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If the calf was stressed during birth (a long or hard birth) and does not start breathing immediately, this may be a sign he’s suffering from acidosis—a pH imbalance due to shortage of oxygen, which can have an adverse affect on proper functioning of heart and lungs. It may take several hours or days for his body to correct this. One way to tell if the calf is normal or compromised is by how soon he lifts his head and positions himself upright rather than lying flat. After a normal birth the calf should be looking around and trying to get up, within 2 to 5 minutes. If he just lies there, stimulate him by rubbing him to get his circulation going better, and sit him up. Respiration is aided when he’s upright; lung function and ribcage movement are impeded when he’s lying flat.

Navel Care
After he starts breathing, disinfect the navel stump. If the cow calved on clean grassy pasture there’s less chance for bacterial entering the navel, and it’s not always necessary to disinfect it. But if she calves on dirt or mud/manure in a pen or in a dirty barn stall, there’s risk for infection. Head it off by dipping the navel stump in tincture of iodine or Nolvasan. Iodine kills pathogens and also serves as an astringent to help the stump dry more quickly and seal off. An easy way to apply iodine is to dip the entire stump in a small wide-mouth jar containing about half an inch of iodine, putting it up to the abdomen and swishing it around, making sure the entire stump is saturated. If the navel cord broke off long and might drag on the ground, break it shorter before you immerse it (leaving just a 3 to 4 inch stump). Do it with very clean hands and pull it between your hands. Never create a pull or jerk on the calf’s belly. One application of iodine may not be enough to dry the stump quickly. You may have to repeat it a couple times during the first 24 hours, to prevent navel ill. Bull calves take longer for the cord to dry, since they often urinate while lying down--keeping the navel area wet.

Once in awhile you’ll see a calf with an abnormality, such as a firm white tube hanging down alongside the umbilical cord. It should be cut off close to the belly, using a clean, sharp knife. Or, you may see a calf with an umbilical hernia. If the hole is very large, it needs to be surgically repaired. On rare occasion the intestines will start to come out through the hole, or a loop will fall down into the umbilical membrane. If intestines are falling clear out, rush the calf to your vet, keeping the intestines clean by covering them with a towel. The vet may be able to replace them and stitch the hole. If a loop of intestine is encased in the navel cord, put the calf on his back and gently squeeze the intestine back up into the abdomen, then put an elastrator band up over the umbilical membranes, next to the belly, to keep the hole tightly closed. It will usually grow together and seal off and the calf will be fine. On occasion a calf may bleed profusely when the navel cord breaks. Halt it with a clamp of some kind (like a hair clip) or tie it with string for a couple hours to stop the bleeding.

Colostrum
Make sure every calf gets up and nurses soon after birth. If he doesn’t accomplish this on his own, guide him to the udder or feed him by bottle or stomach tube or esophageal feeder if he can’t nurse his mother for some reason. The cow’s first milk is crucial to the health and survival of the calf. It contains a creamy fat that gives him energy (and generates body warmth in cold weather), acts as a laxative to help him pass his first bowel movements, and provides important antibodies against disease. Some of these antibodies are absorbed directly into his blood and lymph systems (passing through the intestinal wall) if he nurses soon enough. These help him fight systemic infections, attacking pathogens like pasteurella, streptococcus or salmonella that might cause septicemia. Other antibodies stay in the gut to attack any scours-causing pathogens the calf might ingest.

