mnmtranching
Well-known member
4 new calves 4 nights in a row and the temps they were born at. Sure makes a lot of work. Think I'll wait a month longer to put the bulls in this year. :compute:
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Jogeephus
Well-known member
Its amazing to me that a cow can calve in those cold conditions and keep the calf from freezing to death. Speaks well of your cows. We are getting some of ya'lls cold today. Yesterday it was 78 today its what I call freezing and the wind is blowing up a storm.
Toby L.
Well-known member
What do you usually do when you calve in these temperatures? Do you just put the cows in the barn with straw, or keep them outside out of the wind? I've used hot boxes in the past with good results, and then I learned that there not so good because it increases the chance of pneumonia. But how do you get the calves to dry off, just let the cows lick them dry? I'm thinking that I intervened too much in the past, but I wonder how much is too much. I've read stories on here of cows having calves right on the snow, and the people walking out there in the morning to find a new calf added to their herd. If that were to happen to me, I'm almost sure they would have been dead, but then I never know because I won't let things go that far. I'm just wondering what everyone else does in these colder climates.
Jogeephus
Well-known member
Toby L.":33tklt9f said:
I'm glad I'm not the only one guilty of this. I finally figured out that my "help" wasn't needed and if it ain't broke don't try to fix it. I have only assisted in the birth of one calf in the last 3 years. I prefer finding those surprises in the morning after I have had a good nights sleep. I've lost very few since I started this practice but in all my live calving rate is higher now than it was when I was there to "help".
OP
OP
mnmtranching
Well-known member
Once the temps get above zero the cows calve outside on straw. Now they calve on straw in a 3 sided shed out of the wind. I let the cow lick the calf for a few minutes then in the warm up box a couple hours then back with the cow. If the cows would calve in the day time in the sun the calves stay with the cows. The way luck has been so far the 4 cows have calves middle of the night.
Calves need to be warmed and dried if the temps are below zero. If not, ears, tail and possibly the feet will freeze.
Calves will do alright on hard snow if the weather is above freezing. I would not see much chance of surviving if the temps are freezing.
Most of my cows will calve mid March and later. I always got to have a few early ones to test myself. :cowboy: I think I've been tested enough. :help:
Calves need to be warmed and dried if the temps are below zero. If not, ears, tail and possibly the feet will freeze.
Calves will do alright on hard snow if the weather is above freezing. I would not see much chance of surviving if the temps are freezing.
Most of my cows will calve mid March and later. I always got to have a few early ones to test myself. :cowboy: I think I've been tested enough. :help:
bigbull338
Well-known member
cows just love to calve when its sub freezing weather.an keep us on our toes.i always hated checking cows in the pouring rain.because id get soaked to hide.an i knew they loved to calve then.so id have to go out in that mess.
The cows always seem to calve on the coldest days...we've had so many born right in a snowbank! We've never had any problems with the cold and the calves' health other than once in a while someone will lose a few centimeters off the ears :lol:
Hope yours come along fine!
Hope yours come along fine!
hayray
Well-known member
I had one calve in the middle of the night on this last New Years Eve and it was in the teens with the wind blowing really hard and snow squalls. I got there in the morning and it was already up and dried off. That was after several late eveneing checking on the cow and that one night I just didn't get out there and it ended up good without me messy things up.
