Calving management practices on Canadian dairy farms: Prevalence of practices

Abstract

Little information is available about current practices around calving in dairy cattle. The aim of this study was to describe calving management practices in the Canadian dairy industry related to housing, calving protocols, monitoring of parturition, and calving assistance. Information was gathered by in-person interviews from 236 dairy farms from 3 Canadian provinces (Alberta, Ontario, and Québec) with freestalls and an automatic milking system (n=24), freestalls with a parlor (n=112), and tiestalls (n=100). The most commonly used types of calving facilities were group calving pens (35%) followed by individual calving pens (30%). Tiestalls were used by 26% of all surveyed producers as their main type of calving area (49% of the tiestall, 7% of the freestall with parlor, and 13% of the automatic milking system farms). Written protocols related to calving were found on only 7% of the farms visited, and only 50% of those protocols were developed with a veterinarian. However, 90% of producers kept written records of calving difficulty. Monitoring of cows around calving occurred 5 times more often during the daytime (between morning and evening milking) compared with nighttime. Cameras were used to monitor cows around and during calvings on 18% of farms. Sixteen percent of producers vaginally palpated all animals during calving. Twenty-seven percent of producers interviewed assisted all calvings on their farms by pulling the calf, and 37% assisted all heifers at calving. According to the producers' reported perception, 93% of them had "a minor problem" or "no problem" with calving difficulties on their farms. This study provides basic data on current calving practices and identifies areas for improvement and potential targets for knowledge transfer efforts or research to clarify best management practices.

Systematic early obstetrical assistance at calving: I. Effects on dairy calf stillbirth, vigor, and passive immunity transfer

“…Some studies have investigated the influence of mild or severe dystocia on calves, but few have published on the effect of systematic assistance when no signs of calving problems have been detected. A survey conducted in Canada found that 27% of the 236 dairy producers questioned systematically assisted all of their heifers and cows at calving, regardless of whether they were having difficulty (Villettaz Robichaud et al, 2016). Very little is known about the effect of this practice on the performance of dairy calves.…”

Management of Low Birth Weight in Canine and Feline Species: Breeder Profiling

“…Describing and analysing LBW management practices is the first step in reducing the high mortality rates confronting them. In production animals, survey-based studies have been conducted to provide better understanding of newborn management practices, their determinants and their consequences [13][14][15][16][17][18]. They provide a basis for evaluating current practices and targeting communication and teaching for their improvement.…”

A survey of management practices that influence calf welfare and an estimation of the annual calf mortality risk in pastured dairy herds in Uruguay

“…Dairy calves are at an increased risk of disease and mortality in the perinatal and neonatal periods; significant animal losses can occur if management practices in these periods are suboptimal (Donovan et al, 1998;McGuirk, 2008;Bleul, 2011). Calf morbidity and mortality are indicators of poor animal welfare and are influenced by numerous factors including nutrition (Drackley, 2008;Seppä-Lassila et al, 2016;Kertz et al, 2017), health and immune status (Wells et al, 1997;Chase et al, 2008;Urie et al, 2018), hygiene (Marcé et al, 2010), neonatal care and colostrum management (Mee, 2008;Gundelach et al, 2009, Godden et al, 2019, occurrence of pathogens (McGuirk, 2008;Torsein et al, 2011), and other management practices (Jenny et al, 1981;Villettaz Robichaud et al, 2016). In production systems where parturition and calf rearing take place outdoors, weather conditions are additional factors that influence calf health and survival (Lundborg et al, 2005;Bleul, 2011;Cuttance et al, 2017b).…”