If you’re in the beef industry, calving should ideally come later in the year, as the weather is still quite nippy in some states. For those who’ve had troubles with calving in colder weather, this article from Beef Magazine will prove to be helpful. It provides us with the best methods to re-warm cold-stressed calves.
Glenn Selk, an emeritus animal scientist with Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension says that newborn calves subjected to cold and not found for hours after birth can suffer from extreme stress and hypothermia.
A Canadian study was performed by scientists to compare different reviving methods for cold-stressed calves. They induced hypothermia at 86 degrees F (rectal temperature) through immersion in cold water. Before cold stress induction, the normal temperature was 103 degrees F. The air environment during rewarming was 68 to 77 degrees.
Rewarming was done using three methods. The first one involved rewarming by thermal insulation. The second method involved rewarming with infrared lamps. The third involved immersion in 100-degree warm water.
“The time required to regain normal body temperature from a rectal temperature of 86 degrees F was longer for calves with added insulation and those exposed to heat lamps than for the calves in the warm water treatments; 90 and 92 minutes versus 59 minutes, respectively,” according to Selk.
While the first two methods helped them regain their natural temperature at a slower rate. They also used up more metabolic body heat than the calves immersed in warm water. The body heat production involved in methods one and two will leave calves with less energy. They will have a harder time maintaining their body temperature when returned to the cold environment. For more information, here is the link to the full article.
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Andy Chatterjee • Beef & Swine Recruiting Specialist
Andy Chatterjee is a Talent Scout for Continental Search. He handles placements for the feed industry. He is currently undergoing training for this demanding position. Andy was handling operations for Continental Search for 4 years before he was promoted to Talent Scout. His understanding of the business from the ground up will make him an ideal addition to the recruiting team. You can reach him at (302) 353-4065 ext. 571 or andy@consearch.com.
