from the diet, and concentrates are given no more than 1 kg per day. However, you can increase the amount of straw and hay. Changing the diet and moving to a new stall creates a stressful situation that greatly reduces milk production.

If the whole process takes place in spring or summer, then the time for grazing on pasture is gradually reduced, but not completely eliminated. 4-5 hours will be enough. There should not be an abundance of succulent grass. If the start occurs normally, the udder will become noticeably smaller. Most often this takes from 5 to 8 days.

When about a week remains before calving, legume and cereal hay are included in the diet. Concentrates give approximately 900 g each, and if the individual is well-fed, then they are completely excluded.

Rules for calculating gestational age

Determining the gestational age of a pet is not difficult. Uncontrolled insemination for cows is almost never practiced, as it is extremely inconvenient. For this reason, the owner always knows the date when the cow was covered. Thus, the deadline for a specific day is always known. In order to find out the approximate calving date, you do not need to sit with a calendar and count down the days.

There is a simple scheme for calculation. It looks like this: D = (H + 10): No. - 3. The formula is deciphered as follows:

• D—calculated calving date;
• N - number of mating or artificial insemination;
• No. is the month in which insemination took place.

H + 10 is the calving number. If, when adding the mating day with 10, the sum is greater than 30, 30 is subtracted from it. On the contrary, 1 is added to the month number. If the mating month has a number from 1 to 3, 12 must be added to it.

Knowing the mating date, you can calculate the calving date

It is most convenient to keep a pregnancy calendar for cows. It allows you to avoid confusion and timely transfer the cow to dry land and start it, and also not to forget the necessary dates.

Signs of the onset of hunting

There are a lot of signs. The main thing for the owner is to be attentive and not miss the moment.

Pay attention to the cow's behavior:

• whether she is calm or mooing;
• is he straying from the herd?
• Does the root of the tail raise or bend the back?
• The cow drinks a lot and eats little.
• The vagina turns red. There is mucous discharge (at first transparent, and then cloudy).

If these signs are present, the cow can be fertilized. And after mating, the absence of these signs indicates that the cow has become pregnant.

How long can a cow walk?

As soon as fertilization of the cow has occurred, the farmer is obliged to create a special cow pregnancy calendar. It will help you navigate the timing and determine the approach of calving. This document is used in all large farms. If a cow is nursing, then using the calendar it is easy to understand how many days she carried the calf.

It is considered normal if the animal walks for 10-15 days, because when determining the onset of conception, an error is possible. However, if calving does not occur at a later date, then there is a reason to contact a veterinarian. He must make sure that everything is in order with the heifer and the fetus in her womb.

Reference. In some cases, a cow can walk for more than three weeks. A veterinary examination is necessary in every case of delay in calving by more than 3 weeks to exclude fetal death and mummification.

"Tramped" calf

It is considered normal if the animal walks for 10-15 days, because when determining the onset of conception, an error is possible. However, if calving does not occur at a later date, then there is a reason to contact a veterinarian. He must make sure that everything is in order with the heifer and the fetus in her womb.

Reference. In some cases, a cow can walk for more than three weeks. A veterinary examination is necessary in every case of delay in calving by more than 3 weeks to exclude fetal death and mummification.

Hormonal changes

Hormonal changes in the body occur in a cow throughout the entire period of pregnancy. Hormones at this moment are controlled by the developing placenta and the corpus luteum, which begins in the 3rd month. The maximum hormonal level is observed in the period from 2 to 5 months of pregnancy. The main regulator of pregnancy in animals is progesterone. Its main function is to prevent the body from releasing oxytocin, which triggers the onset of uterine contractions and calving. Regulates hormones and sexual desire. It is under the influence of progesterone that the cow does not have the desire to mate throughout the entire pregnancy period.

Transferring the cow to dry stand

The dry period is the time period before calving, when the cow is resting and gaining strength for lactation. At this time, her milk yield decreases, and milk production gradually stops. However, it is important to correctly transfer the animal to dry wood. To do this, you need to know exactly how far into pregnancy the cow is , because the heifer needs about 60-70 days to rest before calving.

To transfer an animal to dry wood, various methods are used:

1. Approximately 70 days before the expected calving date, the cow's diet is changed.
2. Reduce the number of milkings per day.
3. Milking is done at a different time, unusual for the cow.

Power at startup

To reduce milk production, it is necessary to remove succulent food from the animal’s diet. They are replaced with hay. Concentrates are also excluded for a while. In the warm season, when the heifer is grazing on pasture, they stop feeding her with green mass and concentrated feed. If milk yield does not decrease, it is recommended to leave only roughage in the diet. During the stall period, it is permissible to introduce flax cake, oatmeal, and wheat bran into the Burenki menu.

