The first few minutes can determine whether that newborn calf gets off to a good start.
Dr. Tom Troxel, associate department head for animal science at the University of Arkansas, emphasized the importance of the first feeding. “The colostrum provides a lot of antibiotic protection for the calf,” Tom said. “Research has shown that calves that get a good dosage of colostrum at the beginning of their lives, generally speaking, are healthier throughout their lifetimes.” It’s also important to keep the mother in good body condition; not only will this improve her ability to rebreed after calving, but she will also produce both more, and more concentrated, colostrum.
If the mother’s milk is deficient, creep feeding is usually not an option. Tom said while it’s beneficial for producers to start creep feeding calves right before weaning time to help reduce the stress of weaning, it’s not cost efficient to supplement feed right after birth.
Once the calf is up and nursing and has been moved off the calving pasture, Tom said the most common problem is dehydration caused by scours. “If a farm has a history of calf scours, research shows it can be beneficial to inoculate the dams against intestinal ailments,” he said.
When a calf is newborn, it’s also an ideal time to castrate bull calves and to tag the calves. “It’s also a good time to write down calf and cow numbers so you can keep a better job of records,” said Tom, “and dipping the navel sometimes with an iodine solution is also very beneficial.”
Eldon Cole, southwest region livestock specialist at University of Missouri Extension’s Lawrence County Center, said it’s best if the calf is up and ready to start nursing within a half hour or 40 minutes of hitting the ground. “The important thing is to make sure that calf gets there promptly,” Eldon said, “and doesn’t have a delayed delivery because he’s malpresented – in other words, coming backwards, has a leg turned back or something that causes him to have a good bit of stress during the birthing process.” Calves that experience a difficult delivery, he said, tend to be slower to get up.
In the next few days, he said, the most important thing is to protect the new calf from contamination. Eldon said, “In a perfect world, every calf would be born out on a nice southern slope with a good windbreak and some fresh winter grass for him to lay down in, with no manure from calves born previously or from the cows themselves no mud.” But many producers face the dilemma of limited pasture space, and those calves will be subjected to less than sanitary conditions; they may be exposed to pathogens left by the animals that passed through before them.
There are also hazards in feeding areas. Eldon said, “Big, round bales of hay make a nice place for those little calves to seek some shelter, maybe a dry place to lie down sometimes. Sometimes there can get to be a good bit of manure and mess, and there can be crowding around the bales so the calves are almost subject to a little bit of trampling if they’re snuggled in there.” Some producers, he said, will establish a creep area that offers a dry and fairly clean place for a newborn calf to rest during the day.
