Lo. Fiems et al., Relationship between dam and calf characteristics with regard to dystocia in Belgian Blue double-muscled cows, ANIM SCI, 72, 2001, pp. 389-394
Information concerning 493 single calvings of the double-muscled beef cow h
erd of the institute was collected to investigate the relationship between
the characteristics of dams and calves with regard to dystocia. Factors aff
ecting dystocia are similar in double-muscled cattle to those in non-double
-muscled cattle but the occurrence of dystocia is greatly increased in doub
le-muscled cows. Incidence of caesarean section was significantly correlate
d with parity (-0.243), age of dam (-0.232), post-partum dam weight (-0.185
), and calf birth weight (0.164). Caesarean deliveries were required for 89
.5% of the parturitions. Calvings without caesarean section were characteri
zed by higher means for post-partum dam live weight (634.7 kg), age (1675.5
days), parity (3.1) and the ratio of post-partum dam weight to calf birth
weight (14.4), compared with 580.2 kg, 1251.1 days, 2.1, and 11.8, respecti
vely for births with caesarean setion, while calf birth weight was lower in
non-caesarean calvings (45.8 v. 49.9 kg). Caesarean births involved more m
ale calves than females (55 v. 45%). Even when calf birth weight was 30 kg
or lower, and also in multiparous cows, 40 and 86% of the deliveries, respe
ctively, still occurred with a caesarean section.
Incidence of caesarean section could not be accurately predicted from pre-p
artum characteristics such as pre-partum dam weight, age and parity.