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Tag Archives calving

Built in the 1970s this calf shelter still works today to provide calves with a dry place to bed down away from the wind, snow and rain.
Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf

Winter shelters have saved calves

Having protection from wet and wind made a difference, even under extreme weather and low temperatures

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Ranchers who calve early know the value of shelter for baby calves. When my husband Lynn and I started ranching in 1967, our cows were calving in March and April and we had terrible scours, especially when the weather was wet. The pastures on this place were contaminated with scour “bugs” after intensive cattle use […] Read more
It reduces stress and the impact on calves if they have two to three weeks to adjust to life after weaning before being trucked.
Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf, Livestock

What makes the difference during calf transportation?

Is it the trucking itself, or are there other factors that affect the health and well-being of calves?

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Transportation is an important and inevitable component of marketing cattle through different sectors of the beef industry, but how does that trucking experience affect the health and well being of livestock? Dr. Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein, principal research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge Research Station, says whether it’s calves or backgrounders moving to feedlots for […] Read more
Once repairs were made, the new bale processor was put to good use.
Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf

Calving season begins

Eppich News: A new (to us) bale processor repaired and put to good use

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We brought our cows into the corral for calving Feb. 20. It was quite cold then with temperatures ranging from -22 to -30 C before the wind chill. Due to the cold, we had to keep a close eye on the corral. Later that week Gregory had the opportunity to turn our old bale processor […] Read more
Cow 56 and the new calf finally bonded. After just a few times of having the calf nurse, the cow started licking the calf and accepting it as her own.
Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf

Grafting a calf made for a happy pair

It wasn't the usual orphan calf scenario, but the cow and calf finally bonded

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We started our calving season this year with a loss when cow number 56 lost her premature twins. This cow has always brought home a good calf, and one year even raised a set of twins on dry grass by herself. She’s always been decent to work with and not overly nervous or reactive, so […] Read more
With good observational skills you can correct and save most calves when a cow is having difficulty during calving.
Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf, Livestock

A great video that shows calving techniques

Animal Health: It helps to correct a malpresentation when you know what it looks like

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Calving season is here and even though “hard pulls” — difficult deliveries or C-sections — are rare these days, they do happen. The calving cow needs our attention and help the most when there is some form of malpresentation. This is one time where we can make a big difference by recognizing something isn’t right, […] Read more
This Jersey cow bred to a new Black Angus heifer bull had no trouble delivering this crossbred bull calf, indicating a good start to the calving season.
Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf, Livestock

Getting ready for calving season

Eppich News: Milking two cows leads to a wide range of homemade dairy products

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January passed by in a blink of an eye. Gregory fed cows every day and usually had to move snow around to either feed or to bed. Overall, the weather was pretty nice, so the boys and I would work on some schoolwork in the mornings, and then go out and play in the afternoon. […] Read more
Tightening the calving season
Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf, Livestock

Tightening the calving season

How to increase profitability through calving distribution

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A video produced by the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) can help producers calculate the benefits of tightening up the calving season, to increase the pounds of beef produced by weaning. According to the BCRC, calving distribution is the percentage of calves born in each 21-day cycle throughout the calving season. Each time a cow […] Read more
While retaining or buying heifers are the two most common replacement strategies, they are far from the only options.
Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf, Livestock

More than one way to get replacement cows

The general rule of an annual 10 per cent turnover in the cow herd may be an underestimate

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I had the privilege of presenting a replacement female course in the Maritimes this fall (after three years or so of COVID, and airport-related delays). It provided a good opportunity to take some time to think through replacement strategies and the actual issues surrounding replacements. Most of us underestimate the replacement rate of our cow […] Read more
The nutritional requirements of calved-out first-calf heifers is much different than that of mature cows, yet the feed needs to be presented into a denser post-calving diet due to the heifers’ smaller dry matter intake (DMI) and lower forage gut-capacity.
Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf, Livestock

First-calf heifers need to be prepared for rebreeding

They need to calve in good condition and then be kept in good condition as they also continue to grow and nurse a calf

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It’s easy to envision beef heifers that give birth to their first calf only as a younger version of mature brood cows. However, they do have extra challenges after calving that must be addressed to get rebred in the next few months. As young animals, giving birth for the first time and nursing a newborn […] Read more
Veterinarian Susie Lutz uses her arms to manually help dilate or stretch the vulva and vagina of this cow that is about to give birth.
Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf, Livestock

Tips on when and how to check a cow when calving

It’s a combination of art and science to know when to assist in a birth without being too forceful

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Most cows and heifers near calving progress normally through the three stages of labour: early labour, active labour with abdominal straining, and expulsion of the placenta after delivery of the calf. Uterine contractions in early labour get the calf aimed toward the birth canal, the cervix dilates, and the calf starts through. The water sac […] Read more

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