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"If you're not comfortable that you can deliver that calf, get help," he stresses. McMillan adds it's critical to know your limits. The importance of getting help early for a cow or heifer in distress can't be overemphasized. This is a measure of percentage of unassisted births between sires. Also, use a heifer bull with a genetic evaluation for calving ease. One way to prevent calving problems with heifers is to focus on heifer development, making sure the animal is at an optimal size for calving. If there seems to be a problem, move the animal to an area where you or your veterinarian can intervene, if necessary. McMillan says cows should be checked at least twice a day, heifers, three or four times a day. Check cows and heifers frequently when they are close to calving. While the first, and often best, tool any producer can have available this winter is a reliable, experienced herd veterinarian, there are some simple things that most people can do to make that life-or-death difference for a new calf. Even though hypothermia does happen in the South, frostbite is not something McMillan has treated in newborn calves. McMillan, who writes the "Ask the Vet" column for The Progressive Farmer magazine, says the biggest difference between what he sees in his practice and what Daly would handle in Brookings is likely frostbite. Despite the geographic distance, the two share many common concerns and recommendations when it comes to winter calving. While Daly's average January temperature in Brookings may be 12.9 degrees F, in Cropwell, Alabama, where veterinarian and cattle producer Ken McMillan works, it's more like 43.8 degrees F. The key is preparation and awareness, which can mean different things in different parts of the country. The thing he emphasizes most is to be aware not only of outside temperatures but of other environmental and management conditions that can lead to calf loss. That warmer temperature may sound better, but the South Dakota State University Extension veterinarian knows the likelihood of hypothermia in a newborn calf is going to be much higher under wet, windy conditions.ĭaly, based at Brookings, fields questions every year from producers about calf care in harsh winter conditions. When it comes to calving, Russ Daly will take zero degrees Fahrenheit, calm winds and sun over 40 degrees F with wind and rain anytime. See what veterinarians keep in their winter calving kits in the checklist below.