BATTLE MOUNTAIN - As I drive around the area, I have already seen some new calves on the ground this year. As we move into calving season for many ranchers in the area, it is important to follow a few basic management tips to reduce calf death loss and ensure cows are healthy for the upcoming breeding season. Over 75 percent of death loss in calves occurs at birth or in the first two weeks. Good calving management can increase the number of calves you wean next year. Death losses after birth may be due to one or more of several factors including infectious agents, dystocia, genetic abnormalities and environmental stress.
Cow nutrition also influences calf survivability, as well as, the timing and type of colostrum intake. These factors, whether singular events or in combination, can dramatically impact calf survival. Cold stress can increase a calf's susceptibility to certain diseases, such as calf scours, pneumonia and navel infection. Wet, cold weather can be rough on calves born in winter and early spring.
Wet and cold calves are more prone to cold stress or hypothermia. Precipitation adds to the negative effect on calf survival when temperatures drop. So it is important to combat cold stress (hypothermia) in newborn calves. Methods for re-warming are varied and include warm water bath, warm air or heat lamps (hot box) and warm blankets. Dystocia, or calving difficulty, can contribute to death loss at calving. Selecting light-birth-weight bulls is the best management strategy to reduce the incidence of dystocia.
Measuring the pelvic area of yearling heifers prior to the breeding season is another way to check that your females can handle calving. Heifer development programs that manage heifers to reach 65 percent of mature body weight by breeding and 85 percent of mature body weight at the time of calving will minimize dystocia. Normal delivery time for heifers is 60 to90 minutes, and 30 to 60 minutes for cows. When should cattlemen help? Rule of thumb, if reasonable progress stops after the feet, or water bag appear, assistance may be needed. Checking or palpating for malpresentation (backward or upside down calves) is not detrimental if done in a quiet, sanitary manner.
Colostrum provides the calf with its first mechanism against infectious agents. Contained in colostrum are various immunoglobulins and other substances which provide the first immunity against infectious agents the calf is exposed to. Colostrum also provides energy to the calf. The calf's ability to absorb immunoglobulins decreases rapidly with age. This is why it is recommended that calves consume colostrum within the first two hours following birth. Two quarts of colostrum should be administered by drench or bottle, followed by two more quarts four to six hours later.
Good cow nutrition is essential to good health of the calf at birth. Protein, energy and supplemental fat all play a role in getting the calf off to a good start. Cows fed an adequate energy diet have more calves born alive than cows fed a restricted energy diet (100 percent versus 90 percent, respectively). The difference does not stop there but continues through weaning (100 percent versus 71 percent, respectively). Feeding crude protein at a rate of two pounds per head per day reduced the incidence of weak calf syndrome to zero. Crude protein consumption the last 60 to 90 days of gestation is a key area for improving calf survivability. During calving season it would be beneficial for cows to calve in the daytime. Studies have shown if you begin nighttime feeding (5 p.m. or later), when calving starts, over 70 percent of the cows should calve in the daylight hours (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.). If you have been calving during this cold stretch of weather, then following these practices is even more important to help insure a healthy calf crop.[[In-content Ad]]
