It's That Time of Year Again

As the calendar turns to February, many ranchers in Utah turn their thoughts and actions to calving.   There is excitement and optimism as the new calves hit the ground, and at the same time, the pressure is on to ensure the best start for this year’s crop. 

Over the years, I have come to realize that the calf has 100% of its genetic potential as soon as that egg is fertilized and all we can do is mess it up from there!  To phrase that in a more positive way, it’s the cattleman’s primary focus to help that calf reach as much of that genetic potential as possible.

If you have a spring calving herd, your cows are nearing the end of the third trimester and will be calving very soon if not already doing so.  What can you do at this point to help that calf reach its genetic potential?   Calf survival and health during the first 60 days of life set the foundation for a successful year.  

We all know that weather is a huge factor during the calving season.   The decision of when to calve is critical and complicated, but that decision was made last spring.   Although it's not a new concept, feeding cows in the late afternoon or evening has been shown to increase the number of calves born during the day.  Studies indicate that between 75% and 85% of calves will be born between 5:00 am and 5:00 pm if the cows are fed between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm.   Daytime calving gives the calving crew a better opportunity to respond to calving needs.   Also, it is typically warmer, giving that cow a little more time to get the calf up and sucking in cold weather.

 Calf scours are a constant concern post-calving and the leading cause of sickness and death loss, not to mention the strain put on those charged with caring for them. There is no foolproof solution for scours, but some management tools have been shown to be effective.

Calves obtain passive immunity from colostrum against many typical agents causing calf scours.  Antibodies present in colostrum depend on the dam's prior exposure to the agents.   Vaccines given to the cow can assist in passing on these antibodies to the calf.  This is especially true for first-calf heifers who, due to their age, may not have been exposed to as many scour-causing agents as a mature cow.  Consider using one of the commercially available vaccines, especially with heifers.

Research has shown that calves are most susceptible to becoming infected and shedding infective agents in their feces in the first 7 to 14 days of life. Because calves are likely to be exposed to pathogens through direct contact with other animals or through contact with contaminated surfaces, it is important to keep newborn calves in as clean an environment as possible.

The Sandhills Calving System was developed to help keep the calving area clean and reduce the newborn calf's exposure to pathogens.  In general, the system works as follows:  1) Move all pregnant cows to a clean feed ground (pasture 1) just prior to calving.  2) After two weeks of calving, ride out the heavy cows into pasture 2, leaving the cows with calves behind.  3) Repeat this same process 2 weeks later, moving heavy cows on to pasture 3.  Continue on this same process until all cows are calved out.   This protocol breaks the infective process and allows potential problems to be isolated rather than affecting the entire herd.

Implementing this process will undoubtedly bring some complications, and all operations are different. However, once the concept is understood, you can adapt the process to fit your operation. In short, anything you can do to improve sanitary conditions at calving will improve calf survival, health, and weaning weight.

The University of Nebraska has published a more detailed description of the Sandhills Calving method that you may find helpful.

Basic Principles Used in the "Sandhills Calving System" and How They Apply to Other Production Environments | UNL Beef | Nebraska
https://beef.unl.edu/beefreports/symp-2007-17-xx.shtml

Best of luck in your calving endeavors this spring.

Please feel free to reach out anytime.

david.secrist@usu.edu