By Jaclyn Krymowski
The cow-calf business is filled with unknowns, nowhere is this more evident than the calving season. Along with financial and emotional stressors are countless management challenges.
One common and frustrating issue is dealing with abandoned or orphaned calves. Ensuring they get the care and nutrition they need to keep pace with their herdmates can be a struggle but it is vital for every ranch and team to have a plan in place.
Common Reasons for Orphaned Calves
The goal of course is to have dam-raised calves right up until weaning. But a cow may die or she may reject a calf at a moment’s notice. For newborns, this is an especially crucial time because they must receive vital colostrum within the first 24 hours to get a good start on life.
The reason you have an orphan on your hand could be due to several things.
Twins: Often, a cow will reject one of her twins. Even if she doesn’t abandon one of them, she may not have enough milk to successfully wean both unless she is an especially prolific milk producer. Sometimes heavy milkers will be able to handle twins, but if she shows signs of rejection, you can place the three in a small pen so they have ample opportunity to bond and adjust.
Weather Events: Severe weather can separate calves from their mothers or put them in stressful situations, increasing the likelihood of abandonment.
Maternal Issues: If a cow is not producing enough milk or has a habit of rejecting her calves, she may need to be monitored closely. While first-time mothers are often given some grace, a cow that repeatedly rejects her calves might be a candidate for culling as she matures.
Caring for the Calves
Ideally, having a cow adopt an orphan can save you the most time and money. This also eliminates the headache of weaning and reintroducing to the herd. But grafting onto a foster cow can be hit or miss.
An old-fashioned but tried and true method for a cow with a dead calf is to save the hide and place it onto an orphan you are trying to graft and keep the pair in a small pen. The cow will recognize the scent of her own calf and, with some time, may very well associate the orphan as being her own.
There are also some commercial products that you can put on the calf’s natural hair coat and on the cow’s nose. This is the same concept as the calf skin method. The cow will associate the scent on the calf as being her own.
If you can persuade a cow to let an orphan nurse, there is hope as well. The oxytocin letdown may encourage the bonding process. This is especially powerful when paired with the other methods. If the cow is reluctant at first, you can put her in a chute or head gate and help the calf to nurse.
Because ideal is not always possible, every cow-calf operation should have a plan for feeding and managing orphans by hand.
Another option is to bottle or bucket raise, which usually ends up being the most reasonable option even if it requires more work and the right facilities.
If the orphan is a newborn, the first step is to make sure it gets enough colostrum, preferably within the first six hours but at least within the first 24. After that point, antibodies will no longer be able to pass through the gut wall and boost the immune system.
There are colostrum replacers on the market with the proper antibodies for calves, but these are not preferable to colostrum from your own herd, from animals that have been exposed to the pathogens that are unique to your ranch.
Saving and freezing colostrum any time you have an opportunity (i.e. a calf dying or cow dying, or even partially milking a high producer) is always optimal. If properly sealed and stored, colostrum can safely last up to a year. Otherwise, you can get fresh colostrum from the cow if it is manageable.
Whatever route works for you, make sure you always have a source of colostrum – replacer, frozen or fresh – in your calving arsenal. Feeding about 6-8% of the calf’s bodyweight in colostrum is recommended as a rule of thumb. This need not be all at once, but it must be completed by the 24 hour mark.
Bottle and Bucket Feeding Basics
For the first few weeks, you will need to have a dedicated place to raise your orphans. It can be very simple, but you want it to be practical for milk feeding and overall comfort. This can be a simple lean-to and a corral or an empty barn stall. Just make sure it is in close proximity to feeding supplies.
Remember that when you’re dealing with newborns, they cannot fully regulate body temperature and should be kept from cold stress as much as possible. Keep plenty of fresh bedding for proper insulation and have good ventilation to prevent respiratory issues.
Milk replacer should contain at least 15% fat and 22% protein, according to a South Dakota State University extension bulletin, Managing Orphaned Calves, by Adele Harty and Taylor Grussing, former cow/calf field specialists. It is important to use warm water (110-120 degrees Fahrenheit) to aid in mixing. When fed to the calf, the milk should be between 101-105 degrees Fahrenheit.
Equal feedings are best and calves should be fed2-3 times per day with the amount increasing as the calf grows. Typically, calves should receive 10—12% of their body weight in milk per day. Although calves may not consume much water at first, they should have clean, fresh water available at all times.
“Within a few days to a week of birth, the calf should have access to dry feed. This could include a calf starter ration, milk pellets or creep feed and hay,” write Harty and Grussing. “The calf must learn how to eat these feeds before it can be weaned from milk, which could be as early as six weeks-of-age.”
The decision on when to wean is based on your management and financial situation. Early weaning may be an attractive option due to the cost of replacer and time.
Setting Them Up for Success
Once calves are consuming dry feed and are nearly weaned, transitional planning to pasture can begin. Since grazing is a learned behavior, orphaned calves may take a little longer. An older cow can be placed with them to teach and guide these young calves, according to Harty and Grussing.
Proper sanitation of feeding equipment used with the calves is important, especially feed equipment. Bacteria love to reproduce in damp places like bottles and buckets that aren’t properly disinfected with all organic matter removed. Everything that touches milk should be cleaned with hot water and some kind of powerful sanitizer.
Orphaned calves are just one of many challenges that can arise during and after calving. Being prepared for this situation can free your time for other tasks and ensure you raise another healthy member of the herd.