Raising Calves from Birth to Weaning
You bred your cow. She’s been pregnant for roughly 285 days. Now what? This is where things get real. A calf is coming, and you need to know what’s normal, what’s not, and what to do in both cases.
The good news is that only about 2 to 3 percent of births have severe problems. Cows have been doing this for thousands of years without our help. But when something does go wrong, you need to be ready.
The Three Stages of Birth
Calving happens in three distinct stages.
Stage one is dilation. This can last anywhere from 1 to 24 hours, but usually takes about 2 to 6 hours. The cow is uncomfortable, restless, maybe pacing. Her body is getting ready. You don’t need to do anything during this stage except keep an eye on her.
Stage two is the actual birth. Contractions start, and the calf should be born within about 2 hours. If it’s been significantly longer than that and there’s no progress, something might be wrong. The most common problem is a calf that’s too large for the birth canal. This is exactly why selecting bulls for calving ease matters so much, especially with first-time heifers.
Stage three is the placenta. After the calf is born, the cow should pass the placenta within about 8 hours. If it takes longer than that, call your vet. A retained placenta can cause serious infection.
Right After Birth
As soon as the calf is out, make sure its throat and nasal passages are clear. The calf needs to breathe, and sometimes there’s fluid blocking the airways. A quick wipe or gentle suction gets the job done.
Then the most critical thing: colostrum. The calf needs to nurse and get that first milk within 15 minutes of being born. Colostrum is loaded with antibodies that the calf absolutely needs to survive. Without it, the calf’s immune system is basically defenseless. This isn’t optional. This is life or death.
Most of the time, the calf will find the udder and start nursing on its own. But if it’s struggling, you may need to help guide it there or even bottle-feed colostrum.
Dairy Calves vs Beef Calves
The timeline from here depends entirely on whether you’re raising dairy or beef.
Dairy calves are on a faster track. You can start offering starter feed as early as 4 to 7 days old. Weaning happens around 7 weeks. The target growth rate is about 1.75 pounds per day. By 6 to 15 months, a well-raised dairy heifer reaches breeding stage and the cycle starts over.
Beef calves stay with mom longer. Weaning typically happens between 6 and 10 months of age, when the calf weighs 450 to 600 pounds. After weaning comes the stocker phase, which runs from about 12 to 16 months. During this time, they’re gaining weight on pasture and feed. The calf is ready for processing between 18 and 22 months, at a target weight of 1,200 to 1,400 pounds.
That’s a big difference. Dairy is about getting heifers into production as quickly as possible. Beef is about maximizing weight gain over a longer period.
Castration
If you have bull calves that aren’t going to be used for breeding, you’ll need to castrate them. Steers (castrated males) are easier to handle, gain weight more evenly, and produce better-quality beef than intact bulls.
There are three main methods.
Surgical castration is exactly what it sounds like. The scrotum is cut open and the testicles are removed. It’s effective and straightforward, but there’s an open wound that needs to be monitored for infection.
Elastration uses a small, very tight rubber band placed around the scrotum. It cuts off blood flow, and the scrotum and testicles eventually dry up and fall off. Sounds rough, but it’s actually one of the least invasive methods when done early.
Emasculatome (also called a Burdizzo clamp) crushes the spermatic cord without breaking the skin. No open wound, but you need to make sure you’ve actually crushed the cord completely or it won’t work.
All three methods are best done in spring or fall when fly activity is low. Flies and open wounds are a bad combination.
Dehorning and Disbudding
Horns are a safety issue. A cow with horns can injure you, your kids, your other animals, and other cattle. So most homesteaders choose to remove them.
The easiest approach is disbudding, which means destroying the horn buds before they grow. This is done on young calves using a caustic paste applied to the horn buds. It’s quick and effective when done early.
For adult cattle that already have horns, there’s horn tipping, which removes just the sharp tips. It doesn’t remove the full horn but makes them less dangerous.
There are arguments for keeping horns. They help with heat regulation, and some people just think cattle look better with them. But the safety risks are real. If you’re on a small homestead with kids and limited handling facilities, dehorning is the safer choice. If you have plenty of space and good fencing, and you’re comfortable with the risk, that’s your call.
The Bottom Line
Most calves are born without drama. Your job is to make sure the calf gets colostrum fast, monitor for problems, and then follow the appropriate dairy or beef timeline. Castrate the bull calves you’re not keeping for breeding, deal with horns early, and you’ll avoid a lot of headaches down the road.
This post is part of a series retelling and reviewing Backyard Farming: Raising Cattle by Kim Pezza (ISBN: 978-1-57826-495-7).