Preparation For Calving Season

Date: 22 February 2022

Calving season is upon us and at Genfitt, we’ve put together some helpful tips in preparing for this busy and often stressful period. Calving season usually starts in early Spring. Around 70-75% of all calves born are born between February and May. Organisation and preparation is key prior to calving. Genfitt recommend creating a list of equipment that will be needed throughout the season and any tasks/activities that will need completing in advance. Items such as disposable plastic gloves, gel, paper towels, clean water, calving ropes, feeding bottles, disinfectant, colostrum, and a calving jack are just some essential items you should stock up on for the calving season. It is worth noting that timing is crucial. Use insemination dates and scanning results to help predict the arrival of newborn calves in order to be better prepared.  

Keeping track of the items on a list will help ensure you have a successful calving season. It is also worth reminding yourself of the safety precautions at calving time. It is important to never trust a cow and ensure there is a clear escape route in the event of an emergency.

Cow Preparation

It is important that cows are “fit and not fat” before calving. The recommended Body Condition Score for a suckler cow at calving is 2.5. Anything higher or lower than this could result in problems for the cow. Diet is another important factor to consider before calving. Diet should remain normal prior to calving. Teagasc recommends to supplement cows at least 6 weeks before calving season. If cows are lacking minerals in their diet, it will result in a weaker calf thus weakened immune system with high risk of sickness. Vaccines are also available to protect cows and calves from picking up different viruses. Getting colostrum into a calf in the first 24 hours is vital for strengthening and developing their immune system.

Farmers should also prepare tags and calf taggers and ensure they have enough tags to cover the number of calves expected.

Prepare Equipment

As mentioned, preparation and organisation are fundamental prior to calving. It is important to ensure all equipment is cleaned and disinfected to prevent the calf picking up any infections. Calving pens should be thoroughly cleaned and should contain enough straw to keep the calf warm. You should make sure you have all the necessary equipment for calving such as a good calving gate, a non-slip calving jack, nylon ropes, lubricant, navel spray, infra-red lamp, electrolytes and gloves. Genfitt recommend having a backup calving jack at hand in case of an emergency. Ensure that the infra-red lamp is working prior to calving and have a few spare bulbs in storage. It is recommended that newborn calves should be in an air temperature of 15 to 20 degrees. This can be difficult in Ireland with cold temperatures between January and April but extra straw, calf jackets, and the addition of the infra-red lamp will all help keep the calf warm.

The importance of Colostrum

As antibodies do not pass from the cow to the calf during pregnancy, calves are susceptible to illness as they have no immunity. It is vital that calves are given colostrum straight away to prevent disease. Newborn calves should be fed approximately 3 litres of colostrum within two hours of birth. You can test colostrum quality using a Brix refractometer.

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