Nearly 20 percent of beef

heifers require some degree of

assistance in calving. How and

when this assistance is given may

pay dividends for the producer.

In the USDAs Beef Cow/Calf

Health and Productivity Audit

(CHAPA), producers reported that

82.8 percent of heifers calving

require no assistance in calving

(Figure 1). Another 9.4 percent of

heifers calving require some minor assistance (easy

pull), and 7.4 percent require a significant amount of

effort to deliver the calf (hard pull). Only 0.4

percent of heifers require a cesarean section to

deliver the calf.

The National Animal Health Monitoring System

(NAHMS) conducted the CHAPA on 799 operations

located in 18 of the top beef states.1 Seventy percent

of U.S. beef cow/calf operations are in these 18

states.

Numerous studies have shown that dystocia

(difficult birth) is a major cause of calf mortality. In

1991, producers reported that 20.4 percent

of beef calf (up to 500 pounds) losses were

attributed to calving problems. More

attention to calving cows and heifers will likely

lessen these losses.

Research at the USDAs Agricultural

Research Services (ARS) Fort Keogh

Livestock and Range Research Laboratory

indicates that early assistance in the calving

process affects subsequent reproductive

capacity of the dam. In their study, early

assistance led to a 9 percent increase in the

number of animals cycling at the onset of the

breeding season and a 14 percent increase in the fall

pregnancy rate. In addition, calves from early

assisted dams tended to have a higher average daily

gain from birth to weaning (+.11 pounds).

However, many producers may not have the

opportunity for early intervention because of the way

they manage their cattle around calving time. On

the average, producers check heifers 2.9 times per

24-hour period during the calving season (Figure 2).

Over half of producers (57.2 percent) only check

their heifers 1 to 2 times per 24-hour period.

Opportunities to Improve Calving

Management on Beef Cow/Calf Operations

National Animal Health Monitoring System

United States

Department of

Agriculture

Animal and

Plant Health

Inspection

Service

Veterinary

Services

Figure 1

Percent of Replacement Heifers and Cows Requiring Various

Levels of Assistance During Calving

Figure 2

Percent of Operations by Number of Times Females

Are Observed During a 24-Hour Period

1 Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico,

Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming.

Target population: beef cow/calf producers with 5 or more beef cows and with 50 percent March 1994

or more of 1992 calves born from January through June.
This means that heifers having trouble

calving may be undetected for up to 12

to 24 hours.

A larger proportion of producers (7.8

percent, Figure 2) do not observe their

cows at all during the calving season.

Most producers (72.9 percent) observe

cows one to two times per 24-hour

period during the calving season.

Further, on the average, producers

allow heifers to labor for 2.9 hours prior

to giving them assistance. Figure 3

shows that nearly half (45.2 percent) of

producers allow heifers to labor 3 hours

or more before giving assistance. Over

42 percent of producers allow cows to

labor 3 or more hours. Substantially more

producers allow no labor time for cows (12.7

percent) than for heifers (0 percent).

For some producers, that ability to observe

calving animals is dictated by facilities. Only

32.8 percent of cow/calf operations have

specialized calving facilities that allow increased

observation or shelter. Approximately one-third

(33.5 percent) of beef calves are born in these

specialized calving areas (Figure 4). Few

producers use calving lots, calving pens, or

covered sheds or barns for calving.

These management strategies make it difficult

to practice early intervention in a difficult calving

and make it more likely that dystocia will result in

an unfavorable outcome for the calf and have

detrimental, longer-term impacts on the reproductive

capacity of the dam. NAHMS collaborators included the National

Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA) and State and

Federal Veterinary Medical Officers. For more

information, contact:

Centers for Epidemiology & Animal Health

USDA:APHIS:VS, Attn. NAHMS

2150 Centre Ave., Bldg. B, MS 2E7 

Fort Collins, Colorado 80526-8117

(970) 494-7000

NAHMSweb@aphis.usda.gov

N141.0294

Figure 3

Figure 4

Percent of Calves Born by Location

Number of Hours Observed Before Assistance Given