Reducing the number of milkings

Changes in the milk expression schedule lead to disruption of conditioned reflexes. The nervous system of the cow reacts to such changes by reducing milk yield. Sometimes it is enough to change the usual mode of pumping, as milk production is noticeably reduced. Many farmers use this technique very successfully. In some cases, it is not even necessary to change the diet of a pregnant cow.

Attention! When starting, you need to be more attentive to the udder. At this time, there is a high probability of developing stagnant processes, mastitis.

Once the milk stops coming in, which usually takes about 7-12 days, the cow's diet should be adjusted to include all the necessary vitamins, minerals and trace elements. The last two months of pregnancy are very important - during this time the calf gains weight and develops very rapidly. Lack of nutrients can lead to various health pathologies.

Birth of twins

If a cow gives birth to twins, then such a heifer is left for breeding. It's good if she gives birth to a same-sex couple. But when different-sex calves are born, the heifer from the pair may turn out to be infertile. This is due to the fact that male genes interfere with the development of female enzymes, which leads to infertility.

But you shouldn’t give up on a chick if she was born in an opposite-sex couple. It is necessary to check the female's fertility, because twins are rarely born to cows, and it would be a shame to cull an animal with such a pedigree, and the likelihood of her being infertile is not at all high.

It happens that when twins are born, one of the calves is born weak. In this situation, you should look after him especially carefully during the first day and make sure that the baby gets the required amount of food. Their health depends on the conditions in which the mother and newborn are kept.

Care and feeding of pregnant cows

Proper care and balanced feeding of a pregnant cow will ensure a healthy offspring, high-quality lactation and the required amount of milk. Let's look at the features of care and start with preliminary preparation for calving.

The basis of this preparation is proper care of the pregnant animal. It is necessary to provide good conditions and feeding enriched with the necessary vitamins and minerals.

The time a cow spends on pasture is reduced to avoid excessive consumption of succulent feed, but she must be in the fresh air, since being outside is beneficial:

1. Thanks to the normal supply of oxygen, blood circulation throughout the body improves.
2. By walking, the animal improves its muscles and strengthens the vestibular apparatus, which is very necessary before calving.
3. Summer “exercise” saturates the body with calciferol, which is important for strengthening the bones of the pregnant heifer and fetus.

During the dry period (at the end of lactation and before new calving), feeding should be carried out according to a schedule, following a certain diet with an increased amount of proteins, vitamins, minerals and fats that affect lactation and milk. Temperature conditions, good ventilation and drinking at the right time are also important.

Below is an approximate diet for a pregnant dry cow with a live weight of 500 kg, an estimated milk yield of 4000 kg of milk with 4% fat:

During development, the fetus needs large quantities of minerals and vitamins. As the period increases, the fetus also grows, therefore, it requires more and more intrauterine nutrition.

Feeding a cow before calving

10–15 days before the possible calving date, the cow is switched to food made from high-quality hay from cereals, and concentrated food is removed from the diet altogether or left in an amount of no more than a kilogram per day. Also, succulent foods are excluded from the diet - there is already too much fluid in the body.

Don’t forget about the dosage of microelements, for example, you need 9–10 g of calcium per day, and 7–8 g of phosphorus.

On the eve of calving, the feed ration is prepared according to the following scheme:

1. Silage and cereal hay - 60%.
2. Concentrated feed - 24%.
3. Roughage - 16%.

This is the optimal feed ratio before calving. Speaking about the daily requirement before calving, we note that a cow needs about 10 kg of hay. If for some reason it is not possible to give so much, they give less, but add vitamin preparations on the recommendation of a veterinarian. Feeding is done three times a day, and watering is also done three times, only with filtered or boiled water at a temperature of 8–10 °C. In addition to the recommended food, be sure to give from 30 to 50 g of salt and chalk.

During the first dry period (60–20 days before calving), the diet must be saturated with fiber and only high-quality fresh food without spoilage and mold should be given. Particular attention should be paid to the animal’s body weight - it should remain unchanged; if necessary, the diet should be supplemented with nutritious feed.

Important! During the dry period, alfalfa and molasses are not allowed in the cow’s diet!

During the second dry period, the cow’s diet does not change much, only closer to calving, more fiber and vitamins are added to compensate for the cow’s energy deficiency.

Feeding immediately before calving

Three weeks before calving, to improve the quality and quantity of milk, feeding is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. 21–14 days before calving, a transition to feeding three times a day is carried out, with every 2 kg of main feed diluted with 1 kg of a concentrated mixture.
2. 14 days before the appearance of the offspring, 2 kg of main food are given three times a day, and in addition, 1 kg of concentrate is added to the morning and evening feeding, and 2 kg to the daytime feeding.
3. During the final week - 2 kg of main food and 2 kg of concentrate at each feeding.

Separately, it should be noted the peculiarities of feeding a pregnant cow in winter. During this period, the diet must be enriched with nutritional supplements and vitamins. Such additives include fish oil, feed yeast and special vitamins. The diet should also include bran and cake.

