Ghislain Falardeau, Ferme du Geai Bleu, Guigues, QC. 

The calving season… what a beautiful time of the year. Every day brings surprises; a male calf when a female would have been preferred? Who cares, the calf is healthy and that is all that counts. What a pleasure to see these youngsters gambol in the meadows a few days after their birth.

Whether you are a producer with ambitions of trade or a hobbyist, all of us just want our calves to remain alive and healthy. How heartbreaking to visit the herd in the morning to find a calf, that was born alive, is now dead; and it is all the more disturbing when we realize that the calf was the victim of a situation that could have been avoided. After 17 calving seasons, I have had to face such a situation several times, and I would like to share my experiences with other breeders, in hopes that the information will be useful to you.

The calving period on our farm generally begins in early April and can stretch until the beginning of June. During this period in Témiscamingue, we can expect various climatic situations that constitute a danger to the calf. A calf that comes into the world during a cold rain or freezing rain, typical of the Québécois spring, can quickly suffer from hypothermia. Unable to warm up, staggering around on soggy ground and offering a great surface area of their body to the cold weather and the rain, it does not take much time and the survival of the calf is compromised. A calf can die of cold very quickly. It is thus necessary, during the calving period, and particularly in times of bad weather, to visit the herd often. If we discover a calf that is not dry yet and is lying full out on its side, we must act quickly. The best way to proceed is to dry it out and provide heat. Personally, I have had to carry two calves into my basement (a country house from the beginning of the last century with a basement that is used for storage of firewood and a wood furnace). I settled the calf on straw, started the furnace and left the house for my day job. What a joy, upon my return in the evening, to find the calf upright, dry and inspecting every corner of the basement.

Some breeders have told me to immerse a hypothermic calf in a tepid water bath (at body temperature) to warm it up quickly. Once the calf is warm, it is important to dry it with a hair-drier. A soaked animal loses its heat quickly, even in a moderate environment. It should not be forgotten that our small calf is newborn and has not nursed, so it does not have the benefit of having received colostrum (even if a newborn calf can be a little fatty, depending on the mother’s nutritional level). The same situation can occur when a cow calves close to water (even a shallow puddle) and the calf falls into this water.

A good way of checking if the calf is suffering from hypothermia is to insert a hand in the mouth of the calf: if it is cold, the calf is in danger.

Another danger that awaits a calf is the presence of predators. A cow almost always has a tendency to isolate herself from the herd when she is ready to calve. A small calf also has a tendency, after birth and the first nursing, to walk a little and to lie down. If by chance, it goes under a fence, it finds itself isolated and neither its mother nor other animals in the herd can provide protection. In spring, the bears are famished and can constitute a danger. Therefore, we should make sure the calves remain near the other members of the herd. A calf that has strayed under the fence should be brought back to the herd. Wandering dogs can, to a lesser extent, cause damage to a herd. Seldom are coyotes to blame. Certain breeders in my area have had problems with crows. They approached the newborn calves and pecked out their eyes with their beaks.

Intense cold, during winter calving is problematic. A calf born at -30 C, or even at a more moderate temperature, without dry shelter is at risk. There is the risk of hypothermia and there is also the risk of serious frostbite to the ears, tail and muzzle. It is preferable to have a shelter for winter calving, at least in Quebec.

Summer calving can also be risky. All Highland breeders have had or will face an exceptional situation: worms!!! A calf covered with placenta, even if licked clean by its mother, becomes a breeding ground for flies that lay their eggs on the hair, particularly in the areas hidden or soiled by the calf’s feces. The fly larvae develop quickly by feeding on the skin and soft tissue around the anus, the vulva, the navel area and the inside section of the upper leg. The larvae develop quickly and literally eat the calf. Two or three days are enough for the calf to be sufficiently infested to cause death. A systemic pesticide, applied at birth offers a good guarantee against this danger, even if it is not completely foolproof. A calf born during a hot period must be supervised for the first two or three weeks of its life. An alternative to systemic pesticide is to confine the animal, and its mother, in the buildings.

Summer calving also involves another danger. I remember, one particularly dry spring, several areas of dust formed and a cow had the bad idea to calve in one of these areas. The calf probably breathed dust and suffocated. I found it dead, the mouth full of dust.

Even the mother, without wanting to, can become a danger. I had a cow that presented a beautiful udder at calving, and which I thought was filled with good milk. However this cow had generalized mastitis and the milk was poison for its calf. It took me 3 days to figure out what had happened and when I finally realized it, it was too late.

A similar situation; the mother, a very good milk producer, suffered from bleeding in the udder after the birth of her calf and her milk was contaminated by the blood and therefore unsuitable for the calf. In this case, it was necessary to provide the calf with another source of milk (other than its mother’s) for a few days. Fortunately, that does not last a long time (a few days) and if we intervene quickly soon all returns to normal without annoying consequences.

It can also happen that a calf, looking for a teat, only finds a cluster of hair on which it will obstinately suck. It will never find the teat if we do not help it. It is always wise to clear up the teat when it is hidden in the hair.

At calving time, we must be very aware and observe the newborns closely. Our presence can be a great help to a calf. This also allows us to establish a first contact with the animals. When we approach the herd to help, I am under the impression that the animals understand our role and accept us more easily. I remember a cow coming to seek me during a herd inspection. Her calf had moved away and she could not recover it, being kept at distance by an electric fence. I simply took the calf and placed it in front of its mother, who seemed to thank me by licking it.

Sooner or later, all producers will experience unpleasant situations during calving season. There are thousands of unforeseen dangers awaiting a newborn calf. By being more present near the animals at this time of year, by being conscious of what is happening and by observing well, we decrease the risk of animal losses. The hobbyist will have the satisfaction of seeing each cow with a calf at the end of the calving season and breeders with commercial ambitions will see their income increase.

Let’s care for our little newborn calves. Happy calving season.

(Source: The Canadian Highland Cattle Society CHCS)