Cow Calving Stages

Wondering how often to check cows when calving? Learn about what happens to your cow during labor and the cow calving stages.

By Callene Rapp
Updated on December 19, 2023
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by AdobeStock/Benjamen McLachlan

Wondering how often to check cows when calving? Learn about what happens to your cow during labor and the cow calving stages.

Whether you have one cow or a thousand, calving season is one of the most anticipated times of the year. Watching your cows round out, developing huge bellies as the time gets closer, is exciting. Like that proverbial watched pot, it seems the event itself will never actually happen.

But what exactly goes on when a cow has a calf? The visible part is what most people think of when they think of calving, but there are several stages to the entire calving process.

Stages of Labor

There are three stages of labor, each characterized by different parts of the birthing process, including preparation, delivery, and afterbirth. There are a lot of things going on all at once, some easily seen, and some more subtle. But careful observation and knowing the events of each stage can help you understand what’s happening, and know when to step in during the unlikely event of a problem.

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