Calving Season Prep Checklist: Be Ready Before the Vet Arrives

Why Preparation Matters More Than Reaction

Most calving losses are preventable. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service estimates that roughly 5 percent of all beef calves born die before weaning, with a significant portion of those deaths occurring in the first 48 hours of life. The primary causes — dystocia (difficult birth), scours, pneumonia, and inadequate colostrum intake — are all conditions where early recognition and quick action make the difference between a live calf and a dead one.

Being prepared means having your supplies in place, your facilities functional, and your monitoring system set up weeks before the first cow is due — not scrambling to find an esophageal feeder at midnight when you have a weak calf that will not nurse.

Section 1: Calving Supplies Checklist

Assemble all of these before your first expected calving date. Check expiration dates on medications and replace anything expired.

Obstetrical Supplies

• OB sleeves (at least one box — 50 count)
• OB lube — liquid or gel, at least one large bottle
• Calving chains — two clean, stainless chains with handles
• Calf puller (come-along style) — know how to use it before you need it
• Nylon rope or straps for calf positioning assistance
• Clean buckets — dedicated for obstetrical use only
• Iodine solution (7% tincture) for navel dipping
• Small cup or navel dipper

Calf Resuscitation and Care

• Calf resuscitator / bulb syringe (for clearing airways)
• Rough towels for stimulation and drying
• Heat lamp with ceramic base — keep it away from bedding
• Calf warming box or heat-retaining shelter (essential in cold climates)
• Esophageal tube feeder (calf tube) — minimum 16 Fr size for calves
• Colostrum — frozen colostrum from your own herd (best), or commercial colostrum replacer (IgG-verified, at least 100g IgG per dose)
• Colostrum supplement (for topping off a calf that nurses but may not have gotten enough)
• Bottles and nipples — lamb nipples work for weak calves
• Calf electrolytes — at least two bags on hand

Medications (Work With Your Vet to Stock Appropriately)

• Oxytocin — for uterine atony, milk letdown issues; prescription required
• Calcium (CMPK or calcium borogluconate) — for milk fever prevention and treatment; IV administration requires training
• Antibiotic — your vet may prescribe a product and protocol for high-risk situations; do not stock antibiotics you do not have a prescription and protocol for
• Anti-scours paste (oral electrolyte gel)
• Selenium/Vitamin E injectable (where deficiency is a regional issue — white muscle disease)
• Vitamin A,D,E injectable (for calves from deficient cows)

Section 2: Facility Readiness

Calving Barn or Pen

• Bedding deep and dry — at minimum 6 inches of clean straw. Wet, cold bedding is the primary driver of calf pneumonia in the first week of life.
• Pens sized appropriately — 12x12 feet minimum for a cow and calf pair.
• Good lighting — you need to see what you are doing at 2 am.
• Water access — for the cow post-calving and for washing your hands and arms.
• Headgate or catch system — essential for examining cows, assisting delivery, and checking udder and teat patency.
• Calf grafting pen — if you work with multiple cows, a small pen for introducing orphaned or paired calves.

Monitoring Setup

• Calving camera system — even a basic security camera with night vision pointed at the calving area drastically reduces overnight checks and improves response time. Many systems send phone alerts on motion detection.
• Calving records binder or app — track expected dates, cow ID, calving date, calf birth weight, sex, tag number, ease of delivery, and any treatments.
• ID supplies — ear tags, applicator, paint stick or branding equipment.

Section 3: Animal Preparation

Pre-Calving Cow Management (60 Days Out)

• Confirm body condition score is 5–6 on a 9-point scale (or 2.5–3 on a 5-point scale). Thin cows have weaker calves, lower colostrum quality, and harder deliveries. Overconditioned cows have harder deliveries. Adjust nutrition now.
• Pre-calving vaccinations — scours vaccine (Rotavirus/Coronavirus/E. coli) given to cows 4–6 weeks pre-calving concentrates antibodies in colostrum and protects the calf.
• Move heifers to calving pasture 2 weeks before expected calving — heifers take longer to calve and need closer monitoring.
• Confirm all cows' ear tags are readable and records are current.

Expected Calving Dates

Gestation in beef cattle averages 283 days (range 279–290 depending on breed). If you use AI or know your breeding dates, mark expected dates on a calendar with a 5-day window on each side. Sort cows into groups by expected calving date so you can concentrate monitoring on those due within the next two weeks.

Section 4: Signs of Impending Labor and When to Check

You will save more calves by increasing monitoring frequency near expected dates than by any other single action. Check cows at minimum every 3 hours during calving season. In cold weather, check more often — a wet calf in 15-degree weather can die of hypothermia in 45 minutes.

Signs a cow is within 24–48 hours of calving:

• Vulva becomes enlarged and relaxed
• Tailhead muscles soften and relax (the tail can be lifted more easily)
• Udder becomes tightly distended ("bagging up") and teats fill
• Wax may appear on teat ends (more common in horses but occurs in some cows)
• Clear to slightly yellowish mucus string from the vulva
• Cow separates from the herd and seeks a quiet spot

Section 5: Your Vet's Contact Information

Post the following in your barn in a weatherproof holder before calving season begins. Every person on your farm should know where to find it:

• Primary large animal vet: name, clinic number, after-hours/emergency number
• Backup vet or the nearest veterinary teaching hospital
• Your operation's address with GPS coordinates for directions
• Gate codes or access instructions for your property

When you call, have ready: the cow's ID, her age and breed, how long she has been in labor, what you see at the vulva, and what you have already tried. This information saves the vet time and helps them advise you accurately before arriving.