Milk fever se pehle hi bachav kaise? Byaane se 21 din pehle ka plan

Milk Fever in Cows & Buffaloes: How to Prevent It

भाषा:

October to January is the main calving season on many Indian dairy farms, and it is also when farmers find a good cow or buffalo lying down a day after calving, unable to get up. In most cases this is milk fever (hypocalcaemia): a sudden fall of calcium in the blood. It is common, it can kill within hours if left alone, and it also leads to retained placenta, mastitis, ketosis and a poor lactation. The good news: most milk fever can be prevented with the right feeding in the last 3 weeks before calving and good care on calving day. Here is the plan, and when to call the vet urgently.

What is milk fever and why does it happen at calving?

Despite the name, milk fever is not a fever. Body temperature is usually normal or below normal. When a cow or buffalo starts making colostrum (khees) and milk, a large amount of calcium suddenly leaves the blood into the udder. Calcium is what muscles need to work, including the heart, the rumen and the uterus. If the body cannot pull calcium out of the bones and gut fast enough, blood calcium drops and the animal becomes weak and falls down.

It usually happens from a day before to 3 days after calving. The risk is higher in:

  • High-yielding animals and those in their 3rd calving or later
  • Crossbred cows such as HF and Jersey (see dairy breeds in India), and high-yielding buffaloes
  • Animals that are too fat at calving
  • Animals that had milk fever in the last calving
  • Animals fed a lot of calcium in the dry period (more on this below)

Signs of milk fever: catch it early

Watch every animal closely for the first 72 hours after calving, including at night.

  • Early: the animal is restless or excited, unsteady on its legs, trembling, and stops eating. It may shift weight from one hind leg to the other.
  • Cold ears and cold legs, dry muzzle, and no dung passed.
  • Lying down on the chest with the head turned back towards the flank, as if sleeping. This is the classic milk fever posture.
  • Dull, sunken eyes, and the animal does not respond much to you.
  • Late: the animal falls flat on its side, the belly swells (bloat), and it may go into a coma. Without treatment it can die within hours.

Some animals show only a mild form: slow eating, weak contractions, a retained placenta or a slow start to milk. This hidden low calcium also sets up later problems.

1. The dry period: do not overload calcium

This is the part most farmers get backwards. Many feed extra calcium, lime (chuna) or a calcium-heavy mineral mix in the last weeks, thinking it will prevent milk fever. In the dry period it does the opposite: when there is plenty of calcium in the feed, the body switches off its own system for drawing calcium from the bones. On calving day, when demand suddenly jumps, that system is asleep and blood calcium crashes.

  • In the last 3 weeks, do not give extra calcium powders, lime or calcium tonics by mouth unless your vet says so.
  • Do not feed only lush legume fodder like berseem or lucerne to dry animals in the last weeks. These are high in calcium and potassium. Mix them with dry fodder and other green fodder.
  • Keep the dry animal in moderate body condition, not fat. A fat cow eats less after calving and is at more risk of milk fever and ketosis.
  • Keep a balanced mineral mixture with a sensible dose, not a heavy calcium load. See what goes into a good mineral mixture and the buffalo mineral mixture guide.
  • Do not starve the dry animal either. It still needs good fodder, clean water and a little concentrate in the last 3 weeks so the rumen is ready for the milking ration.

More on dry-period rations in our dairy feeding and nutrition guide.

2. Negative DCAD in simple words

DCAD means the balance between “salty” minerals that make the blood slightly alkaline (mainly potassium and sodium) and minerals that make it slightly acidic (mainly chloride and sulphur). Green fodder in winter is often high in potassium, which pushes the balance the wrong way.

A negative DCAD diet in the last 3 weeks tilts the blood a little to the acidic side. This wakes up the body’s calcium system, so the animal is already pulling calcium from its bones and gut before calving. On calving day it can keep up with the sudden demand. This is done with a special premix mixed in the feed, not with a home remedy.

Chloromate negative DCAD premix by IMN Pyrophos

Before calving · last 21 days

Chloromate

Negative DCAD premix that helps prevent milk fever when fed in the last 21 days before calving.

Dose: cow: 60 g per animal per day in the close-up period (last 21 days), or 1.2 kg per 100 kg feed; buffalo: 1 kg per 100 kg feed. Mix it well into the feed only, never in water or by mouth. Stop on the day of calving. Chloromate does not mix with pellet feed, so mix it into wheat bran (chokar), maize, or crushed pellets. The best way is in a TMR.

1 kg ₹600MRP ₹800

Also available in a 5 kg pack (₹2,900) for larger farms. Mark the expected calving date on the wall or in your phone, and start 21 days before it.

