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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES
February 19, 2016 - 8:52am -- Anonymous

As cow/calf producers prepare for spring calving one area to review are the stages of calving.  Glen Selk, Oklahoma State University Extension has written a good summary of the 3 stages and what occurs in each:

Stage 1:  The first stage of parturition is dilation of the cervix.  In stage 1, cervical dilation begins some 2 to 24 hours before the completion of parturition (2 to 6 hours would be most common).  Stage 1 is likely to go completely unnoticed, but there may be some behavioral differences such as isolation or discomfort.  At the end of stage one, there may be come behavioral changes such as elevation of the tail, switching of the tail and increased mucous discharge.  Also relaxation (softening) of the pelvic ligaments near the pinbones may become visually evident, giving a “sunken” appearance on each side of the tailhead. 

Stage 2: The second stage of parturition is defined as the delivery of the newborn.  It begins with the entrance of the membranes and fetus into the pelvic canal and ends with the completed birth of the calf.  Clinically, and from a practical aspect we would define the beginning of stage 2 as the appearance of membranes or water bag at the vulva.  The traditional texts, fact sheets, magazines, and other publications that we read state that stage 2 in cattle lasts from 2 to 5 hours.   Data from Oklahoma State University and the USDA experiment station at Miles City, Montana, would indicate that stage two is MUCH shorter.  In these studies, assistance was given if stage two progressed more than two hours after the appearance of water bag at the vulva.  The interesting thing about the data was that the heifers calving unassisted did so in about one hour after the initiation of stage two, and mature cows calved within an average of 22 minutes of the initiation of stage two.  Those that took longer needed assistance.  These and other data would indicate that normal stage two of parturition should be redefined as approximately 60 minutes for heifers and 30 minutes for adult cows.  If the cow or heifer is making good progress with each strain, allow her to continue on her own. Know your limitations.  Seek professional veterinary help soon if you encounter a problem that cannot be solved easily in minutes. 

Stage 3: The third stage of parturition is the shedding of the placenta or fetal membranes.  In cattle this normally occurs in less than 8 to12 hours.  The membranes are considered retained if after 12 hours they have not been shed.  Years ago it was considered necessary to remove the membranes by manually “unbuttoning” the attachments.  Research has shown that manual removal can be detrimental to uterine health and future conception rates.  Administration of antibiotics usually will guard against infection and the placenta will slough out in 4 to 7 days.  Contact your veterinarian for the proper management of retained placenta.