Are you prepared for calving season?

Don’t wait, now is the time to prepare your beef cattle for calving

At a glance

Preparing for the calving season is a critical aspect of beef cattle management. Brett Terhaar, DVM, beef technical consultant for Elanco Animal Health, says you can never prepare too much or too early for calving.

“With cattle prices and beef demand at all-time highs, now, more than ever is the time to focus on supporting your dams throughout pregnancy to ensure the arrival of strong and healthy calves,” he says. “Locally, we’re seeing 500- to 600-pound calves selling around $3.00 per pound. That is money you do not want to leave on the table.”

The final trimester, or 60 to 90 days before calving, is our opportunity to set the cow and the calf up for success. For the calf, those final 60 days are when approximately 65%-80% of fetal growth occurs,¹ making it a critical time to provide support to your cows to ensure proper growth and development.

For the cow, ensuring a proper body condition (BCS) score 90 days prior to calving is critical for both calving and rebreeding. “If a cow lacks condition, it may not have the energy reserves needed to calve. On the other hand, too much condition may lead to calving difficulties due to too much fat deposit along the birth canal. An ideal body condition score is 6-6.5 for first calf heifers and 5.5-6 for cows,” says Terhaar.

Terhaar stressed the importance of evaluating BCS at the 90-day pre-calving mark to make adjustments and find ways to add weight if needed. “Moving one BCS is about 80 pounds, so you need time to make some movement, and moving the BCS post-calving is almost impossible,” he says. “When you’re spending upward of $3,000 on a heifer and she’s too thin, that’s where some big money can be lost because chances are she is not going to be able to breed back.”

The health of your calves is determined long before the calf is born. Good animal husbandry, nutrition and vaccination management all have a significant impact on the calf’s development and growth in utero and the quality of colostrum that will be available to it when it is born.

Proper nutrition is key

As the cow nears calving, ensure she is comfortable and has access to adequate nutrition and clean, fresh water to reduce stress and aid in calf development. Solid nutrition during the pre-calving period can influence delivery, calf survivability and calf health at birth. Feeding micronutrients like copper, selenium, zinc, vitamin A and vitamin E to the cow in late gestation can support calf health and immunity in the early stages of its life. Inadequate nutrition can result in weak labor, increased calving difficulties, impaired milk production, reduced calf vigor at birth, and ultimately, weaning weights.

Prioritize high-quality colostrum production

Cow nutrition can significantly influence colostrum quality, while vaccination management has the greatest impact on colostrum content or colostrum immunoglobin G (IgG) level. High levels of the IgG antibody in the colostrum are important because all calves are born with a naïve immune system, and their initial immunity depends on the colostrum they consume.  

Vaccination programs build cow and calf immunity

Vaccinating during pregnancy can be a useful management tool for two reasons. First, to increase antibody levels in the cow to improve her own immunity and second, to promote the development of essential antibodies that will be transferred into her colostrum.

To be effective, vaccination timing is key. Antibody production does not start immediately when a vaccine is given to the cow, the cow’s body must first recognize the antigen and then signal the cells that aid in the immune response to start producing antibodies. This process can take up to a week to start and an additional 2 to 3 weeks to see considerable antibody production. At around 5 weeks, antibodies start to transfer from the cow’s bloodstream into the colostrum, but most importantly in the last 2 weeks before calving.

Timing of the initial vaccine and booster is critical because it helps ensure sufficient time for antibody production and antibody transfer to the cow’s colostrum, all while minimizing stress on the dam near calving. Vaccinating cows and heifers 16 weeks before calving allows for significant antibody production and time for a second dose roughly 4 weeks before the antibodies transfer from the cow to her colostrum.

“When planning to administer vaccines, aligning timing when cows will already be going through the chute, such as preg checks or lice treatments, can help to minimize multiple handlings that could lead to preterm labor or calving difficulties induced by stress,” Terhaar advises.

Terhaar also stresses the importance of producers consulting their herd veterinarian before administering vaccinations.

Prepare designated calving area

Having a designated calving area, ideally a clean pasture, as well as supplies to assist with calving on hand well before the anticipated arrival of your calves can help minimize labor and delivery issues, and calf health problems. Important supplies to have on hand for calving include iodine, obstetrical assistance equipment, frozen colostrum or colostrum substitute, oral tube feeding bag, electrolytes, disinfectants and lubricants, and plastic sleeves.

Get calves off to a strong start

When a calf is in utero, it does not obtain antibodies from its mother. Therefore, once the calf is born, the only way for it to receive the antibodies the cow developed from her vaccination and exposure to other specific antigens is through the passive transfer of immunity through colostrum. Colostrum is essential for the calf and has a long-term impact on calf health and performance. It is important that calves receive adequate, high-quality colostrum within the first 12 hours of life to ensure passive transfer of immunity, which protects the calf from disease-causing pathogens it is exposed to immediately after birth until its immune system is equipped to defend itself. After 12 to 24 hours, absorption from the gut significantly decreases.

“If you know a calf is born in the morning, take the time to check it by afternoon to confirm it has nursed,” Terhaar explained. “If it hasn’t, this gives an opportunity to intervene before the vital passive transfer window closes.”

Preparing for the calving season in beef cattle requires comprehensive planning, one that emphasizes the importance of proper nutrition, well-timed vaccinations and good colostrum management. By focusing on these aspects and maintaining good animal husbandry practices, cattle producers can enhance the health and productivity of their herds.

To learn more talk to your veterinarian, Elanco representative or visit farmanimal.elanco.com/us/OneStepAhead.