If the cow had strong immunity to various diseases (which she will have, if you kept her on a good vaccination program before calving) antibodies in her colostrum will give her calf immediate protection as soon as he nurses. It does no good to vaccinate the cow against scour-causing E. coli, rotavirus or coronavirus, however, if the calf doesn’t nurse within an hour or two of birth. Studies have shown that the calf’s ability to absorb antibodies into the bloodstream begins to diminish as soon as he’s born and by 4 hours of age he’s lost 75 percent of that ability. If he takes longer than 1 hour to nurse, you should help him nurse his dam or give him substitute colostrum from another cow, or a commercial product. It’s a good idea to have frozen colostrum on hand for emergencies. Commercial substitutes are handy, but not as good as the real thing. Frozen colostrum is better, especially if it’s from a beef cow from your own ranch. Dairy cow colostrum may not contain as many antibodies per quart, due to the immense volume produced, and may be risky; you may get salmonella or some other pathogen from a dairy. A cow on your own place will also create the antibodies needed to protect a calf in your environment.

A partial feeding of frozen or commercial substitute can be used to “jump start” a calf if you think it will stimulate him to nurse his dam right away. But a part feeding can be counterproductive if he doesn’t ingest more very soon. The little you feed him helps close the “open” gut more quickly and he won’t be able to absorb any more antibodies. If he won’t be nursing his mother soon, give him a full feeding.

When he’s born, a calf can absorb large antibody molecules directly through the intestinal lining, but pathogens can also slip through. It’s a race between pathogens and the antibodies, so make sure the antibodies get there first. Colostrum stimulates systemic immunity when antibodies slip through, and other ingredients in colostrum give a local coating to the gut and a different type of antibody to combat pathogens ingested during the calf’s first hours of life. If the “good guys” in colostrum get to the gut first, they close the door to pathogenic organisms, preventing penetration of the intestinal lining by bacteria and their toxins.

Keep in mind that stress can shorten the window of opportunity for absorbing antibodies. Cold weather, hot weather, difficult birth, etc. makes it even more crucial to get colostrum into the calf immediately. Studies at Colorado State University a few years ago showed that antibody levels obtained by calves at first nursing are significantly lower in calves that experienced difficult birth, even when the cow is milked immediately after calving and the calf is force-fed. If he was short on oxygen during birth, he may suffer from temporary acidosis, which inhibits the gut from efficiently absorbing antibodies. This is one more reason to help a cow or heifer if she’s a long time in labor.

Getting Colostrum Into the Calf
Make sure every calf has adequate colostrum soon after birth, and also make sure he can nurse again on his own if you had to help him. Calves usually load up on colostrum the first nursing, instinctively gaining a high level of antibodies and sufficient energy and nutrients to get them off to a good start. They nurse until they completely drain the udder or are too full to consume any more. Then they usually buck around and lie down for a nap, getting up to nurse again in 6 to 8 hours. A calf that wants to nurse again sooner than that probably didn’t get quite enough the first time. If you are feeding a calf by bottle or supervising the nursing of a cow or heifer whose calf needs help (or doesn’t want him to nurse) make sure he gets his meals every 8 hours. Don’t wait 12 hours; that’s too long between meals for a newborn calf.

Sometimes the cow or heifer is the reason a calf can’t nurse promptly; she might have a sore udder, or frost-bitten teats with scabs over the ends, or a heifer might have a lot of swelling (cake) in her udder and it’s tender so she kicks the calf. Some heifers are confused at first and won’t stand still. You may have to restrain her to suckle the calf. Usually, once the calf has nursed, a heifer will accept him, since nursing stimulates production of hormones that encourage her to feel more motherly. If she won’t let you help him nurse, you may have to restrain her in a headcatcher and tie a hind leg back so she won’t kick you or the calf as you help him nurse. Put a double loop of rope (half hitch) around her leg above the fetlock joint. She’ll kick out of a single loop or shake it off. Leave enough slack in the rope that she can still put weight on that leg comfortably. Otherwise she’ll keep kicking and fighting.

If the cow/heifer loves her calf and he’s just slow to nurse or can’t quite catch up with the udder (if the heifer keeps licking and facing him and doesn’t let him get back toward her flank) and you want to make sure he has colostrum before he gets chilled (or too hot, in hot weather) give him a bottle and then leave the pair alone. This gives him the antibodies he needs and he can take as much time as necessary to accomplish his first nursing from mama. If he’s lying there cold, sneak up and feed him a bottle, and this makes him eager to get up and look for more dinner.

