Started calving 2 weeks ago and now it decides to storm and dip to -23c. Heifers and 2y/o are using calving barn. My other 200 head are in the corral for the night but it seems like a game of search and rescue. Sure we bring something into barn if we feel she is on the verge but the rest are wintering the storm. We check every 2 hrs which in reality is 1hr 30 min between checks. Out for the 6am check and there are two calves (of course!) Into the garage and under heat lamp and tube both. 2 mins later one is dead. No it never went into lungs but will cut open later to confirm. I am sure another calving barn would really reduce the cold issues and death loss. How do you guys manage?
Calving Woes
- Thread starter TizHot
- Start date
Big Muddy rancher
Well-known member
Not a bullet proof plan but I wait another month before calving. :?
WyomingRancher
Well-known member
I agree with BM if its practical to wait a month longer. However, if you're like us and can't, I'd sort the heaviest heavies off for easier watching and select for very vigorous calves. I hope your weather improves soon 
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randiliana
Well-known member
We're doing the same thing you are. Calving in March can be a challenge. Right now we are in the heart of calving, yesterday we had 5 calves, the day before..10. We have 10 stalls, and 14 & 1/2 pairs in the barn right now. And 2 extra calves...
We sort the heavies off every 5-7 days(depends on what we see at feeding). The main bunch are locked up too, in a separate area, in case we miss something. The heavies got checked every 2 hours last night. I stayed up til 2 and DH got up at 3:30. Yesterday, we also locked anything that we thought was 'maybe' calving up at the corral, just to make things easier on us. Of course, only 1 of those calved and we had 4 more calve outside... So far we've been lucky, only had to tube colostrum into a couple calves, and haven't had to bring anything in the house. One last night lost its ears tho.
And we're really praying for nicer weather, really would like to get a good night's sleep.....
We sort the heavies off every 5-7 days(depends on what we see at feeding). The main bunch are locked up too, in a separate area, in case we miss something. The heavies got checked every 2 hours last night. I stayed up til 2 and DH got up at 3:30. Yesterday, we also locked anything that we thought was 'maybe' calving up at the corral, just to make things easier on us. Of course, only 1 of those calved and we had 4 more calve outside... So far we've been lucky, only had to tube colostrum into a couple calves, and haven't had to bring anything in the house. One last night lost its ears tho.
And we're really praying for nicer weather, really would like to get a good night's sleep.....
I used to calve the middle of April but for several years the middle of March had better weather so I moved them up - - - It is good to have 20/20 hindsight - - - we have to make the best decision we can with the facts we have available at the time.
With small numbers I could calve in the middle of December if I thought I could make more money - - - a couple of the registered herds around here calve in December and "Find" all the claves the first half of January - - - sure makes their calves look better compared to other calves that are really born the first of the year!
Another friend of mine does the same with his Quarter Horse colts - - - I have seen October colts registered in February.
Some people will do anything to get an advantage!
With small numbers I could calve in the middle of December if I thought I could make more money - - - a couple of the registered herds around here calve in December and "Find" all the claves the first half of January - - - sure makes their calves look better compared to other calves that are really born the first of the year!
Another friend of mine does the same with his Quarter Horse colts - - - I have seen October colts registered in February.
Some people will do anything to get an advantage!
jodywy
Well-known member
I like March over April because snow is dry to snow melt , runn off and mud. I got 2 barns and a long loafing shed , have made jugs in the shed before when the barn is full, some springs there will hardly be a cow in a barn,more so if hiefers
Justin
Well-known member
we'll start about April 15th. sometimes i wonder if that is still to early :?
Galloway2
Well-known member
We try to start calving Feb. 1st., Most are done by April 1st. We do this to escape the mud we have through June.
If weather is extremely cold (-20F), or an all out blizzard, we try to run through the pole shed.
The pole shed has tin sides. We have room for 6 calving cows, and maybe 4-6 more close up. The pairs go back outside as soon as dry and nursed.
We don't have a calf shed, but after this winter we may. The wind blows from the South, then the North. Calves have to be tough.
