Cold Weather Tips for Spring Calving

With temperatures dipping well below freezing in parts of the Plains and Midwest, "spring" calving season poses a challenge for cow-calf producers. The cold, wet weather can affect the health of both the cow and her calf, said a Kansas State University veterinarian.

"During cold weather it is essential to get the calves to “mother up” immediately after birth," said Larry Hollis, a veterinarian for K-State Research and Extension. "Getting the colostrum or first milk' will help prevent scours (calf diarrhea) and help warm the newborn."

Colostrum is a concentrated source of protein, vitamins, minerals and energy and also contains antibodies to diseases or vaccines that the mother has been exposed to.

In the first 24 hours of life, calves can absorb antibodies directly through their gut wall and into the blood stream, said Hollis, who specializes in cattle health management. The gut wall “closes” by the end of that 24-hour period. Calves can absorb more antibodies in the first one to two hours after birth than they can 20 to 24 hours after birth.

Scours is thought to cause more financial loss to cow-calf producers than any other disease-related problem, Hollis said. The condition can result in death in calves due to dehydration or a lack of electrolytes, which are secondary to the infectious cause of the disease.

"It is also important to have enough dry and clean ground for the cows to give birth on," the veterinarian said. "Giving birth on ground that is covered in manure can cause problems for the calves, like scours."
Also during cold weather, a cow's energy requirements, before and after giving birth, are higher than in warm weather, Hollis said. The cattle may not get the energy they need from hay alone. Feeding grains or other high energy feedstuffs is important to the cow herd's health. ©