Belgian Blue - Breed Issues

Breed Issues

The neonatal calf is so large that Caesarean sections are routinely done. Double-muscled cows also can experience dystocia, even when bred to normal beef bulls or dairy bulls, because of a narrower birth canal. In addition to the dam’s reduced pelvic dimensions, the calf’s birth weight and width are increased, in turn making parturition harder. The bull’s testicular weight and semen quantity and quality have been observed as reduced, however this seems to be less of an issue when compared to the dam's difficulties calving.

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