Care of the newborn calf

The most critical period of a calf’s life is the first hour after birth, termed the ‘Golden Hour’. Correct calf management and feeding practices during this time influence the subsequent health and development of the calf throughout its life, and its overall lifetime performance.

During this crucial one hour period the following actions must take place: resuscitation of the calf may be required; removal of the calf from the cow; naval management practices; and colostrum feeding within the first two hours of calving. Delaying any of the above can result in an increased risk of calf disease incidence and mortality. The ‘Golden hour’ begins once the calf has fully emerged.

An assessment of the calf’s vigour should be made immediately after calving. The following individual indicators should be monitored: responsiveness to external stimuli, muscle tone, sucking reflex, the time it takes for the calf to lift its head and the time to first standing.

Table 1: Normal time frames for some indicators of calf vigour

*sitting up on the brisket with the legs tucked under the body.

In general, most calves will not require resuscitation. However, calves that experience difficult or problem births may benefit from resuscitative care during and/or immediately after calving. In order to identify calves that need resuscitation the farmer must be present at the calving and look out for signs of calf distress.

Removing the calf from the cow

When born, a calf is immediately at risk of picking up infections via the navel, mouth and nostrils from the calving environment, the cow and any other animals in the same airspace. In addition, if the calf is left with the dam, you cannot be sure how much colostrum the calf has received or when they received it. Because of this, the calf should be removed (‘snatched’) from the cow immediately after birth and placed in a clean, freshly-bedded area where it can be fed the correct amount of colostrum by bottle feeding or stomach tubing.

Successful umbilical care

The spread of infection from the environment into the calf via the navel cord is the cause of navel or joint ill. Preventing navel ill is based on a number of farm hygiene and calf care/immunity principles that must be optimised at and shortly after birth. In the first week of life, the navel should be checked for excessive bleeding, pain, abnormal swelling, odour or pus, and treated as recommended by your local vet. If a farm has recurring navel ill problems and already practices navel cord dressing, altering the procedure (e.g. change from iodine to chlorhexidine, changing from a teat dip to a navel dip solution, dipping instead of spray), may help to prevent navel ill. If navel issues continue, stop cord dressing altogether and focus instead on optimising calf immunity and calving hygiene.

This was initially published as part of the Teagasc Calf Rearing Manual.