A calf’s sucking reflex is strongest right after birth. If for some reason he doesn’t nurse right away (and gets chilled, or overheated and lethargic in hot weather, or the cow has big teats) he may lose that eager drive to nurse and it can be more difficult to help him. A healthy calf will try to suck on anything, at first; he’ll suck your finger or whatever he can reach. This is the time to try to give him a bottle or get him on a teat, rather than waiting till he gives up. If he’s scared or stubborn when you try to guide him to the cow’s udder, or won’t nurse when you stick a teat in his mouth, milk a little from the cow into a bottle and get him drinking from it. It’s often easier to get some trickling down his throat with a nipple if he’s reluctant, than to force him to nurse a teat, especially if the cow is nervous or not standing still. Back him into a corner or have someone stand behind him and rub his back end while you get him sucking the bottle. Once he gets some swallows of colostrum, he’ll want more, and it’s easier to get him sucking the teat.

Don’t fight with him. Some calves get very distracted if you try to force them onto a teat and they’ll refuse to nurse. For a timid or reluctant calf, keep a low profile and don’t push them around. Take care how you get them to the udder; make it seem like their idea. If the cow is tolerant, one person can stay behind the calf to keep him from backing away from the udder, rubbing his butt (like mama licking him). Vigorous rubbing of his hind end, rather than pushing on him to hold him there, works best. Pushing on a calf makes him instinctively back up even more, whereas your rubbing or mama’s licking makes him think about nursing.

The person trying to get the teat in his mouth should not handle his head or mouth any more than absolutely necessary, or he may resist. Just aim the teat into his mouth; slip it in with your finger. If necessary, help him onto each teat, to make sure he gets full, but also let him try on his own once he’s had a taste. He needs to learn how to get on the teat by himself. A newborn calf’s brain is like a sponge soaking up every new experience, and he learns quickly by doing. He must learn to maneuver his mouth and tongue to get hold of the teat. If you always stick it into his mouth when he loses it, he won’t learn how to grab it with his tongue and get it by himself. If the teats are long or big they may be hard to get onto, but he must learn how.

Dealing With Mama
Helping a calf nurse his mama is relatively easy in a small pen or a barn stall, if the cow or heifer is not too wild, especially with 2 people. Our cows know and trust us and are easy to handle in a barn stall or pen. One person can monitor the cow (holding her in a corner, to keep her from moving away) while the other person guides the calf. Stand in front of the cow at the edge of her comfort zone (which varies with each cow), not so close that she feels trapped or threatened. A long stick or stock whip can be used as an extension of your arm, as a visual boundary to block her movements if she thinks about going past you. It can also remind her to keep her attention on you if she thinks about bunting the person helping her calf.

With quiet firmness you can make almost any cow stand still while her calf is helped onto a teat, especially if she’s a good mother and wants her calf to nurse. If the person helping the calf stays low and out of her main line of vision, keeping a mellow attitude (totally non-threatening and not afraid) the cow won’t get upset. If you are the one helping the calf, keep him between you and the cow. Then when the cow turns her head around to check on things, she sees and smells her calf, and she doesn’t want to kick at him even if she’d like to kick you. If she gets no bad vibes from you and you are not struggling with the calf or making her worry about him, she’ll accept what you’re doing.

If she tries to sniff you, raise your hand for her to smell (it’s covered with scent of her wet new calf since you’ve been handling him) and this will usually satisfy her that you are not a threat. It’s better to let her smell your hand (or jacket sleeve if it’s covered with birth slime) than some other portion of your body or clothing, or she might get worried. As long as you smell familiar, like her calf, this puts her mind at ease. If she gets upset, the person watching her can draw her attention away from you by a movement of hand or stick. If a timid cow is uncomfortable with you that close, or feels trapped having to stand still, give her a flake of good alfalfa hay to eat while the calf is being helped to nurse. This can settle her mind and give her something pleasant to do; she’s more apt to tolerate your help and not run off.