The winter shortage of certain substances is compensated by the animal’s free access to table salt and branches of coniferous trees (preferably pine).

Did you know? In one minute, a cow makes about 100 movements with its jaw.

Razdoy

Milk yield is usually understood as a set of special measures aimed at obtaining the highest possible daily milk yield. This complex includes the development of an optimal feeding diet, proper maintenance and milking, and udder massage.

The first milking occurs 1.5-3 hours after calving. The udder is washed with warm water at a comfortable temperature. This procedure must be followed before each milking.

You need to handle first-calf heifers carefully: all movements must be calm and careful so that the animal gets used to the hands of others. Otherwise, it will behave restlessly, kick and try to move to the side. After there is almost no milk left (a little should be left in the udder), the nipples are lubricated with a softening cream. This must be done to avoid the appearance of cracks and wounds on them.

About 2 weeks after calving, experienced farmers begin so-called advance feeding. This term means that the volume of feed is gradually increased. To milk a cow normally, you need to do several approaches per day. The recommended amount is five times a day.

If positive dynamics are present, then it is necessary to continue feeding according to the same scheme. If suddenly there is no increase in milk yield, then you need to give the animal milk feed.

Help for a woman in labor

To assist a giving birth cow, a person is tied with a rope around the waist and tied to the emerging legs of the calf. They do this in the case when they know how long a cow carries a calf, and the birth has come, but the fetus does not come out for a long time so that it does not suffocate. A man, resting his back on the cow, helps in childbirth.

If there can be two people during childbirth, then everything will go easier. They wrap straw (a rag) around the legs (front) of the calf and help it come out into the light. To do this, the calf is carefully pulled out. Sometimes, extremely rarely, a cow needs to have a caesarean section. But this operation is performed by a veterinarian.

Complications during childbirth occur in young cows, whose owners do not yet clearly understand how long the cow’s pregnancy lasts, and she is carrying a calf for the first time (first heifer). Such young women in labor, pregnant for the first time, require special attention and care. As a rule, they receive vitamins and improved food.

But there is also one peculiarity here: you cannot allow the cow to become overly fat. Of course, you need to keep an eye on the cow at night, because this is quite a favorable time for giving birth. A pregnant cow in a stall runs the risk of dying or losing her calf during birth if she stands close to the wall.

The birth process

Thanks to the calendar, the farmer knows approximately how long a cow is carrying a calf; this document helps to prepare in time for its birth. The first step is to take care of arranging the calving area. What measures need to be taken before this important event:

1. Clear the stall.
2. Make sure you have clean soft hay bedding.
3. Treat manure grooves with lime solution.
4. Disinfect the cow's hooves using a creolin solution at a concentration of 2%.

Recommendation. There should be no dampness or draft in the place intended for calving and for the cow and calf to stay there. It is worth taking care of good lighting.

Dry period during pregnancy

The dry period begins at 7.5 months after fertilization of the heifer. Pregnant cows are placed in boxes. I write the date on the calendar. The boxes are kept clean and temperature controlled. The animal lies down a lot during this period. Dead wood does not mean insulation. The cow is still walked, but no more than 1-2 hours in the cool season, and 4-5 hours in the warm season. They don't take milk from her anymore. To ensure that the calving process proceeds without complications and that the calf develops normally, the pregnant cow’s diet is changed during the dry period.

For meat productivity cows, the following diet is maintained:

• hay from cereals and legumes - 4 kg;
• juicy haylage - 4 kg;
• silage, preferably corn - 12 kg;
• concentrated feed - 1.5 kg;
• table salt - 50 g.

In addition to the basic diet, cows are given supplements with vitamins, microelements and proteins. She should receive 700 g of protein and carotene per day, and the same amount of starch. Mineral supplements consist of salts of phosphorus, calcium, copper, cobalt. Their quantity is 100 mg. Increase feed containing zinc to 500 mg

Dairy cows have a slightly different diet:

1. they receive more hay and haylage, up to 7 kg.
2. amount of dry food - 2.5 kg.
3. salt - up to 70 g.
4. silage - 12 kg.

They require more protein and mineral supplements, starch and carotene. Animals are beginning to be limited in water, no more than 48-50 liters per day. Feeding is carried out 3 times a day. Pregnant cows are not given pulp, stillage and yeast nutritional supplements. Limit in feed, which contributes to increased gas formation. 10 days before the expected calving, the diet rate is reduced by 20%.

All feed must be of the highest quality. Moldy haylage or frozen silage is not allowed. This can cause premature labor.

Experts recommend adhering to nutritional standards. Underfeeding will not make calving easier. Over the past 2 months, the calf has been rapidly gaining weight and developing rapidly. Excessively increased nutrition will complicate calving and the loss of the placenta. A pregnant cow needs to move. She is walked every day.

