Caring for the Newborn

By Ali Petersen 

            The delivery of a live calf is the beginning of the profit made from that cow for the fiscal year. Once the delivery is complete, mature cows and cows with good maternal instincts will often take over and prepare the little one for the days and months to come. First calf heifers and cows with less than great maternal instincts will often be a bit more of a challenge for the breeder. If it is during the day and the temperature is moderate you can be more patient with the young, inexperienced cow, and let her get to know the baby and possibly clean it and let it nurse. However, if it is in the middle of the night and the temperatures are frigid, the baby needs more immediate attention, if not by the cow, by the owner.

            Warm and dry is the most important, if you have a place where you typically work show calves, take the baby there and dry it with your blower that you use on show cattle. This will not remove the “original smell” of the calf, but will dry it right down to the skin, fluff the hair to provide insulation from the cold, and also invigorate the calf similar to the cow’s licking it.

            Once warm and dry, nutrition is the next most important issue. Generally after the calf is dry it is hungry and will suck colostrums fro a bottle. In the even that the calf will not suck or is too stressed to suck, an oral calf feeder can be used to get the warm nutrients into the calf’s stomach. Careful placement of the tube IS ESSENTIAL: If you do not get the tube located properly, you can drown the calf by filling its lungs instead of its stomach. Experience is necessary with this procedure, if you are not experienced, to to your vet and ask for exact instructions of have them come care for the calf. Completion of these two tasks has the newborn about ready to be returned to its mother. Back in the pen, with gentle iodine, spray the naval cord to speed the drying process and help prevent infection from entering through this channel. A warm, happy baby with a full belly means you can now get some much needed sleep before you next cow check.

Reproduced from Miniature Cattle Around the World, Winter 2007, Vol. 9 No. 1, p. 17