United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture 

Veterinary Services 

Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health May 2010 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Mortality of Calves and Cattle on 

U.S. Beef Cow-calf Operations 

In 2007–08, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 

National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) 

studied beef cow-calf health and management practices. 

The Beef 2007–08 study was conducted in 24 States,1

representing 79.6 percent of U.S. operations with beef 

cows and 87.8 percent of U.S. beef cows. Herds were 

grouped into 4 size categories based on the number of 

beef cows present as of October 1, 2007: 1 to 49, 

50 to 99, 100 to 199, or 200 or more cows. 

One goal of the Beef 2007–08 study was to examine 

calf and cattle mortality levels and causes of mortality as 

reported by the producers. Understanding average 

levels and causes of mortality for cattle might help 

producers identify problems on their own operations and 

make changes in management practices that improve 

profitability. 

Calf mortality, 2007 

Producing and raising healthy calves is integral to 

the profitability and success of a cow-calf operation. 

Providing proper nutrition and health care to heifers and 

cows, as well as providing timely intervention during 

calving, if needed, can help increase the percentage of 

calves that are born alive and survive to weaning. 

 Of all beef calves born during 2007, 93.6 percent were 

born alive2

 and survived to weaning; 3.5 percent were 

born alive but died or were lost to other causes, such as 

theft, before weaning; and 2.9 percent were born dead 

(table 1). Overall, 97.1 percent of calves were born alive. 

Percentages of calves that were born alive and survived 

to weaning, born alive but died or were lost before 

weaning, and born dead were similar across herd sizes. 

 Of all calves born during 2007, 6.4 percent either 

were born dead or died before weaning. Of these calves, 

44.6 percent were born dead (figure 1). Of the remaining 

55.4 percent of these calves, about one-third died or 

were lost during each of three time periods: 24 hours or 

less after birth, more than 24 hours but less than 

 

1

 States:

Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, 

Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, 

Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South 

Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming. 

2

 A calf was considered to be born alive if it survived at least 2 hours 

after birth.

Table 1. Percentage of All Beef Calves Born in 2007, 

by Outcome and by Herd Size 

Percent Beef Calves 

Herd Size (Number of Beef Cows)

Outcome 1-49 50-99 100-199

200 or 

More 

All 

Ops. 

Born alive 

and survived 

to weaning 

93.1 93.0 93.3 94.5 93.6 

Born alive 

but died/ 

were lost 

before 

weaning 

4.0 4.0 3.5 3.0 3.5 

Born dead 2.9 3.0 3.2 2.5 2.9 

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 

0 10 20 30 40 50

All operations

200 or more

100 to 199

50 to 99

1 to 49

Herd Size 

(Number of Beef Cows)

Percent

Figure 1. For Calves Born During 2007 that did not Survive to

Weaning, Percentage that were Born Dead, Died, or were Lost,

by Time of Death or Loss and by Herd Size

Born dead

24 hr or less

after birth

More than 24 hr

but less than

3 wk after birth

3 wk or more

after birth but

before weaning

Time

of Death/

Loss

42.3

43.0

47.8

45.2

18.6

17.5

13.5

19.4

21.7

21.1

19.5

15.6

17.4

18.4

19.2

19.8

44.6

17.4

19.3

18.7
United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture 

3 weeks after birth, and 3 weeks or more after birth but 

before weaning. For calves that were born alive but did 

not survive to weaning, losses were also similar across 

the three time periods by herd size. 

Overall, almost one-half of operations (48.2 percent) 

did not lose any of their calves that were born alive 

during 2007. A higher percentage of operations with 1 to 

49 beef cows (62.4 percent) lost no calves than 

operations with 50 to 99, 100 to 199, or 200 or more 

cows (20.6, 14.9, and 7.7 percent, respectively) [figure 

2]. A higher percentage of operations with 1 to 49 cows 

lost 10 percent or more of calves (15.3 percent) 

compared with operations with 200 or more beef cows 

(1.7 percent). This difference might reflect the fact that, 

for the smallest herds, each calf represents a higher 

percentage of the herd; for example, loss of a single calf 

in a herd with 10 calves born alive results in a 

10-percent loss. On more than one-third of operations 

with 50 to 99 beef cows, 100 to 199 beef cows, and 

200 or more beef cows, between 2.0 and 4.9 percent of 

calves born alive died or were lost to all causes (39.9, 

34.3, and 40.6 percent, respectively). 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

