Are young heifers more likely to have complications while calving ?
Yes, there is a much greater chance of a young immature heifer experiencing dystocia or calving difficulty because she is still growing and her pelvic area is smaller and underdeveloped. If the sire of her calf is a large breed, the calf will be heavier and may be too big to enter into the birth canal; often the calf is stillborn or the heifer requires assistance in delivering the calf. First calf heifers are always at risk of having dystocia since the birth canal has never been dilated or stretched. So, the younger the heifer is at calving, the more chance she has of a difficult delivery and the possibility of dying due to complications. The occurrence of dystocia decreases in older heifers because they are physically more mature and have a larger pelvic opening. When a heifer calves at a very early age, will she have difficulties breeding back or calving next time ? If a heifer doesn’t have any complications while calving and there is no injury to her birth canal, she shouldn’t have
