The Best of Calving and Calf Health

Everything you need to know for a successful calving season this spring from dealing with scours, to stomach tubing calves, to managing heifers.

The ins and outs of stomach tubing calves

Finding a newborn calf too weak to stand or in distress is all too common. Without intervention, calves in this…

By Bruce Derksen ● 5 min read ● Published: January 11, 2021

Weak calf syndrome is a general condition rather than a specific disease, and can be caused by several different factors,…

By Heather Smith Thomas ● 8 min read ● Published: January 20, 2021

For beef producers, calving season can be both stressful and enjoyable. Witnessing new life can be refreshing, but calving time…

By Tara Mulhern Davidson ● 8 min read ● Published: January 13, 2021

As I write this column, 2020 is finally in the rear-view mirror. I am sure that I am not alone…

By John McKinnon ● 4 min read ● Published: February 19, 2021

When a cow loses a newborn calf, many stockmen will graft an orphan or twin onto the cow. Sometimes it’s…

By Heather Smith Thomas ● 9 min read ● Published: March 3, 2020

Scours can be caused by certain kinds of bacteria, viruses or protozoa, but other factors come into play as well.…

By Heather Smith Thomas ● 8 min read ● Published: March 18, 2020

The cow’s first milk is vital to the newborn calf’s survival. Calves that obtain adequate colostrum soon after birth stay…

By Heather Smith Thomas ● 7 min read ● Published: January 15, 2020

Solid herd management practices mitigate the threat of a scours outbreak. While rotating calves through pastures is less common than…

By Mona Howe ● 6 min read ● Published: January 16, 2019

Breeding and calving heifers is a critical part of cow-calf operations. No specific model fits every ranch, and even successful…

By Tara Mulhern Davidson ● 5 min read ● Published: February 19, 2019

Many cows came home in 2017 from pastures parched by drought for much of the grazing season. Without proper supplementation…

By Dr. Ron Clarke ● 5 min read ● Published: February 2, 2018

Developing replacement females is an investment that can take years to earn back, making it essential to set them up…

By Piper Whelan ● 6 min read ● Published: March 18, 2019

Calves born in cold weather may suffer adverse effects, including frostbite, especially if they are unable to get up and…

By Heather Smith Thomas ● 10 min read ● Published: February 11, 2019

Diphtheria is an upper respiratory problem in cattle characterized by an infection or inflammation of the vocal folds. It can…

By Heather Smith Thomas ● 8 min read ● Published: March 20, 2019

It’s called calving difficulty for a reason. They’re difficult to deliver, it’s difficult for the calf to survive, it’s difficult…

By Reynold Bergen ● 5 min read ● Published: January 27, 2021