3. Calving day: warmth, water, energy

  • Keep the animal in a clean, dry, well-bedded calving pen with a non-slippery floor, away from cold wind. A good pen layout is in our dairy farm setup guide.
  • Offer lukewarm water right after calving. A freshly calved animal is thirsty and tired, and in winter it will drink far more if the water is not ice-cold.
  • Give energy and electrolytes to drink so appetite and rumen restart quickly.
  • Offer good fodder that the animal likes, and let the calf drink colostrum within the first hour.
  • Check on the animal every 2–3 hours for the first day and night. Milk fever often starts at night.
Calcigain calving support drink for cows and buffaloes by IMN Pyrophos

At calving

Calcigain

Energy, organic calcium and electrolyte drink for freshly calved cows and buffaloes, with B12, probiotics, trace minerals and vitamins. Restores appetite and rumen function, restores electrolytes and helps prevent abomasal displacement.

Use: dissolve 1 kg in 20 L warm water, add 20 L normal water, and offer the 40 L at or right after calving.

1 kg ₹850MRP ₹1,750

Important: offer any drink only to an animal that is standing and drinking on its own. Never pour liquid into the mouth of an animal that is down or cannot swallow. It can go into the lungs.

4. The first 10 days after calving: appetite and energy

After calving, milk rises faster than appetite. For the first weeks the animal gives out more energy in milk than it eats, and it burns body fat to fill the gap. If this goes too far, it gets ketosis (energy shortage) and fatty liver. Animals that had milk fever, retained placenta or were fat at calving are most at risk.

Signs of ketosis to watch for:

  • Eats fodder but leaves the concentrate (daana)
  • Milk drops suddenly after a good start
  • Dull, losing weight fast, dung firm and dry
  • A sweet, fruity smell on the breath or milk

What to do:

  • Check feed intake every morning: did the animal finish its feed? Did it chew the cud?
  • Increase concentrate slowly over 2–3 weeks, not all at once on calving day, so the rumen can adjust.
  • Keep good fodder, fresh lukewarm water and a balanced mineral mixture in front of the animal all the time.
  • Check the placenta has come out within about 12 hours, and watch for bad-smelling discharge.
Bionice early lactation energy support for cows and buffaloes by IMN Pyrophos

After calving · early lactation

Bionice

Biotin, niacin, chelated zinc and chromium with glucose precursors. Supports cows and buffaloes in ketosis and negative energy balance and against fatty liver in early lactation, and helps in mastitis recovery.

Dose: prevention: 40–50 g per day for 7–10 days after calving. Treatment: 80–100 g per day for 5–7 days. In feed: 250–500 g per 100 kg feed.

1 kg ₹768MRP ₹1,100

For buffaloes calving in winter, also read how to increase buffalo milk in winter.

When to call the vet urgently

An animal that is down after calving is an emergency. Call your vet at once. Milk fever is treated with calcium given into the vein (IV) by a vet, slowly and with the heart being checked. Given wrongly, calcium can stop the heart. Do not try injections yourself, and do not wait to see if the animal gets up on its own.

Call the vet straight away if:

  • The animal cannot get up, or is lying with its head turned to its flank
  • It is lying flat on its side, or the belly is swelling
  • It is trembling, staggering or has cold ears and has stopped eating in the first 3 days after calving
  • It got up after treatment but went down again
  • The placenta has not come out, or there is fever and a bad-smelling discharge
  • It stops eating or milk drops sharply in the first 2–3 weeks

While you wait for the vet: keep the animal resting on its chest, propped with straw bales or sacks, not flat on its side. Put soft dry bedding under it, keep it warm, and give nothing by mouth.

Do not give medicines or injections on guesswork. Diagnosis first, then treatment.

Milk fever prevention checklist

WhenWhat to do
Dry periodModerate body condition, no extra calcium or lime, mixed fodder, balanced minerals
Last 21 daysNegative DCAD premix in feed, a little concentrate, mark the calving date
Calving dayClean dry pen, lukewarm water, energy and electrolyte drink, colostrum to calf
First 3 daysCheck every 2–3 hours, including night: standing, eating, cold ears?
Days 1–10Check appetite and cud every morning, raise concentrate slowly, energy support
Planning for animals calving this season? Send the number of animals, expected calving dates and what you are feeding on WhatsApp +91 98715 84101. Dr. Ibne Ali’s team will help you plan the last 3 weeks and calving care. Ask on WhatsApp

Also read: dairy feeding and nutrition · dairy farm setup · mineral mixture for cows · buffalo mineral mixture · buffalo milk in winter · dairy breeds in India

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