Newborn Calf Care: What to Do in the First 24 Hours

The first 24 hours decide a lot about a calf's health. In order, the essentials are: make sure the calf is breathing, dip the navel, feed 4 quarts of clean, high-quality colostrum within the first hour or two, move the calf to clean, dry bedding, and set a consistent milk schedule. Here is how to handle each step.



We are a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania farm family, and we put this checklist together from Penn State Extension and University of Minnesota Extension guidance. It works for dairy calves and, with a few adjustments for calves nursing their dams, for beef calves too.

Check that the calf is breathing well, then dip the navel and get the calf onto clean, dry bedding. Those three things happen in the first minutes, before the first feeding.

The navel is an open door for bacteria in the first hours of life. Penn State Extension recommends dipping rather than spraying, because a dip reaches all the way to the belly wall. The classic product is 7% tincture of iodine, and research has also backed alternatives such as 2% chlorhexidine. A simple tip from the same source: use a small disposable paper cup for each calf, so a dirty dip cup never spreads infection from one calf to the next. Skip teat dip. It is made to keep skin soft, and a navel dip is made to dry the cord out.

Dipping is only part of navel care. A calf that lies in wet, dirty bedding still picks up a heavy dose of germs, so clean bedding in the calving pen and the calf pen matters just as much. Deep straw also adds warmth in cold weather.

A large-breed calf needs 4 quarts of clean, high-quality colostrum within the first hour of life, or 2 quarts in the first hour and 2 more within 6 to 8 hours. Small-breed calves such as Jerseys can get 3 quarts in the first hour. Those are the guidelines from Penn State Extension.

Timing matters because a calf's gut can only absorb antibodies for a short window. Penn State reports that within 6 hours, the gut's ability to absorb antibodies drops by about a third, and by 24 hours it absorbs less than 10 percent of what it could at birth. After that window closes, no amount of colostrum makes up the difference.

Quality matters as much as volume. Penn State notes that a Brix refractometer reading of 22 percent or higher indicates high-quality colostrum. Feed or chill colostrum quickly after milking, and keep equipment clean, since bacteria in colostrum can interfere with how many antibodies the calf absorbs.

Do not count on nursing alone. Penn State reports that about 40 percent of calves left to nurse on their own do not drink enough colostrum. For beef calves on the cow, watch to confirm the calf has nursed well, and have a bottle or tube feeder ready if it has not.

If you use a probiotic supplement, the first hours are the time to give it. Our Start Baby calf probiotic paste is labeled for one full tube within six hours of birth. Each tube carries a guaranteed minimum of 60 billion CFU of beneficial bacteria plus B vitamins, and it contains no antibiotics or hormones.

What Does a Newborn Calf Feeding Schedule Look Like After Colostrum?

After colostrum, most calves move to two milk or milk replacer feedings a day, sized to birth weight. Penn State Extension's general guideline is whole milk at 10 percent of birth weight per day, or milk replacer at 12 percent.

One pint of milk weighs about a pound, which is how the quarts are figured. Increase amounts gradually if you want faster growth, and feed more during cold or stressful stretches, especially for calves under three weeks old.

Consistency is as important as the amount. The University of Minnesota Extension advises feeding milk at body temperature (101 to 102.5°F) and on a regular schedule, and weighing milk replacer powder rather than measuring it by volume. Milk replacer mixed too strong can cause scours on its own. Offer fresh water from the first days as well, since water is what lets the rumen start developing.

A calf that is too weak to suckle can be fed with an esophageal feeder (tube feeder), and Penn State Extension notes that calves absorb colostrum antibodies about as well from a tube as from a bottle. The key is doing it gently and correctly.

Penn State's steps, in short:

• Measure the tube from the tip of the calf's nose to its elbow (about 20 inches for most Holstein calves) and mark it.
• Lubricate the tube by dipping it in the colostrum.
• Pass the tube slowly over the back of the tongue as the calf swallows.
• Confirm you can feel the tube in the esophagus before any liquid goes in.
  
• Let the liquid drain slowly at body temperature, then remove the tube slowly and clean it.

If you have never tube-fed a calf, ask your veterinarian to show you before calving season. A calf that cannot stand, will not swallow, or seems cold and flat needs a call to your vet right away.

Watch the navel, the manure, and the calf's attitude at feeding time. Those three checks catch most problems early.

Penn State Extension recommends checking each calf's navel twice by 10 to 14 days of age. By one week old, the navel should be about the size of your thumb. Swelling, a thick or foul-smelling discharge, or a calf that kicks when the navel is touched can all point to infection.

For manure, normal calf manure is loose, about like pudding or yogurt, and sits on top of the bedding. Watery manure that runs through the bedding is scours, and a scouring calf can dehydrate quickly. A calf that suddenly needs coaxing to finish its bottle deserves a closer look that same day.

The best first day starts before the calf is born: navel dip and cups, a clean bottle and tube feeder, a colostrum plan, and your supplements on the shelf. Stock your calving pen with Start Baby in 5, 25, or 50 packs so the first tube is ready when you need it, or call us at (223) 341-9188 with questions about your calf program.

Written by Glenn Flickinger, founder of Ag Resources Unlimited. Glenn holds a BS in Animal Science from Delaware Valley University and has run his own farm consulting firm since 1992. Read more about Glenn and our family.