Milking should be totally stopped before 60 days of
parturition
Pregnant cow should be transferred in a separate room or maternity
barn
before two weeks of parturition (minimum 8-10 days)
Maternity barn must be clean and germ free. Floor should be covered
by
carpet or straw layer able to absorb water
Milk fever is most likely to be present during this time. It is
possible to
get rid of this condition if you supply vitamin D (bone meal, DCP) in the diet one week
before
parturition
Symptoms that appear before parturition: restlessness, enlargement
of
udder, swallowed vulba, mucas discharge etc.
The cow should be fed with 1-2 kg extra concentrate feed with main
meal
from three months before parturition
During
parturition:
Do not disturb cows during parturition and observe it from a fixed
distance
Usually it takes 4-5 hours during first time parturition and 2-3
hours for
next parturition
The cow usually wants to eat within 1-2 hours of parturition.
During this
time she should be fed with light hot water and some sort of bran type concentrate
Usually placenta falls down between 2-6 hours of parturition. If it
does
not fall within 12 hours then consider it as a problem
If there is something abnormal during parturition and postpartum
delivery(if the calf doen not get out properly, in normal deliver head and two leg come
first,
retained placenta etc. ), you should seek the help of a veterinarian immediately
Healthy cows can be reared in the same shed with other cows as
before
within 3-4 days of parturition
Calf:
The naval duct of new born calf should be cut at 2 inches and tied
it with
a germ free yarn. The cut portion should be wet with 7% tincture iodine and re-wet after 12
hours
Colostrum should be fed within 15-30 minutes after birth. Again
colostrum
should be supplied within 10-12 hours of birth for the second time
On the first day of birth the baby calf should be fed 5-8%, 2nd and
3rd day
10% colostrum of body weight
Anti helminthetic should be supplied to calf after 10-15 days of
birth.
Then all the vaccine should be given following the instruction of vaccination
schedule
Keep the baby calf in a clean, dry and germ free place. Supply
adequate
feed and keep clean water all the time in calf barn.
