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Tips For Maintaining Healthy Calves

published: February 23rd 2009
by: Amanda Nolz
source: TriState Livestock News

There is nothing quite like a group of healthy baby calves running around a grassy pasture, while their nurturing mothers call after them. However, it’s no secret to ranchers that this idealistic vision of a smooth calving season doesn’t come without intensive labor and great management skills. Whether an operation calves in early winter, mid-spring or the fall, Mike Patrick, DVM, has several management practices for producers to keep in mind.

Remember the mama cows
First, Patrick noted that producers should always be aware of the body condition score (BCS) of the cowherd.

“Depending on the severity of the winter, cows will vary in BCS,” said Patrick, who practices veterinary medicine in Mitchell, SD. “In a mild winter, a cow will maintain her weight better than during a bitter cold winter. Regardless, cows should be gaining weight in the last trimester, so they can sustain their calf once they have calved.”

Patrick made the point that thin cows will have more problems post-calving verses cows that have weathered the winter well. In addition, replacement heifers and older cows require special attention.

“Getting replacement heifers ready to be bred is a difficult process in a time when they are also trying to grow and mature,” said Patrick. “Having first-calf heifers bred a month earlier than the older cows gives these females extra time to cycle and stay in the same breeding schedule as the rest of the cowherd. Also, older cows need extra attention to maintain their BCS to cycle again. These old mama cows tend to fall apart with the nutritional demands of a calf, and producers sometimes overlook that.”

Next, Patrick recommended that producers give a calf scour vaccine to their cows in their last trimester of gestation.

“Calves receive their immunities directly from their mothers,” explained Patrick. “A calf scour vaccine will prevent fighting scours later in the calf’s life. This is where producers can first develop the calf’s primary resistance to infections. With scours being the number one medical concern during calving season, it’s important to be proactive about this illness. So many infectious organisms lead to scours, so with the vaccine and a clean calving environment, these new babies should stay healthy.”

Don’t be caught off guard
Patrick overviewed the many details needed for cattle producers to get their operations prepared for calving season.

“Of course, producers should have clean, up-to-date facilities ready for calving time,” said Patrick. “Fresh bedding, clean water and a warm place to keep the cow-calf pair are so important. In the months leading to the beginning of calving, it’s a good time to sort off the first-calf heifers and the older cows that need extra care or feed. Also, be sure to have tags, medical supplies and chains on hand and ready to go.”

For Patrick, a lot of stress, labor and money can be saved by managing the cowherd for the optimal time to be in calving season. More frequently, he is seeing a pendulum swing of producers tighten their breeding seasons and move from the brutal winter months to a much milder spring climate.

“My opinion is that cows are meant to calve on green grass,” says Patrick. “They are able to maintain nutrition levels much cheaper than with feed. The labor to keep a calf healthy is so much higher in the cold winter months. Too often, calves will freeze from the cold, lose their ears from icicles or have to be kept in a warm barn for a lengthy period of time. Keeping the barn heated, taking care of cold babies, and maintaining the nutrition costs of the cow create a labor intensive and expensive calving season. These problems can be avoided by having healthy calves in the nice weather of the spring.”

In control
In summary, Patrick stressed the importance of maintaining the BCS of the females, giving vaccines to prevent infection in calves, taking care of babies in a clean and well-kept environment and making good decisions when planning the next calving season. By keeping input costs and labor time to a minimum, producers should be able to weather the calving season and the aching economy with ease.

As the cows’ last trimester ends, producers should feel confident and in control of the cowherd and the calf crop by following Patrick’s guidelines for conquering calving season. With some smart management moves, cattlemen can soon enjoy a pasture full of healthy calves and strong mothers.