If you are planning on keeping dairy cows on your farm, then you definitely need to know the birthing process just in case you have to step in. In this article we are going to be discussing about the birthing process of cows and whether or not you are required to assist them.
Contents
Can Cows Give Birth On Their Own
Yes, cows can give birth on their own, it is within their natural instinct to do so. When a cow is giving birth on its own it can take about 2 hours for it to push the calf. During this period it is advisable that humans should not intervene unless there have been complications. Usually when a cow requires human intervention to give birth, it is a sign of poor genetics within your animal.
Reasons Why Cows Should Give Birth On Their Own
When cows are giving birth on their own, it is not recommended that humans assist the animal unless there have been some complications. Below we look at some of the reasons why a cow should give birth on its own.
Enables Proper Development Of The Calf
One of the main reasons why it’s important to allow cows to give birth on their own is because it allows the calf to develop fully on its own. During birth, a cow may spend an average of 2 hours pushing the calf. This process is essential because it prepares the calf so that it can be ready to adopt in its new environment.
Cow May Become Violent
During the birthing stage, a cow may become violent if a human tries to assist it. This is one of the reasons why it’s advisable to allow these animals to give birth on their own. When these animals become violent, they can end up harming their owners so if you want to avoid getting hurt its best to stay away when they are giving birth.
Cows Have More Knowledge Than You
Cows have always given birth on their own since the beginning of time, and it’s within their natural instincts to know how the process is supposed to be like. If you try and assist a cow there is a chance that you may cut the umbilical cord thus, cutting off the blood supply to the calf. Furthermore, there is a chance that you might hurt the animal whilst trying to pull the calf. So if you are not well vexed about this its best to allow you cow to give birth on its own.
How To Know When A Cow Is Expected To Give Birth
Trying to figure out when your cow will be bringing a new calf into the world may seem like a complicated task, but with the right planning and observations you will become an expert at this. A cows pregnancy usually lasts 283 days so if you know when your animal got inseminated you can try to calculate the days. However, if you have no idea, you can always look out for the following signs;
- Teats will start to drip milk.
- Swelling of the udder.
- Mucus discharge from the vulva.
Birthing Process Of Cows
The birthing process of cows is similar to the birthing process of other ruminant animals like sheep and goats. It is divided into 3 stages which are the preparation stage, delivery of the calf and delivery of placenta.
Preparation Stage
During the preparation stage, the calf moves into the birth canal and the cow starts experiencing contractions. At the beginning, the birth contractions will be mild but as time goes on the animal might start experiencing a bit of pain. The preparation stage usually lasts 2 to 12 hours. When a cow is going into labor, it usually self isolates itself, loses appetite or become restlessness.
Delivery Of Calf
After the preparation stage, the cow will start pushing the calf and its water sac. This process usually takes 1 to 2 hours. If this process exceeds 2 hours, you may need to intervene or call a vet. If there are no complications with your animal, it will give birth to a calf. Once the calf is out, the cow will start licking it so as to increase blood circulation. A calf should be able to stand up after 1 to 2 hours after being born.
Delivery Of Placenta
This is the final stage of the birthing process. The cow is supposed to deliver the placenta within 8 to 12 hours after giving birth to the calf. This process is also referred to as the cleaning stage since the cow’s body cleans the uterine walls and the birthing process becomes complete.
How Do Cows Give Birth?
Cows give birth on their own. However, if there are complications, humans can help them to give birth. For a cow to get pregnant it can either mate with a bull or it be artificially inseminated.
Do Cows Give Birth Standing Or Lying?
Cows can give birth to calves whilst standing up or lying down depending on which position is more comfortable for them. However, most of them prefer giving birth whilst standing.
What Causes A Cow To Have A Premature Calf?
A cow can have a premature calf if it is experiencing heat stress. Furthermore, poor genetics can also force an animals to give birth to a premature calf.
Why Do Farmers Remove Calves From Mothers?
One of the reason why farmers remove calves from their mothers is because they will be trying to milk the mother for commercial purposes, which is something they cannot do if the calf is still attached to the mother. Furthermore, they separate the 2 at birth so that they do not develop a strong bond which can be hard to separate when they are older.
Can Cows Die From Stress?
Yes, cows can die from stress especially if the owners do not address the underlying causes of stress.
Conclusion
Cows can naturally give birth on their own. Therefore, if you have cows, you don’t necessarily have to worry about helping them out unless there have been some complications.
