"Oops Calves" In The Freezing Winter

We have had baby calves being born this week. 😱 

Just a disclaimer: We do not like calving in January or February! Although it is pretty standard for many cow-calf producers, we don't typically start calving until March and continue through May.

However, we had a bull that apparently escaped his bachelor pasture this spring and went carousing with the cows earlier than we expected, causing these early calves. Those naughty cows and bulls!

The challenge for these early-born calves depends on the time of day, temperature, and whether the ground is dry, covered in snow, or wet. If it's really cold but a sunny day with dry ground, a baby calf can survive a cold arrival into the world. However, if it's wet and chilly, it can be pretty rough on a calf, and they have a hard time staying warm, even if mom is doing a good job getting them licked off.

(Momma cows are good at hiding their calves!)

Most of the calves born this week did quite well, but one calf arrived on a chilly afternoon and didn't have a warm, dry place to lie down. After a cold night, he struggled to stay warm. That's when we bring them into the house to warm them up. Their anxious mother paces the fence while we take their baby inside. Once we feel they are sufficiently warm, we send them back out with mom and ensure they get a good nursing from her. We keep an eye on them for a few days until we're confident they've weathered the cold.

Our little kids always enjoy having a calf in the house. It's not every day you get a baby calf that follows you around and poops and pees everywhere 🙄.

Just because a calf is born in the winter doesn’t mean it can't survive; it just usually indicates a tougher start for the little guy. This spring, we'll need to do a better job of ensuring our fences are a bit tighter and that we have an accurate count of all our bulls...