Winter calf care

By Dr. Noah Litherland, Vita Plus dairy youngstock technical specialist As February draws to a close, we’re optimistic that warmer spring months are just around the corner.  But, realistically, we may still deal with a few more weeks of winter.  Here’s a quick reminder of the top calf needs in cool weather: Haircoat The calf’s

By Pat Hoffman, Vita Plus dairy technical specialist Winter issues of magazines and newsletters are stacking up and surely contain a number of articles in reference to feeding and managing dairy calves in winter. All of those comments are important and true; dairy calves are very sensitive to cold conditions.  Changes in feeding and management

By Alex Geiser, Vita Plus dairy specialist Summer in northeast Wisconsin was cool to say the least.  I can recall only one day in which the temperatures reached 90 degrees F, which means we had minimal heat stress in the area. To contrast, we had many days when the high and low temperatures varied by

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator Last winter taught us many things and hopefully some of those lessons will make us better calf raisers. What can you do to protect those newborn calves? Quickly drying the newborn calf is so important.  Remove the calf from the maternity area in a clean cart or

By Mark Case, Vita Plus dairy specialist Whew!  What a rough winter! Here in Michigan, we are glad that spring has finally sprung and we don’t have to worry about severe cold until next winter.  The producers in my area asked a lot of questions about how to get calves through the bitter, cold weather.

Are you struggling to keep your calf panels from freezing to the ground this winter?  Take a tire from your forage pile and place it beneath the front of the calf panel.  It will help keep the panel above the snow and make it easier to move.  Once in a while, as you pass by

By Milk Products LLC calf nutrition team The energy calves need is most readily available to them by the fat in their diets. The best milk replacers start with high-quality, (human) edible-grade fat sources, which are the gold standard for animal milk replacers. Research supports the use of these high-quality fats to maintain the best

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus calf products coordinator This winter has thrown us many challenges: a lot of snow, rain, huge temperature swings, cold stretches, and on and on. It is easy to think with the recent warmer temperatures we are getting close to the end. Even so, I challenge you to stay the course

 Shoveling out calf hutches after a big snow storm is never fun.  Here's how you can speed up the snow removal process.

By John Brantsen, Vita Plus dairy specialist December 2012 has brought us some extreme variation in temperatures in northwest Iowa. On December 2, we reached a high temperature of 61 degrees.  On December 10, a little more than a week later, we saw a low temperature of -2 degrees.  Four days later, we were back

By Ann Hoskins, calf products coordinator As we talked about in Calf Chat, it’s time to get out your winter gear and re-establish your winter protocols. Although we’re a few weeks away from implementing all of the winter protocols, temperatures are dropping fast and it’s better to be ready than scramble at the last minute.

Raising calves in hutches in the winter can be a challenge, but a couple of simple steps can make it much easier. After a snow fall, walk through your hutches and pick up the front panel. This will keep it from freezing down and make it much easier to remove when it comes time to

Q:  What is the best way to get extra energy into my calves in cold weather? Environmental factors can have major effects on the energy requirement of young calves. Newborn calves are particularly vulnerable to temperature changes. The newborn calf has a thermoneutral zone that falls between 55 and 77 degrees F. This means calves

Environmental factors can have major effects on the energy requirement of young calves. Newborn calves are particularly vulnerable to temperature changes. The newborn calf has a thermoneutral zone that falls between 55˚F and 77˚F. Within this range of temperatures the animal is not required to dissipate or conserve heat to maintain body temperature. Therefore, when

By Ann Hoskins, Vita Plus Calf Products Coordinator Winter can be very stressful for calves and this winter is no exception. Many steps can be taken to help prevent your calves from being adversely affected by the cold weather-related stress. Producers should provide additional calories to maintain growth, performance and health, as well as a