Reducing calving losses does not necessarily mean carrying out more checks or spending every night walking through sheds and fields.
The aim is to make calving management more focused: knowing which cows are most likely to need attention, recognising when labour is not progressing normally and being prepared to act when intervention is necessary.
Difficult or prolonged calvings can place both the cow and calf at risk. They can also lead to additional labour, veterinary costs, slower calf recovery and poorer health during the first weeks of life.
By combining preparation, suitable breeding decisions, targeted observation and appropriate monitoring, farmers may be able to improve calf survival without making calving season even more demanding.
Calf losses can happen before, during or shortly after birth.
Difficult or prolonged labour can increase the risk of injury, oxygen deprivation and weakness after birth. Calves born following a difficult delivery may also take longer to breathe, stand and consume colostrum.
Other factors can include:
Not every loss can be prevented. However, many of the risks can be reduced through decisions made before the calving season begins and during the first hours of a calf's life.
Read Teagasc's step-by-step guidance on calving the suckler cow and keeping the calf alive.
Not every animal requires the same level of supervision.
Creating a clear list of cows and heifers that may be at greater risk allows farmers to direct more attention towards the animals most likely to need assistance.
Higher-risk animals may include:
This does not mean that every higher-risk animal will experience difficulty. It provides a practical way to prioritise checks rather than treating the whole herd as equally likely to require intervention.
Expected calving dates, previous calving records, scanning results, sire information and observations made during the final weeks of pregnancy can all help determine which animals may need closer attention.
View the Teagasc calving checklist for expected calving dates, twins and peak workload planning.
Reducing calving losses begins long before labour starts.
Sire selection can influence calf size, gestation length and the likelihood of a difficult delivery. This is particularly important when breeding heifers, which generally have less pelvic capacity and no previous calving experience.
ICBF includes calving difficulty in its genetic evaluations. Farmers can use the predicted calving-difficulty figure alongside its reliability when selecting bulls for individual cows and heifers.
A lower predicted calving-difficulty figure does not guarantee an unassisted birth. The cow, calf, nutrition, body condition and presentation all influence the outcome.
However, selecting suitable sires and matching them carefully to females can reduce the likelihood of avoidable calving problems before they arise.
Read ICBF's guidance on using the calving-difficulty trait to minimise difficult calvings.
A highly spread-out calving season can make consistent supervision difficult.
When calvings continue for many months, fatigue can build and it may become harder to maintain the same level of preparation and attention throughout the period.
A more compact calving pattern can make it easier to:
This does not reduce the intensity of the busiest weeks, but it can prevent calving duties from continuing indefinitely and allow labour to be planned more effectively.
Grouping cows based on expected calving dates can also make targeted observation easier. Animals closest to calving can be kept in locations where they are easier to check without repeatedly disturbing the entire herd.
Time can be lost during an emergency if facilities are not ready or essential equipment cannot be found.
Before calving begins, farmers should check that calving pens are clean, dry, well lit and safe for both the animal and anyone providing assistance.
Useful equipment may include:
Equipment should be clean, organised and easy to reach. A simple checklist completed before the first cow calves may save valuable time later.
Good preparation does not create more work during calving. It moves part of that work to a quieter period, when it can be completed more safely and efficiently.
See Teagasc's preparation and planning checklist for calving equipment and supplies.
Frequent checks can help identify problems, but repeatedly inspecting every animal can become exhausting during a busy calving season.
A more targeted approach involves using expected calving dates, physical signs and behavioural changes to decide which animals need closer attention.
Signs that a cow may be approaching calving can include:
Cows showing several of these signs can be prioritised, while animals showing no meaningful change may not require the same frequency of inspection.
The purpose is not to eliminate routine checks. It is to direct limited time towards the animals whose expected calving date, physical condition or behaviour suggests that labour may be getting closer.
Farmers should avoid relying on any single sign. Behaviour and physical changes vary between animals, and some cows may move from subtle early signs to active labour relatively quickly.