If the cow is aggressively mean, you may have to grab the calf and feed him a bottle on the other side of the fence, or restrain her in a chute to help her calf nurse. But many “protective” mamas can be handled without resorting to restraint if they are smart enough to respect you like they would respect a more dominant herd member. We’ve had many aggressive cows in our herd but only a few that had to be culled because they were too dangerous. Most are smart enough to learn to let us handle their calves (to iodine, tag, or help one nurse, if necessary). But for this to work, you must have no fear of the cow. You also need a weapon.

A stout stick (to whack across her face if she tries to butt you) puts you in the position of boss cow. All a dominant cow has to do to make another cow back off is shake her head and threaten. You don’t need to actually use your weapon if a cow respects you as boss. Insist that she stand back while you iodine or tag her calf, or stand still and behave as you and a helper assist her calf in nursing. The person helping the calf must also be unafraid of the cow. If she senses fear she’ll try to butt that person. There’s a fine line, however, between firmness and excessive force. If you beat on the cow or yell at her she’ll become upset and WON’T stand still and may even run over you or the calf. Quiet firmness works best.

FREEZING COLOSTRUM FOR EMERGENCIES
A cow with extra colostrum can be milked in a headcatcher, or at the same time her calf is nursing for the first time, if she’s fairly gentle. She won’t mind if you quietly sneak up beside the calf and milk a quarter. If you are on the same side as the calf, she won’t try to kick you or move away. Keep the calf between you and her head so that if she reaches around to see what’s going on she’ll smell her calf and not be so worried. Milk into a small plastic pitcher--easy to hold with one hand while you milk with the other. A cow is most tolerant of being milked when her calf is nursing the very first time, since her instinct is to stand still and allow him to get his first meal. Antibody levels in colostrum are highest at calving and decrease rapidly after the calf nurses; any remaining colostrum becomes diluted with production of regular milk. Antibody concentration in first milking/nursing is more than twice the level in the second milking and more than 5 times higher than the third milking.

Freeze colostrum in empty pint or quart containers or zip-lock freezer bags. The later are handy because you can store them flat, taking up less space in your freezer, and can be thawed more quickly in warm water, since they have more surface area. Label each container or bag with the date collected. Frozen colostrum will keep several years without losing potency. When kept in a freezer a long time, however, it loses quality, but faced with a choice of using 5 year old colostrum or none, use the old colostrum. It won’t keep as well in a self-defrosting freezer as in the old style freezer; the automatic defrosting system damages some of the antibodies and almost all the immune stimulating cells during storage. In spite of this, however, most frozen colostrum (collected from a beef cow with high quality colostrum) is more protective—even after freezing and thawing—than commercial substitutes.

When thawing colostrum, thaw it in warm water, not boiling water nor direct heat on a stove nor in a microwave, or you risk destroying antibodies. Never heat it higher than 104 degrees. It should feel warm to your touch, not hot. Feed it to a calf at body temperature (101-102 degrees). If weather is cold, take the bottle outside in an insulated jug of warm water so it won’t get cold before you feed it; a calf may refuse it if it’s cool.

GIVING ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION
Even if a calf is unconscious (and not breathing) when he’s born, if he still has a heartbeat there’s a chance to save him. Heartbeat can be easily felt on the lower left side of the ribcage, just behind and above the elbow. Clear his airways as best you can, then position him on his side with head and neck extended so the passage into the windpipe is open. Cover one nostril tightly with your hand and hold his mouth shut. Blow gently into the other nostril, not rapidly or forcefully or you might rupture a lung. Blow a full breath in, until you see the chest rise. Let the air come back out. Blow another breath until the chest rises again, to show the lungs are filling. Continue filling the lungs and letting them empty until he starts breathing and regains consciousness.

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