There is nothing like a healthy newborn calf to brighten your day. However, it is important to remember there are several factors that can influence the health and vigor of newborn calves. Losing a calf can add stress both mentally and financially to your operation. Here are a few considerations to prepare for a successful calving season.
Mineral deficiencies can lead to poor performance at calving. A common mineral deficiency in the Midwest is selenium. Because soils are deficient in selenium, pasture, hay and grains that are grown from Midwestern soils will share the deficiency. One option to consider is providing higher levels of selenium in your mineral supplementation program to alleviate deficiency problems, but be aware that too much can cause toxicity. Injectable products can also provide supplemental selenium. It is recommended that selenium and vitamin E be supplemented together. I believe this can be a tool to guard against lethargic calves that have poor suckle reflex.
Body condition of cows at calving has been shown to influence several factors. First, cows in good body condition are better equipped to handle the nutritional demands of lactation. This results in faster breedback in the spring. Cows that are fit and in proper condition are less likely to have dystocia issues. Also, cows with good body condition scores (BCS) supply more immunoglobulins in their colostrum, which generally leads to healthier calves and fewer issues with scours. Take a look at your cow BCS and provide supplemental feed to bring thin cows up to more ideal scores.
Planning a calving flowchart can be beneficial to maintaining health and performance. This heavily relies on having cows pregnancy checked to determine calving date. Many producers will have one area for close-up cows, one area for calving and one area for lactating cows. This is a good layout until disease occurs. When a disease occurs, the remainder of cows yet to flow through the layout will be exposed to the pathogens. Thus, you may want to formulate a plan B area to allow better disease control. Utilizing a “Sandhills calving system,” where cows yet to calve are moved to fresh pasture or clean lots as the group calves, can help avoid heavy pathogen loads for later-born calves.
Order calving season supplies ahead of time to ensure they are on-site when you need them. Artificial colostrum or bagged, dry colostrum replacer is one of the supplies you will want to have. Calves will need colostrum in the first two to four hours, thus having some on-site is crucial. Don’t forget OB lube, OB chains, palpation sleeves and other materials that may be needed to assist calves. Having a calving pen with a headgate that allows for safe assistance during calving is a good investment.
