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Calving in the cold

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scout

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Just curious at what temperature other folks lock cows up in the barn or throw the calves in the calf warmer? I guess below 20 is kind of my threshold
 
-20 or 20? F or C? I don't have the option to lock cows up but generally don't have many calving when it's 0.
 
20 degrees the only reason I ask last week it was -22 and my hfrs start the 15th of Jan the forecast looks good mid 20s for highs and mid teens for lows and dry I have a barn to lock a few head in if I need to
 
I had a couple of surprises last year. One of them was that we got down to -1 and the other was that three cows that I'd bought as pairs had turned out to be 3in1's and calved in it. They all did just fine. Little bitty calves too. They had a little patch of trees for shelter but that's it.
 
Depends on how good the mother is and how much snow is on the ground and how much wind is blowing.
On a 20 degree nice winter/spring day with no snow and no wind, we don't bring them in.
Smaller calves seem to get up and get going faster than bigger calves.
 
Ya scout, on heifers, +20F you probably better get busy. Letting the momma do it all probably makes a better cowherd in the long run, but the banker might rather you picked up wet calves and dried them up and warmed them up and gave them a shot of collustrum. A lot of cows get a little help to allow for a nap
 
I love my calf warmer when in doubt throw them in it for a hour and then turn them back with momma. I haven't killed one yet airing on the side of caution. The same on pulling calves soap weed taught me when I interned with him it don't hurt to air on the side of caution and just pull it
 
I've had 4 in the last month 2 were born on a negative 30 night out on the bedding pack with the rest of the cows
. My plan for that day was move the cows to the corral and haul 3 of them home needless to say when I got there they were dried off up and nursing all 4 have been born on the bedding pack and I haven't touched a thing other than I moved the bulls 3 miles away from them april is early enough
 

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