The timing of intervention can be difficult.
Intervening too early may disturb the normal calving process. Waiting too long during a difficult birth can increase the risk of exhaustion, injury or oxygen deprivation for the calf.
Possible reasons to examine a cow more closely or seek veterinary advice include:
The appropriate timing depends on the stage of labour, the cow or heifer, the calf's position and the farmer's experience.
When there is uncertainty, seeking veterinary advice early may be safer than continuing repeated or excessive traction.
Read Teagasc's practical guidance on when to intervene during calving.
A live birth does not mean the period of risk is over.
Calves born following difficult or prolonged labour may be slower to breathe, stand and suck. They may require closer attention than calves born without assistance.
Immediately after delivery, farmers should check that the calf:
Colostrum provides energy and antibodies that help protect the newborn calf. Delayed or inadequate intake can leave the calf more vulnerable to illness and poor performance.
Read Teagasc's guidance on colostrum quantity, quality and timing during the first week of life.
Recording which calves experienced difficult births can also help identify those that may need additional observation during their first days of life.
Technology cannot prevent every difficult calving or determine exactly when every cow will calve.
However, livestock monitoring systems may help identify changes in activity or behaviour that suggest an animal should be checked more closely.
Depending on the system, this may include changes such as:
The practical benefit is prioritisation.
Instead of increasing the frequency of checks across the entire herd, a farmer may be able to focus attention on animals showing meaningful changes.
This can be particularly helpful overnight, when cows are calving outdoors or when several groups are being managed in different locations.
Monitoring alerts should always be considered alongside expected calving dates, physical signs, visual observation and farmer judgement.
An alert should be treated as a reason to check an animal rather than confirmation that calving has begun or that intervention is required.
Calving records should do more than record whether a calf was born alive.
Useful information can include:
Reviewing these records after the season may reveal patterns that are difficult to recognise during the busiest weeks.
For example, repeated difficulties may be associated with a particular sire, first-calving heifers, cow condition, prolonged gestation or weaknesses in the farm's intervention process.
Accurate calving-difficulty records can also contribute to more reliable breeding evaluations and better future sire-selection decisions.
Understanding why losses occurred provides a better basis for reducing them during the following season.
No farmer can watch every animal every hour of the day.
The most practical approach is to combine:
These measures allow attention to be directed where it is most valuable, rather than simply increasing the total number of checks.
Calving will always require observation, judgement and timely intervention. The goal is to reduce uncertainty and make each check more useful.
Calving losses have financial, practical and emotional consequences for farmers.
While not every loss can be avoided, better preparation and earlier visibility can help farmers recognise which animals may need attention and respond when labour is not progressing normally.
At Graze Technologies, we are developing cattle monitoring technology designed to help farmers identify meaningful behavioural changes and focus their attention on animals that may need closer observation.
Possible causes include prolonged labour, difficult delivery, abnormal calf presentation, lack of oxygen, premature birth and complications associated with an oversized calf. The cause can vary between individual cases.
Farmers can reduce risk through appropriate sire selection, accurate calving records, identifying higher-risk cows, preparing facilities and equipment, recognising when labour is not progressing and providing good care immediately after birth.
First-calving heifers, cows with a history of difficult births, animals carrying twins, cows bred to higher-difficulty sires and animals showing signs of illness or unusual behaviour may require closer observation.
Intervention may be needed when there is strong straining without progress, an abnormal presentation, signs of exhaustion or uncertainty about whether the calf can be delivered safely. Farmers should seek veterinary advice whenever they are unsure.
Monitoring technology cannot prevent every loss or replace physical checks. It may help identify changes in activity or behaviour that suggest a cow should be checked more closely, allowing farmers to prioritise attention.
Night checks cannot always be avoided, but farmers can make them more targeted by grouping animals according to expected calving dates, prioritising higher-risk cows and using physical signs and behavioural changes to identify animals that may be closer to calving.