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Calf Shelters Reduce Weather Stress and Illness

Tips for keeping baby calves warm during inclement weather.

In pastures that have no natural windbreaks or brush where cattle can get out of a storm, it pays to provide calf shelters that the calves can get into and the cows cannot.

Ranchers who calve cows during late winter or early spring know the value of shelter for newborn calves. Having a dry, clean place for the calves to bed in cold or wet weather is more important than worrying about congregating these babies in a small area. Calves stay healthier if they don’t have extra stress from being wet and chilled or subjected to low temperatures and wind.

In pastures that have no natural windbreaks or brush where cattle can get out of a storm, it pays to provide calf shelters that the calves can get into and the cows cannot. The calves learn quickly about using them. On a wet or windy day or a cold night, you may see all the calves inside the houses. During bad weather they may come out only to nurse their mothers, then go right back in again.

An instant calf shelter can be made from big straw bales with mesh panels — like hog panels — to keep the cows from eating the outside surface, and a tarp roof.

Calves can withstand a lot of cold if they can stay dry and don’t have to be outside in the wind. Wet, chilled calves sleeping on ice or in puddles or subjected to constant wind chill are an invitation to problems.

There are many good designs for calf shelters and many innovations for creating little “houses” from all kinds of materials. Ron Skinner, veterinarian and cattle breeder near Hall, Mont., made the skids and crosspieces for his calf hutches from 6-inch well casing obtained from a salvage business.

“We can push or drag these shelters anywhere, and they won’t break. The well casing is stiff enough to drag or push over frozen cow manure, and the top of the building won’t flex. We used vertical metal pieces and framed it with angle iron, bolted boards to that and put a metal roof on the frame. These are sturdier than the calf hutches my dad made in the 1960s — we kept breaking the boards by dragging them around,” Skinner says.

Ron Skinner, veterinarian and cattle breeder near Hall, Mont., made the skids and crosspieces for his calf hutches from 6-inch well casing obtained from a salvage business. His calf hutches don’t have floors. If the ground or bedding starts to get dirty, he pushes the building to a new location when feeding cows.

His calf hutches don’t have floors. If the ground or bedding starts to get dirty, he pushes the building to a new location when feeding cows.

“My tractor has two forks on the loader for handling round bales, and I just slide those tines under the end of the hutch, pick it up a little and slide it any direction. I can roll a little straw off a round bale right into the hutch after I move it for new bedding,” says Skinner.

“If you move your calf sheds often, you leave the mess behind. The first 48 hours of life is crucial for young calves; they need a dry place to lie down. Once they’re dry and have nursed, they can handle a lot of cold weather if you can keep them out of the wind,” says Skinner. A good calf shelter can give calves the protection they need.

An instant calf shelter can be made from big straw bales with mesh panels — like hog panels — to keep the cows from eating the outside surface, and a tarp roof. Pole panels can be placed in front so the calves can get in but the cows cannot. This can be a very effective shelter in an emergency or when you don’t have time to construct a permanent shelter.

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Editor’s Note: Heather Smith Thomas is a freelance writer and cattlewoman from Salmon, Idaho.



 


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