Will a Calf born now make it?

I have a Heifer that got mixed up with the Bull last spring.
What can I do to try and save the Calf?

calves are born all the time in the winter. Long as the calf is nursing and got dried off let em be and watch it grow. luckily today was warm so shouldn't have frozen ears.

There's a good chance the calf will make it, especially if you get them in a barn.

I had a Longhorn cow named Praline, that I bred to an Angus bull named Shrek. Praline had her first calf, Blizzard, during a 28 inch snowfall, when the high was in the single digits. I kept Praline back, while my friend James carried the calf to the old milking parlor. Praline followed us a few hundred yards to the barn and turned her head sideways to enter the door. Blizzard did fine and is still around. Praline died last year. There's probably over 60 head that are out of them and their descendants now.

My friend, James, didn't like longhorns at the time. He lost 5 Angus calves in 2 years. After seeing how well Praline and Blizzard did with their calves, almost all of James's cattle have Praline's Longhorn genetics now. When any of the cows calve, all the cattle with Longhorn genetics stay around the delivering mother. None of the pure Angus do. None of the cows with Longhorn genetics, out of Praline, have lost a calf.

Keith

if its out of the wind should be ok , picture please

I think it should be ok. Lots of great advice given so far.

Happens all the time, had one 3 yrs ago at 17 deg. Wind chill south of that open corral, mom licked dry, calf got good colostrum, mom took him to loafing shed he was running short distances that evening. Next day saw a black streak go past window. Got up looked here it came back full tilt boogie,one of the best calves I've ever had. Names Streak still got him 4 yr. old bull, he put half my calf crop on the ground in 2021.

Make sure he gets dry and first milk,get out of the way, nature will do the rest. If it don't you don't want it in your genetics anyway. Good luck.
Case, and good morning.

17 above is a lot different than 17 below. If you keep it inside with good bedding and mom nearby it should be okay. It's going to have a rough month, but it should be okay. Keep us posted. I've seen this before, a farmer I worked for in high school had this happen, he kept it in straw and only let it outside for a while on days when it was 15-20 above. Calf did fine.

If you could get them in a barn for a couple days it will be fine. Any wind at low temps is hard on them to say the least.

Hundreds of thousands are born every winter. If it makes you feel better bring the cow and calf in the barn. I had a couple this week. I’d much rather have them in the single digits snow than cold rain and mud.

It'll make it

I have a couple cows to move next to barn today, dry the calf’s and make sure you SEE them suck, if not feed them a bottle, they don’t do as well as natural fed calf’s, but they will make it.

In extreme cold it's important that the cow gets the calve licked off immediately and calf gets up asap to nurse. If you don't have a way to restraint cow to help calf nurse in case things don't go well then some colostrum on hand might be wise. They are tougher than we think but cold can narrow the room for error.

I had to laugh, reread the whole thread it brought back a memory. I was at the sale barn an old boy was selling some out of season feeders, we were up in the bleachers and a younger fellow leaned down and asked the old guy "when do you put your bull out?" Without even looking at the younger man the old guy said, "I think 1968". I bout spit out my chew laughing.

BernieB, thanks for letting me know that, and all the time I thought 17 below was the same as 17 above, heck there both 17's. I'll keep that in mind for future reference, and again thanks for the knowledge. I'm kinda new at this cattle stuff and I didn't have the advantage of working for a farmer when I was in hi school.
Please forgive me for my lack of knowledge. I'm done now.

^^^
Sarcastic day? Or just a butt?

When you said "heifer" it threw a flag ......... kinda. As the others have said if the calf is licked off (licking drys and help stimulate blood flow just like rubbing skin does) , is off the wind, and gets some of the heifer's colostrum milk down it's belly as soon as it can it should be fine. Just make sure the heifer shows good mothering instincts. A hard and long labor during the birth can be hard on both the calf and the heifer. And I have seen times in the past where a heifer really didn't know what to do with a newborn calf. That's rare but it does happen. Good luck !

You have a spare room don’t you? Be a cowboy put a blanket on the couch.

Should be fine.

Go full farm family memories! Bring it in the house!!

Law dog, my daughter would have a calf like that in the house in an instant and try to make a pet out of it.

As long as the heifer claims the calf you should be OK, it's when they don't claim it that the fun begins. I have hauled calves to basement dip sink, full of hot water to get them warmed up. Then toweled off and into the calf box to get completely dry. I'll then pen the heifer before putting the calf in the pen and rub some calf claim into the calf's coat. I leave them together till I see the calf nurse on it's own before turning out. If I have to I have used a head gate and will put the calf on the teat. I have 12 heifers that start Feb 1 and hope we don't have any blizzards/freezing rain.

Raised a lot of them in the middle of winter.

Many ranchers calve in the winter up here, less issues they say with viruses, infections etc.
Snow burn on teats is a concern though for the momma.

Many have stated what will work best. If you have a barn that will be great. Not for temp but to keep the wind off the calf and the cow. If possible create a nice straw type bed so the calf can make a nest to rest in. It will help hold body heat. The real huge issue is nursing as the colostrum is not only for preventing infection but for providing high energy and protein, which the calf will need to maintain body temp. Many dairy farmers here with outside hutches increase the energy in the calf milk or replacer 10-20 % in the winter. If the heifer will not let the calf nurse that will be an issue. Hope you don't need to hand strip or milk the heifer! May be a good idea if you can catch her to rub some salve on the teats and lower udder to prevent chap etc. If the teats hurt the heifer won't let the calf nurse.

Bryce

Back in the day we would bring a calf in the house to get warmed up etc.Then take it back out to the mother and make sure it started to nurse.

I don't trust heifers because some of them are ate up with stupid. If there is even one wet nasty hole full of open water and mud a heifers chances of calving in it go up astronomically. Try to trap her in a loading shed or at least a place that is dry and then watch her like a hawk I say.


If you don't have OB chains they pay for themselves the first time you use them. Had I known about this sooner I would have had you peen her off and limit her protien the last trisemester but I have seen the bulls you use and hopefully her calf isn't too big

Used to have them horn 365 days a week. Don’t see why not. But they were milking cows not beef

Another problem is cows tend to bunch up during windy days and inadvertently stompin small calves.

If those longhorns are anything like their pineywood or cracker cousins they're the best possible mama's. Some of old woods cattle dad had were downright dangerous when it came to taking care of younguns.

I have a 40 x 30 bull pen I plan on putting her in about 1/3 of it but I cannot get it ready until Tuesday. I'll put a round bale in there and peel off a bunch for a dry bed section.
Plan on ice water shield tar paper stapled to the BPen walls.

Pulling straps ready.

It sounds like you are prepared. Do what you can do and allow God to do the rest. Go out there and lay hands on her and pray that God allows the birth to go easy and she accept the calf. Keep her dry and out of wind and watch her as others have said. I will be praying for you and her and the calf as well. I think we forget to pray about the "little" things many times. God is in full control and He has given us the desire to take care of our animals. I know I have learned to thank the Lord for early calves and extremely late calves and every one is a blessing.
Check for signs such as the calf dropping within the heifer and her bag filling and restlessness - it sounds like you already know when you might expect a calf.......take joy that the Lord has blessed you with this ability and provision.

Thanks TreedBlackdog And Everyone else ^^^^
I usually forget to Tell God Thanks afterwords. Asking is easier ...soon as the stress is over I forget...