Management Risk Factors Associated with Stillbirth

The success of parturtion depends on a variety of cow and herd factors. It has been previously documented that the rate of stillbirth in Holstein cattle is approximately 10-15% in first parity animals and 5-7% in multiparous animals. Stillbirth is defined as delivery of a dead calf or a calf that is born alive but dies within the first 24 hours of life. Stillbirth can have both direct and indirect impacts on cow and calf health. Therefore, identification of key risk factors and implementation of changes to routine protocols aimed at reducing the occurrence of these calving disorders will benefit the dairy operation.