Signs of approaching calving

Shortly before giving birth, the cow begins to behave restlessly. She feels discomfort, so it is easy for a farmer to determine the approach of labor by the following signs:

• The chick looks back, shifts from foot to foot.
• She's shy.
• The animal eats significantly less and drinks little.
• The external genitalia are slightly enlarged.
• A mucous secretion is released from the vagina.
• The udder swells and colostrum begins to drip.
• A few hours before giving birth, the cow twitches its skin.
• In summer, the animal may separate from the herd and try to hide in the bushes.
• The sacrum descends.
• The pelvic ligaments relax.
• The cow lies for a long time and moos.

A sure sign of the onset of labor is that the cow lies on her side (usually the left). At this time, it is necessary to prepare everything that may be needed at the hotel - towels, warm water, soap, a solution of potassium permanganate at a concentration of 1%, iodine solution (5%), scissors.

How to calculate calving date

Provided that the date of insemination is precisely known, you can use a special formula:

D = (D1+10)/(No.m-3)

Where:

• D – date of calving;
• D₁ – date of fertilization;
• №m – number of the month in which insemination occurred.

Here's an example:

Insemination date is June 6th. Then the approximate due date is March 16th.

D = (6+10)/(6-3) = 16 day / 3 month.

The table of insemination and calving of cows will allow you to determine the due date with an accuracy of up to 95%.

Signs of imminent calving

By the behavior of a pregnant heifer, you can easily determine the imminent delivery.

It is worth paying attention to the following signs:

• timidity of the animal;
• decreased appetite;
• enlargement of genital organs;
• colostrum secretion;
• relaxation of the pelvic ligaments;
• Burenka's desire for privacy;
• long drawn-out moo;
• sacral prolapse;
• shifting from foot to foot.

If a cow lies on her side, labor is most likely about to begin. You should immediately prepare the birth place and the necessary items: warm liquid, soap, manganese solution, iodine, scissors and a towel. The position of the fetus before calving is shown in the figure.

How to give birth to a cow

First, the amniotic sac will become visible, which normally bursts without intervention. The calf should walk feet first. If the attempts are weak and the bubble does not burst, you need to carefully cut it. Labor usually lasts about one hour if the cow is giving birth for the first time. They resort to the help of a veterinarian in case of prolonged pushing, lasting more than half an hour.

You need to take the calf very carefully and place it on a soft towel, clear the breathing passages, tie and cut the umbilical cord, and treat its end with iodine. After this, the calf is brought to the mother's face so that she licks it.

Every cattle owner needs to know how long a cow’s pregnancy lasts in order to prepare for calving in a timely manner and, if necessary, have time to invite a veterinarian.

Features of lactation

A cow produces milk only when she needs to feed her offspring. That's why

• so that she gives milk, insemination is carried out annually;
• In first-calf heifers, milk begins to be produced only after birth;
• in adults it may appear before calving;
• during the first ten days they produce colostrum (fat milk enriched with all the necessary nutrients for feeding calves);
• lactation lasts from nine to eleven months in dairy breeds, and seven to nine months in meat breeds.

Complications during pregnancy and childbirth

Unfortunately, there is no way to determine with accuracy what will threaten the life of a cow. Prevention, first of all, is proper feeding and vitamin therapy; if necessary, you need to inject vitamins or iodine solution. If a person has no experience and has just begun to master animal husbandry, it would be advisable to seek help from a veterinarian; it is not advisable to give injections on your own. You can use medications to prevent diseases and immunomodulators like Sedimin and Chiktonik, and you can also use Calfort D3. Ivermek will help to cope with parasites; it is also necessary to treat the skin of the heifer to eliminate lice eaters and others.

There are many different signs that indicate the presence of health problems in cattle. When there is a problem with the digestive tract, the animal does not chew cud, there is diarrhea, colic, and in some cases there is colon prolapse. When a cow presses her tail, this is a good sign, it means everything is in order with her health.

Problems with the respiratory system are accompanied by wheezing coming from the chest, increased body temperature, and fever. Among infectious diseases I would like to mention clostridiosis and brucellosis. The second disease is dangerous because it can cause miscarriage. But this is not the only ailment that provokes a condition in which the animal throws off the calf.

It often happens that after giving birth, a cow falls and cannot get back to its feet. This condition is called maternity paresis, and in this case, the first thing you need to do is call a doctor, otherwise the cattle will die.

Even the most experienced and experienced farmer in livestock farming cannot replace a veterinarian.

Among the medications that can be used without a doctor’s prescription are Nitox tablets, an antibacterial and antiviral drug. Even if you keep the Aishir or Semmintal breeds, which are the most unpretentious, they still require appropriate care during the period of gestation. It is important to remember that the slightest errors in care can cost the livestock its life.