Calving is a critical welfare event for dairy cows and their calves. Appropriate monitoring, timely assistance, and post-calving care significantly reduce suffering and mortality in both mother and calf.
Calving welfare involves two simultaneous patients - the cow and the calf. For the cow, prolonged calving without appropriate assistance causes severe pain, exhaustion, and risk of internal damage. For the calf, delayed calving increases risk of hypoxia, hypothermia, and failure to receive adequate colostrum in the critical early hours. Well-managed calving protocols that include regular monitoring, appropriate and timely intervention, pain relief administration, and post-calving health checks significantly reduce welfare incidents. Pain management at calving is no longer controversial - it is evidence-based standard of care.