A heart girth tapes is a tool that is used to estimate weight of a newborn calf. Specificly, a heart girth tape is used to provide a measurement of the chest of the newborn calf. Using a heart girth tape allows for the determination of the weights of the newborn calf due to the fact that the calf’s weight is proportional to its chest size.
In using a heart girth tape, the person must place the tape just behind the front legs of the newborn calf, and the person should pull the tape to ensure that the tape is snug but not tight around the calf. This measurement will indicate whether the newborn calf is light, normal, or heavy in weight. Calves that are in the light zone will require the provision of extra warmth and colostrum to the calf, while those that are heavy may indicate that the birth was challenge.
Weighing Newborn Calves with a Heart Girth Tape
The breed of the calf have an impact upon the weight indication from the heart girth tape. For example, calves of different breeds may have the same chest measurements with the heart girth tape, yet have different weight. The weight chart that is created accounts for the different weights of the breeds of calves; for instance, a dairy operator who manages only Holstein calves will experience different weights then a beef producer that manage only Angus calves.
Thus, the weight chart is used to determine the weight of the newborn calf in relation to its breed. The body condition of the dam also impact the weight of the newborn calf, which is another factor that should be considered in conjunction with the heart girth tape measurement. Calves that are born from cows that have a moderate body condition will typically have weights that are around the breed average.
Calves born from thin cows are often light, while calves born from cows that are over conditioned will typically have heavy newborn calves. These characteristics can have an impact upon the difficulty of the calving process; heavy calves may result in a difficult birth due to the presence of fat around the dam birth canal. The use of the weight chart is one method of correlate the body condition of the dam with the weight of the newborn calf.
The recording of the weight indicated from the heart girth tape is one method of record keeping for the calf. By recording the measurement of the calf with the identification of its dam and sire, an individual can determine which bulls tend to produce calves that are of average, light, or heavy weight. Additionally, by keeping these record, an individual can also determine whether the current nutrition programs for the herd are proving to be effective in increasing the weight of the calves at the time of there birth.
Finally, the measurements indicated from the heart girth tape are only useful if appropriate action is taken according to those measurements. For instance, if the calf is determined to be light in weight, actions must be taken to ensure that the calf receives colostrum within the first hour of it’s life. If the calf is heavy, the actions of the cow and calf must be prepared in the case that the birth becomes challenging; heavy calves can lead to challenging births that last over two hours.
Thus, in addition to recording the measurement of the calf with the heart girth tape, individuals must also monitor the calves to ensure that they are nursing and that their dam accept the newborn calf. Through the use of both the heart girth tape and the weight chart, individuals can reduce the uncertainty regarding the newborn calves in the herd. For instance, when using the heart girth tape for each newborn calf, an individual does not have to guess as to whether the weight of the calf is the correct weight for its dam.
Additionally, it is not necessary to guess as to whether the heavy calves will be able to successfully pass through the birth canal of their dam. Thus, the heart girth tape and the weight chart allow for each individual’s questions regarding the newborn calves to become numbers, which can help each individual to take the action necessary for both the newborn calves and their dam.