Care of Livestock at Parturition

oVERVIEW

INSTRUCTOR:

UNIT: Explanation of Animal Genetics and Reproduction

LESSON: Care of Livestock at Parturition

IMS REFERENCE:#8818-D

Lesson Plan

LESSON OBJECTIVES

The student will be able to:

  • recognize signs of parturition; and
  • identify methods of preparing animals for parturition.
Key Terms
  • colostrum milk
  • farrowing
  • maiden mare
  • parturition
  • presentation
  • tagging

TEACHING MATERIALS & RESOURCES

  • IMS #8818-D
  • PowerPoint for IMS #8818-D
  • Class Notes for IMS #8818-D
  • Lesson Test for IMS #8818-D

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS RESOURCES

  • Calving Season Emergencies Video

TEACHING PROCEDURES

PREPARATION

Key Points / Methods
Link/Motivation:
Ask students to provide examples of how an expectant mother may prepare for the birth of her child or signs that an expectant mother is going into labor. Explain that in today’s lesson we will discuss ways that a producer can determine if an animal is going into labor, as well as ways to prepare that animal for parturition.
Overview:
In this lesson, the students will:
  • recognize signs of parturition; and
  • identify methods of preparing animals for parturition.
/ Teacher Led Discussion
Review of Objectives

Presentation

Key Points / Methods
INTRODUCTION
Animals must have good reproduction rates for producers to have successful livestock breeding operations. A critical stage in the production cycle of livestock is the time just before and during parturition. Parturition is the act of giving birth; it is the termination of gestation and expulsion of the mature fetus. Accurate breeding records help the producer determine the approximate time of parturition and prepare to render assistance to the animal as needed. Some animal species require more assistance at parturition than do others.
SIGNS OF PARTURITION
Even with accurate breeding records, it is difficult to determine the exact date or time of parturition, but certain signs of approaching parturition exist.
  • Distended udder - The udder becomes noticeably swollen and large in cows and mares two to six weeks before parturition. The udders of sheep do not usually become distended until ten days to two weeks before parturition.
  • Change in Udder’s Content - Contents of the udder in all livestock change from a watery fluid to a heavy colostrums milk two to three days before birth of offspring. Sows normally farrow within 24 hours after milk develops in their teats.
  • Wax on Teat Ends - Drops of sticky, white to yellow colored fluid are excreted from the teats of the female. The drops form a waxy layer on the ends of the teats of ewes and mares at two to four days before parturition.
  • Muscle Shrinkage - Muscles around the pin bones and tail head shrink and fall away (appear less prominent) in cattle and sheep as parturition approaches. Muscles at the top of the buttocks diminish at seven to ten days before a mare foals, especially in mares that have previously foaled.
  • Vulva Swelling - The tissue of the vulva in all livestock swells and becomes enlarged two to three days before parturition.
  • Restlessness and Nervousness - All female species of livestock become restless and nervous just before parturition. The female usually exhibits some signs of abnormal behavior and isolates herself from the herd.
PREPARING LIVESTOCK FOR PARTURITION
The best place for most livestock to give birth is a clean, dry pasture, but this is not always possible or practical. If prepared quarters are used, the pregnant animal should be moved to the quarters several days in advance of parturition. This time period lessens the stress of parturition on the female.
Cattle
Because older cows have relatively few calving problems, they normally calve in a pasture or paddock. However, an attendant should ride through the pasture 2 or 3 times a day to provide assistance to cows having calving problems. During inclement weather, it may be necessary to provide stalls for calving.
Swine
Before moving sows into the farrowing house, it should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. In cooler climates, heating equipment should be checked for proper operation. The ideal temperature for a farrowing house is 60ºF to 70ºF. Ideal bedding is ground corncob, peanut hulls, wood shavings, etc. Also before moving sows into the farrowing house, they should be washed thoroughly on their sides and underlines. Washing with a disinfectant soap and warm water removes worm eggs and parasites that could infect the newborn pigs. Sows are placed in farrowing stalls 4 to 5 days before farrowing. To ensure proper health of sows, producers often provide a laxative feed and daily exercise.
Mare
A dry, clean pasture or paddock is a common place for mares to foal. If weather conditions do not permit foaling in a pasture, a roomy box stall away from other animals should be provided. Maiden mares should be stalled where they can be attended to during parturition. Foaling stalls should be clean and well-bedded. A mixture of 4 ounces of lye to 20 gallons of water can be used to disinfect feeders, stalls, and troughs in foaling stalls. Obstructions that may cause injury to the mare or foal should be removed from the stall. A few days before the mare is expected to foal, a light laxative feed is substituted for one-third to one-half of the grain ration. Wheat bran is sometimes used as a grain substitute.
Ewes
