| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2463874 | The Veterinary Journal | 2015 | 8 Pages |
•In cattle, pelvic ligament relaxation and steroid assays are the most reliable methods to predict calving within 12–24 h.•Measurement of vaginal temperature is a reliable method to exclude a calving event within the next 12 h.•Combined pelvic ligament relaxation and teat filling are reliable methods to exclude a calving event within the next 12 h.•Numerous behavioural changes occur within the last 24 h before calving.•Continuous monitoring of such behaviours could be used to predict calving and dystocia, but this remains to be validated.
In livestock farming, accurate prediction of calving time is a key factor for profitability and animal welfare. The most accurate and sensitive methods to date for prediction of calving within 24 h are the measurement of pelvic ligament relaxation and assays for circulating progesterone and oestradiol-17β. Conversely, the absence of calving within the next 12–24 h can be accurately predicted by the measurement of incremental daily decrease in vaginal temperature and by the combination of pelvic ligament relaxation and teat filling estimates. Continuous monitoring systems can detect behavioural changes occurring on the actual day of calving, some of them being accentuated in the last few hours before delivery; standing/lying transitions, tail raising, feeding time, and dry matter and water intakes differ between cows with dystocia and those with eutocia. Use of these behavioural changes has the potential to improve the management of calving. Currently, four types of devices for calving detection are on the market: inclinometers and accelerometers detecting tail raising and overactivity, abdominal belts monitoring uterine contractions, vaginal probes detecting a decrease in vaginal temperature and expulsion of the allantochorion, and devices placed in the vagina or on the vulvar lips that detect calf expulsion. The performance of these devices under field conditions and their capacity to predict dystocia require further investigation.