If weather is extremely cold (-20F), or an all out blizzard, we try to run through the pole shed.
The pole shed has tin sides. We have room for 6 calving cows, and maybe 4-6 more close up. The pairs go back outside as soon as dry and nursed.
We don't have a calf shed, but after this winter we may. The wind blows from the South, then the North. Calves have to be tough.
Bar M
Well-known member
Justin said:
Couldn't agree with you more!!!! Heifers start the 10th and cows close behind i seem to have better luck with them the less i mess with them. It's easier to feed a live calf a month longer then a dead one.
Big Swede
Well-known member
Calving in March used to be the most stressful and hardest work all year when the weather didn't cooperate. May calving is such a breeze I'll probably live 10 extra years with my new stressfree lifestyle. :lol: Good luck to you TizHot.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Unless you can use it to shelter equipment/vehicles afterwards, I'd save my money, avoid building a new calving-shed and just hire a reliable & trustworthy night-calver.
Faster horses
Well-known member
ltdumbear2 said:
Good idea, but easier said than done!
You can't hardly find help like thatanymore.
WyomingRancher
Well-known member
This night camera has helped me a bunch this year. I want to add an additional camera to it, and it would be easy to do since it's wireless. We did have to add more lighting since the infrared couldn't quite illuminate the entire area.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Yeah- we are about in the same boat-- but because of multiple places/pastures and pasture movement periods- along with trying to keep performance records on all the cattle we just can't wait until April or May like would be nice to start....
The last couple of days I've about lived with the cows- and thankfully had no calves come during the worst of the storm... I had one second calver that I saw calving this morning when I fed - ran in the barn, where she calved- and now have the calf in the hotbox... About all you can do is grab them as soon as they hit the ground and get them in the barn or warmer...Or in the absence of either- I've warmed a lot of calves under a pickup heater...
Here is a couple of pictures of yesterday a neighbor of mine from over west who posts on here off and on (Horseless) put on FB and I stole for my files... I was too froze to take a camera with me :wink: - but it looked just like this at our place-- and we got quite a bit more snow than they did over west....
Nothing seemed to stop the swirling wind...
Ma gets a couple of licks- and then off to the barn and the hotbox...I always hope I can find them like this- and not froze to the ground...
The last couple of days I've about lived with the cows- and thankfully had no calves come during the worst of the storm... I had one second calver that I saw calving this morning when I fed - ran in the barn, where she calved- and now have the calf in the hotbox... About all you can do is grab them as soon as they hit the ground and get them in the barn or warmer...Or in the absence of either- I've warmed a lot of calves under a pickup heater...
Here is a couple of pictures of yesterday a neighbor of mine from over west who posts on here off and on (Horseless) put on FB and I stole for my files... I was too froze to take a camera with me :wink: - but it looked just like this at our place-- and we got quite a bit more snow than they did over west....
Nothing seemed to stop the swirling wind...
Ma gets a couple of licks- and then off to the barn and the hotbox...I always hope I can find them like this- and not froze to the ground...
PATB
Well-known member
After years of fighting the mud and cold we are moving to fall calving. The fall works better for me with AIing and other management issues. The extra winter feed I use is paid for by less stress on me and more healthy calves that can be sold in the fall as heavy weight feeders.
I'm thinking of Febuary the weather sucks but this is march and the weather sucks just as well get it over with before the mud set's in. that and we'll be calveing at home next year sick of the endless windshield time so I'll haul them here and take pairs back. I'm sure it will take awhile to get on this program but I'll retro fit my shop for poor weather calveing that and I can check the heavy lot from my patio door.
A
Anonymous
Guest
TizHot said:
Yeah I think a lot of SK, eastern Montana and ND looked that way yesterday... This is a friends place north of Saco up toward the border- and they got about 4 inches less snow than we did... And the wind blew harder here- and my open lots where I have the cows until the weather warms up almost blew totally clear- you can see brown dirt in them... But in the pens in around the buildings and barn- its drifted in and deep snow...