Calves & Heifers

Everyone’s weaning process looks slightly different. Facility constraints or labor considerations might cause two farms with similar pre-weaning programs to look vastly different come weaning time. And, neither farm is wrong – each knows best what will work for them.

First one there is the winner! It’s a race between antibodies in the colostrum and the bacteria in the environment. Who would you like to win?

Cold stress occurs when an animal expends energy to stay warm. Newborn calves are most susceptible to cold stress due to their low body fat and ratio of high surface area to body mass.

Calfhood pneumonia can be frustrating to deal with. Understanding where the problem originates is the first step in creating a plan to combat it. Most cases of calfhood pneumonia can be placed into one of two broad categories: environmental causes and contagious causes.

The three critical periods in a calf’s life are as follows: the calf’s birth (the cow’s condition, degree of calving difficulty, cleanliness of the cow and colostrum management), the first two weeks of life (when most deaths occur) and the two weeks before and after weaning.This article will address the first two critical periods, and the third critical period will be addressed in a future article.

Have you ever wondered why calves don’t grow as well in the winter as they do at other times of the year? Understanding some basic concepts on how colder temperatures impact calf growth will help you counteract the effects of winter temperatures and keep those calves gaining.