The process of tagging ewes before breeding and lambing results in a larger and healthier percentage of lambs. Four to six weeks before lambing, ewes should be tagged, which means that wool and foreign matter are removed from the face and eyes, teats, udder, rectum, and insides of the hind legs. The advantages of tagging are that it:
  • Prevents the young lamb from nursing a tag of wool and thus starving;
  • Frees the area around the rectum and vulva of manure and afterbirth;
  • Keeps the eye area clean, making it easier for the ewe to find the lamb;
  • Allows the area around the mouth to stay clean, making it easier for the ewe to eat; and
  • Reduces the chances of the ewe getting wool worms.
The following methods are used by producers in preparing ewes for parturition:
  • Pasture Lambing - a method that allows ewes to lamb without assistance; another method isolates ewes that are ready to lamb and puts them into smaller lambing pastures where they can be attended to more easily.
  • Combination Pasture and Shed - ewes are allowed to graze in a pasture during the day and are penned under a shed at night; ewes that are lambing are separated from the flock.
  • Lambing Pens - ewes are placed in individual pens or placed in pens with other ewes and then moved to an individual pen as they lamb.
CARE OF COW AT CALVING TIME
First-calf heifers should be watched closely and given assistance in calving, if needed. Normally, older cows do not experience calving difficulty. An attendant should stay out of sight if the calf presentation appears normal. One to two hours are usually required for the birth of a calf in a normal presentation. It is often difficult to determine exactly when to render assistance.
In a normal presentation, mild infrequent labor pains begin a few hours before actual parturition. After some time, a water bag appears outside the vulva and increases in size until it ruptures from its own weight. A second water bag (amniotic bladder) follows the first one and appears with the fetus. After the second water bag ruptures, labor pains and muscle straining become more intense. Presentation normally occurs soon afterwards.
Normally, the offspring’s front feet are presented first and are followed by the nose (resting on the feet), shoulders, middle body, hips, hind legs, and feet. If presentation does not occur shortly after the rupture of the second water bag, assistance should be given.
Steps in providing assistance at parturition are as follows:
  1. Inspect the fetus to determine if it is in a normal presentation.
  2. Turn the fetus in proper position. The assistant must be very careful not to injure the cow when turning the calf.
  3. Loop obstetrical chain around each leg, just above the pasterns. Then, make a half-hitch in each chain and place it below the first loop. This prevents the chain from slipping and injuring the feet and it distributes the pulling force more evenly on the fetus’ legs.
  4. Pull the fetus upward until the shoulders pass and then downward as the female strains. Pull one leg and then the other leg, commonly referred to as “walking-out” the shoulders. If additional pressure or force is needed to move the fetus, attach the chains to a calf puller.
If assisting during the birth of the calf, the attendant should wipe the mucus from the calf’s nostrils. It may also be necessary to apply artificial respiration to get the calf to start breathing. To prevent navel infection, a navel cord clamp can be placed on the navel cord and the cord should be brushed with an iodine solution.
Afterbirth should be disposed of by burning or burying in lime to prevent the possible spread of disease and foul odor. Normally, afterbirth is expelled 3 to 6 hours after presentation of the calf. If the afterbirth is not expelled within 24 hours after presentation, a veterinarian could remove it.
CARE OF THE SOW AT FARROWING TIME
Most sows are isolated in farrowing pens at 3 to 4 days before parturition. They need little assistance at birth. However, an attendant should be available to dry newborn pigs and place them under a heat lamp, especially during cold weather. The number of additional pigs saved makes the enterprise profitable.
Post-Parturition Checklist for Pigs
  • Wipe membrane from the newborn pig with a clean, dry cloth.
  • Clip off the navel cord 2 ½” from the newborn pig’s body.
  • Swab the newborn pig’s navel cord with an iodine solution.
  • Provide heat to the newborn pig (90 to 95ºF at floor level).
  • Inject newborn pig with iron (preferred injection site is the ham or neck). Provide a second injection of iron 14 days later.
  • Provide plenty of fresh water for the sow.
  • Clip the needle teeth just above the gum level. At birth, a pig has eight needle teeth, two uppers and two lowers on each side of the mouth. Cutting these teeth prevents the pig from cutting the sow’s udder or injuring another pig. Side-cutting pliers are used to cut the needle teeth.
  • Ear notch each pig for identification purposes. Purebred breeders and commercial producers ear notch the pig’s with the sow’s litter number in one ear and the pig number in the other ear.
  • Equalize litter sizes by combining litters. Small weak pigs are placed with heavy-milking sows, while larger pigs are places with a sow giving less milk.
  • Cut off the pig’s tail at one inch from the body (if pigs are going to be raised in confinement).
  • Provide pigs with a pig pre-starter feed on the fourth day. A small amount of fresh starter feed should be made available daily.
