Calving preparation: make the handover clear

Prepare calving records before the first busy night: identify the cows, agree who checks them, keep veterinary contact details available and write down the newborn-care plan discussed with your veterinarian. In HerdMobile, open the cows due to calve, follow their dates and add the birth notes after care begins. Check the next tasks together at handover.

Edited by Ender Soyuince · About our content

2026-10-21

Compiled from open-access scientific sources.

Which records should be ready?

Bring the breeding history, animal identity and any relevant previous calving notes together. Add the breeding date you know to the cow’s notes and use the expected calving date to plan the next barn checks. Check that the person on duty can distinguish similarly named animals and find the current notes. Decide who updates HerdMobile during each shift. At handover, check the cows due to calve and the next care tasks together. Keep the veterinarian’s number and a backup contact ready in the barn, with a plan to reach help from places with weak reception.

What should the team agree beforehand?

Discuss observation, escalation and newborn care with your veterinarian before the busy period. Prepare the agreed supplies and check their condition. Name the responsible person, keep the agreed plan within reach and assign hands-on care to people with the appropriate training. Ask the veterinarian which signs or circumstances require immediate contact. Start urgent animal care and call for help first. Once care is underway, add the birth time and action taken to the animal’s HerdMobile notes so the next worker can follow the remaining tasks.

What belongs in the birth record?

Record the observed date and time, the dam, the calf identifier and what was actually observed. Keep assistance and professional instructions distinct from your own interpretation. Write the time of the newborn’s first feed (colostrum) and the observations required by your agreed plan. If nobody observed an event, state that instead of inventing a time. Recheck the relationship between calf and dam before finishing the entry. Save the birth note under the dam’s animal record in HerdMobile so the next worker can find the calving date, observations and care already given.

Questions from the farm

How do I use an estimated calving date?

Keep the estimate with its breeding-record basis and use it to organise checks. Record the actual birth date and time when observed.

What helps during an urgent calving concern?

Keep the agreed care plan and contact details accessible where people work. Follow the escalation arrangements made with the responsible veterinarian.

How does HerdMobile help at handover?

Open the dam’s history and enter dated observations under the correct animal. The next person can review the same record with the agreed care plan.

How HerdMobile helps

Bring your animals, feed stocks and farm accounts together on your Android phone. HerdMobile keeps your daily work moving offline: record events, compare feed quantities and follow sales and payments in one place. Use your own feeds and herd information to prepare a ration, then keep a backup file under your control.

A herd with saved animal records — Keep the day’s work in view: open your animal records, plan feeding, follow farm accounts and manage your backup in HerdMobile.

Sources

University of Minnesota Extension — Transition dairy cows