In 2014, I asked cow-calf producers if they thought hard calvings (i.e., dystocia) were painful, and the majority agreed. Over the years, the use of pain control for hard calvings, for the cow and the calf, has increased. Calves that experience hard calvings are known to have decreased viability, taking longer to stand, walk, and…
What is cold stress? All mammals must maintain their internal body temperatures, with cattle averaging 38°C. Their body becomes stressed when environmental temperatures drop below the lower limit of the thermoneutral zone, the ‘lower critical temperature.’ Top factors that contribute to cold stress are cold weather, wind, wet weather, and lack of feed. Estimates of…
Dystocia, otherwise known as a hard calving, is a stressful and painful event for both the cow and her calf. To decrease the risk of dystocia, producers can maintain the cow’s body condition score between 3 and 3.5 and breed for smaller birth weights to reduce the risk of dystocia. However, there is no way…
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