  • Feed a 20% starter ration until the pig weighs 10 pounds.
  • Castrate the pig at two weeks of age.
CARE FOR THE MARE AT FOALING TIME
Older mares in proper condition and those that have previously foaled seldom have problems in foaling. However, an attendant should be available to help if a problem arises. The attendant should be discreet and not be in plain sight of the mare. Although the presence of an attendant may prevent injury to mare and foal, some mares become unsettled by an attendant and even postpone parturition as long as possible, which can be detrimental to the mare and foal.
It usually takes an hour for the entire birthing process. During the birthing process, the mare’s tail should be bandaged out of the way to prevent any complications. Indications that the mare is going to foal are uneasiness, nervousness, lying down and getting up, pacing, biting at the sides and flanks, sweating in the flanks, switching the tail, and frequent urination. These first signs of impending parturition can last up to 30 minutes or longer. With a normal presentation, the mare usually foals in 15 to 30 minutes after the signs are noticed.
At the height of labor pains, the mare usually lies down. It is in this position that the foal is usually born. A reasonable length of time should be given to the mare to foal. If no signs of a foal are seen after the mare has been straining for approximately 45 minutes, assistance should be provided. The attendant should follow good sanitation practices and be as quiet and gentle as possible with the mare. The procedure for assistance is the same as for the cow.
The mare should expel the afterbirth in 1 to 2 hours after parturition. The attendant may want to tie the afterbirth to the mare’s tail to prevent the mare and foal from stepping on it and picking up bacteria that could infect the uterus. If the afterbirth is retained more than two hours, a veterinarian should be called. Mares retaining afterbirth for a long time can contract laminitis, a disease that causes lameness.
If the mare foaled in conditions other than a clean pasture, the foal’s naval cord should be treated with an iodine solution. This prevents joint-ill or naval-ill, a fatal disease in 50% of the cases in foals. To apply the iodine, a wide-mouth bottle is filled with the solution, the navel cord is placed in the bottle, and the bottle is pressed against the foal’s abdomen. If it is necessary to cut the foal’s navel cord, it should be cut diagonally across the cord or severed by scraping with a sharp knife to prevent excessive bleeding.
The foal should be on its feet and attempting to nurse the mare within two hours after birth. If the foal is weak and unable to nurse, the attendant should assist it by holding it up to the mare. It may be necessary to milk the mare and feed the colostrum milk to the weak foal.
Because constipation can be fatal to a foal, the attendant should check to see that it has a bowel movement within 12 hours after birth. An enema of warm water containing a small amount of glycerin can be given to a sluggish foal. If diarrhea occurs, it is caused by unsanitary conditions or the mare’s milk. If caused by the milk, decrease the mare’s feed. Bacterial diarrhea is treated with antibiotics.
After the mare has foaled, a restricted amount of water should be available to her periodically. The mare’s feed should be light (bran and oats) and restricted for the first week.
CARE OF THE EWE AT LAMBING TIME
Well-fed, healthy ewes seldom have trouble lambing. The lambing system used by the producer determines whether the ewe can be given assistance while lambing. Ewes lambed in small pastures, pens, or under a shed should be observed periodically, but not bothered unless assistance is needed.
After the ewe begins to strain, the lamb should be delivered within an hour. If the ewe needs assistance, the same procedure as used for a cow should be followed. After the lamb is born, it should be dried, the mucus should be removed from its nostrils, and an iodine solution should be brushed onto the navel.
In rare cases, it may be necessary to give the lamb artificial respiration to start breathing. This is accomplished by blowing air into its mouth or rubbing across its ribs. Other young animals can be given artificial respiration in the same manner. It is important for heat to be provided for the young lambs in cold weather.
The attendant should check the ewe to make sure the lamb nurses, the afterbirth is removed, and the ewe is not constipated. Water and a light feed should be provided for the ewe after parturition. For several days after the birth of the lamb, both ewe and lamb should be observed for possible problems.
SUMMARY
Increasing the number of live births will increase the producer’s profitability. It is important that the producer be familiar with the signs of parturition and the steps to take when assistance is needed. / PowerPoint Slides #2-4
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Application

Key Points / Methods
Calving Video
View video on Calving Season Emergencies. / Video

Evaluation/Summary

Key Points / Methods
Complete Lesson Test for IMS #8818-D / Worksheet

references/ Additional matierials

Ensminger, M. E. The Stockman’s Handbook. 7th ed. Danville, IL: Interstate Printers and Publishers, Inc., 1993.

Taylor, R. E. and Field, T. G. Scientific Farm Animal Production. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998.