Calf health tips
Gordon County has a large poultry industry, but our area also has a lot of beef cattle. In fact, we estimate there are 10,000 brood cows in Gordon County alone.
That results in a large amount of baby calves being born annually. Cows and bred heifers have a 283-day gestation period and normally will rebreed after calving in 45 to 60 days if properly managed. Keeping your calf crop healthy is a very important key for calf growth and overall performance. Today,
I will be sharing calf help basics by way of a UGA publication by
Jillian Bohlen, UGA Department of Animal and Dairy Science and Emmanuel Rollin, UGA College of Veterinary Medicine.
Growing up, I played basketball and tennis. I actually was good enough to pay tennis in college, but I am a farm kid at my core. I grew up helping on our family 100 sow farrow to finish swine operation and we also had cattle. Now, my family has a small beef herd where we will artificially breed a portion of the herd to raise show animals and then clean-up with an Angus bull. Even though I have been around thousands of baby calves in my years on this Earth, I take it hard when a baby calf is lost. I can hear myself say, “There was no sense of losing that calf.” Even though I did everything possible to keep the calf healthy and thriving.
One key in calf health is to have a working relationship with a veterinarian that works with livestock. A vet can help you develop steps to reduce cases of illness, but also aid with quick identification and treatment of a calf illness. In my 50 plus years, I have about seen it all, but recently we had one bred cow with an issue. By following the advice of my vet, I have a live calf and a live cow. I did not have the answers, but my experienced vet gave me the best options for a live delivery. If you are in the cattle business, you will learn and obtain skills to help you keep calves healthy, but nothing can replace the knowledge and assistance that a veterinarian can provide.
Be prepared for those emergencies and issues with calf health. It is not the time to realize you need electrolytes designed for calves or nutrient packed drenches when all of the stores are closed. My family makes fun of my old pick-up truck because at times, it can collect things needed on the farm. You may find a flash light when time to check cows in the dark and a tagger to identify a freshly born calf.
On my shelves in the utility room or in my truck, I will have probiotics to help restore gut microbes in a calf, synthetic colostrum, powdered milk or oral electrolytes. Our information adds to even have a stethoscope to listen to a calf for heart rates and lung sounds. This may take some training on your part. I will keep plastic gloves to aid a difficult birth. I am also thankful that my father recently purchased a new calf puller. We need it rarely, but it has been used twice in the last three days. Both resulting in live baby calves.
I have coached many basketball and softball teams. I rarely went into a basketball game without a game plan. The same can be said of calving season and the first few months after the calves are born. Have a game plan especially when there is trouble in regards to calf health. I also keep a cheap digital thermometer around which can help determine if you have a sick calf. The last few weeks, I have not received a great amount of sleep since we are in calving season.
We are definitely not calving out a large herd. This is a good time to talk about controlled breeding season that results in a controlled calving season. Having all calves born in a short window of time not only can help you have a uniform calf crop, but will limit the amount of time you have to dedicate to watching cows ready to calve. We will check our cows two to three times a day. We even will bring closer to calving cows and heifers close to the barn in the case we need to assist the delivery. We will also evaluate the health of the calves already born daily including counting them all to make sure they are all there.
When evaluating the calves, be on the lookout for calves that are dull and listless with slowed or staggered response to stimulus. Also, look for calves with lack of appetite. Right now, when we put out hay or stir up the cows, the babies will normally go straight to their mothers to nurse.
Call me crazy, but I have one calf in the herd that gets an extra bottle of milk twice a day and she also will nurse her mother. Why do I do this? Well, the cow produced a $2000 steer with her first calf and I was not sure if her new baby was getting enough milk so I supplemented her. The calf is used to it so I am still doing it. If a calf was 100% bottle fed, you may can indicate a sick calf if the drinking speed is reduced.
In your herd evaluation, keep an eye out for calves that lag behind a group of cows on the move. A calf that you see or hear grinding its teeth may be a sign of a sick one. General appearance such as dull eyes, dropped head, lowered ears and/or tucked tail can all be signs of a sick calf that needs a physical exam.