Calving Guide

Calving season is an extremely busy time of year. It's important to have the gear you need on hand to assist cows in calving – such as obstetric lubricants, calf pullers, and hip clamps, alongside accessories such as ropes, handles and gloves. Make sure you get your Calving Gear sorted early and have a “kit” to take out into the field with everything you might need. Include a notebook so you know what needs replacing. Our recommendations for your calving kit can be found below, and don't forget your wet weather gear, a torch and spare batteries!

What's in a calving kit?

• Bucket with a lid to contain kit
• Metabolics (clearly labelled milk fever treatments and starter drench)
• Calving ropes or chains (remember to clean after each use) & handles
• 2 litre container of lube (a plunger pump is an easy way to dispense lube)
• Towel and soap for cleaning hands
• Notebook and pencil (A pencil will still work in wet conditions unlike a pen)
• Ear tags or other calf identification system (pre numbered tags save time and reduce recording mistakes)
• Spray paint - red plus another colour (red can indicate a warning eg withold milk communicate this with staff)
• Gloves
• Head torch and batteries
• Iodine spray for navels - pre mixed with water (do not use teat dip as an alternative)
• Key contact numbers (Vet, manager on laminated sheet)
• Food/energy bars

Vink calf Puller/Calving Jack

• Worlds best selling calving aid
• One person operation
• The only single-handed calf puller
• Will not slip out of position due to unique rump frame
• Quick release lever feature for immediate tension let off
• Available in two pole lengths – standard 160cm & long 180cm
• Tried and trusted for many years
• More than pays for itself in its lifetime. Best in class

• Energy saving for farmer, cow & calf. Even in a normal calf delivery a pull of 150-250kg is required
• Permits pulling tension in multiple planes; straight, up or towards udder. Pole can also be moved sideways up to 30 degrees
• 10cm stroke allows farmer to synchronize pulls & rests with natural contractions
• Wholly constructed in stainless steel. Trouble-free servicing
• Manufactured in Netherlands

Shoof Obstetric Lube & Pressure Pump

• Aides in difficult births, pregnancy ultrasound and obstetric tasks
• Eases the passage for the calf and cow preventing injury
• Allows easier calf manipulation - repositioning or extraction
• Reduces cow stress and serves as a barrier against potential infections
• Viscous, non-irritant, non-toxic, ready to use - no mixing
• Cetrimide stabiliser (not suitable for A.I - see AquaLube)
• Available in 1L, 2L, 5L & 20L sizes – up to 200L drum if required
• Significant price saving compared to competitors

• Compatible with Shoof OB Lube Pressure Pump
• Pressure pump delivers a large volume of lubricant (1L/min)
• Ensures lubricant is delivered exactly where required in birth canal
• Flow rate is consistent and maintains lubrication throughout calving
• Reduces OB lube waste significantly. Shoulder tap allows easy control of flow
• 5L capacity and 2 metre delivery hose
• Designed and manufactured in New Zealand by Shoof

Down Cow Lifting - best practice

A breast strap under the brisket in conjunction with hip clamps is good practice as it helps the cow up onto her front legs as her hips are raised. The additional support also minimizes discomfort for the cow and provides some additional restraint making the process safer for you and the cow.

Rules for nursing a down cow

• Provide clean, dry and soft bedding, that will provide a non-slip surface when the cow tries to stand
• Provide a continuous supply of clean water and good feed
• Move the cow from side to side every 3 hours to ensure her weight is not always to one side and flex and extend the hind limbs each time the cow is moved
• Regularly hand strip milk from the udder
• Regularly encourage the cow to rise
• Use lifting devices to get her to her feet only, never leave cows hanging in lifting devices
• Regularly re-assess her progress and diagnosis

Hip Clamps - Vink & Kerbl

• Provide clean, dry and soft bedding, that will provide a non-slip surface when the cow tries to stand
• Provide a continuous supply of clean water and good feed
• Move the cow from side to side every 3 hours to ensure her weight is not always to one side and flex and extend the hind limbs each time the cow is moved
• Regularly hand strip milk from the udder
• Regularly encourage the cow to rise
• Use lifting devices to get her to her feet only, never leave cows hanging in lifting devices
• Regularly re-assess her progress and diagnosis

Cow Rumen Drenching

Transition cows (3 weeks prior and 3 weeks post calving) are at a high risk of a number of metabolic disorders that can affect dairy farm profitability. The significant nutrient requirements for a rapidly growing calf and for the preparation of the udder for lactation often result in dairy cows being in a state of negative nutrient balance. Although many commercial balanced diets can help to minimise the negative nutrient balance, many dairy cows will still benefit from the oral administration of a fresh cow drench immediately after calving.

The classic method was to fill a wine bottle with whatever electrolyte fluid or starter drench that was required and put it down the cow’s throat. Invariably, a third went down her throat, a third went into her lungs and a third went on the ground. For low volume (1-2 litres) you would use a Shoof Easy Drencher or Shoof Big Drencher which is much safer than a glass wine bottle which could break. A lot of the low volume ‘starter drenches’ or ‘jump start’ drenches get supplied in what looks like a plastic wine bottle for this reason. But many farmers and vets also make their own starter drench recipes up and would use these bottles to administer these.

A rumen drench pump on the other hand helps facilitate giving cows large volumes of oral fluids. These pumps have a metal tube (trocar) that goes down the throat and can be clipped onto the nose so the cow can’t spit it out. It’s very safe to use and almost impossible for it to go down the wrong way. The pump is attached to the tube and you can dose the cow in a very short period of time. Twenty litres of liquid might take a minute to administer. These pumps can also be used to help cattle suffering from bloating. Once the tube is in place, the gas is dispelled, and medication can be administered directly to the stomach via the pump.

Twenty litres might sound like a lot but cows stomachs have a capacity for 150 litres so you can see how just 1-2 litres doesn’t really go very far!