Beef cattle production and management
Practical Action
Cow on standing heat being mounted
The best time to breed when using a bull:
Later in the oestrus period
Mucus discharge is thick and stringy
Vulva still swollen
The cow will be quiet and settled
Calf rearing
The productivity of individual
cows and whole herds depends on
the ability of producing calves.
The annual calf crop provides
herd replacements through
selection of the best calves.
Calving site
Should be clean and far from
objects The place shouId be free
from predators (protected)
It should be a warm place
A calf being fed with colostrum
Signs prior to calving
Period
Signs
2 or 3 weeks prior to calving
Udder will begin to swell with milk
1 week before calving
Swelling around the belly in front of the udder
Just before calving
Active tail swishing from one side to the other
Water bag of amniotic fluids
Enlargement of the vulva
Loosening of the side of the tail head
Calf's hooves and nose emerge
One to two hours the calf should follow
Management of dystocia
Most communally-managed in-calf heifers and cows experience difficulty on calving and
therefore need to be tightly monitored prior to calving. Dystocia may result when the calf is too
big for the dam, which may result from the use of very big bulls on smaller cows. It may also
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