All operations

200 or more

100 to 199

50 to 99

1 to 49

Herd Size 

(Number of Beef Cows)

Percent

Figure 2. Percentage of Operations by Percentage of 

Calves Born Alive that Died or were Lost to All Causes 

Before Weaning During 2007, and by Herd Size

0

0.1-0.9

1.0-1.9

2.0-4.9

10.0 or

more

Percent

Calves

Lost

5.0-9.9

62.4

20.6

14.9

7.7

0.0

0.0

3.1

12.1

0.2

8.0

18.5

18.9

8.9

39.9

34.3

40.6

13.2

18.2

22.2

19.0

15.3

13.3

7.0

1.7

48.2

0.9

4.2

18.0

15.2

13.5

Causes of calf mortality, 2007

For operations that lost unweaned calves during 

2007, more than one-half of calves less than 3 weeks 

old died from birth-related problems or weather-related 

causes3

 combined (figure 3). Unknown causes 

accounted for an additional 18.6 percent of losses in 

calves less than 3 weeks old. Digestive problems, which 

were defined to include bloat, scours, parasites, 

enterotoxemia, acidosis, etc., were another important 

factor, causing 14.0 percent of losses in calves less than 

3 weeks old. 

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

3 weeks and older

Less than 3 weeks old

Age at Death or Loss

Percent

Figure 3. For Calves that Died or were Lost to all Causes

Before Weaning in 2007, Percentage of Calves by Cause of and 

Age at Death or Loss

Digestive

problems

Respiratory problems

Lameness

or injury

Birth-related

problems

Other known

diseases

Cause of

Death/

Loss

Weatherrelated causes

Poisoning

Predators

Theft

Other known

causes

Unknown

causes

Metabolic

problems

14.0

22.6

8.2

31.4

0.1

0.1

1.5

4.4

25.7

2.3

0.5

1.2

25.6

10.0

0.0

0.1

4.7

4.7

0.1

0.9

1.0

2.9

18.6

19.4

Of calves 3 weeks of age and older that died or were 

lost in 2007, more than one-half died from digestive or 

respiratory4

 problems combined. Unknown causes 

accounted for an additional 19.4 percent of losses in 

calves 3 weeks of age and older. Weather-related 

problems also caused 10.0 percent of losses among 

calves 3 weeks and older. 

 

3

 Weather-related causes were defined to include lightning, drowning, 

chilling, etc. 

4

 Respiratory problems were defined to include pneumonia, shipping 

fever, etc. 
United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture 

 By properly managing heifers and cows and the 

risks associated with birth and the first few weeks of life, 

producers can increase the percentage of calves that 

survive to weaning. Factors that producers should 

consider in calving management because they can affect 

calf survival include dystocia management (especially for 

heifers); the calving environment, including weather; and 

passive transfer. For more information on calving 

management from the NAHMS Beef 2007–08 study, see 

“Calving Management Practices on U.S. Beef Cow-calf 

Operations” (#542.0209, February 2009). 

Beef breeding cattle mortality, 2007 

Overall, 1.5 percent of beef breeding cattle, weaned 

or older, died or were lost to other causes (such as theft) 

in 2007. The percentage of beef breeding cattle that died 

or were lost in 2007 was similar across herd sizes 

(table 2). 

Table 2. Percentage of Beef Breeding Cattle, Weaned 

or Older, that Died or were Lost* to all Causes during 

2007, and by Herd Size 

Percent Cattle 

Herd Size (Number of Beef Cows)

1-49 50-99 100-199 

200 or 

More 

All 

Operations 

1.7 2.0 1.5 1.1 1.5 

*Number of beef breeding cattle that died or were lost as a percentage 

of the October 1, 2007, inventory of cows, replacement heifers, and 

bulls. 

As expected, larger operations were more likely to 

report at least one death or other loss of beef breeding 

cattle, weaned or older. Overall, 60.7 percent of 

operations had no deaths or other losses of breeding 

cattle during 2007; however, only 12.4 percent of 

operations with 200 or more beef cows and only 

17.5 percent of operations with 100 to 199 beef cows 

had no breeding cattle that died or were lost to other 

causes (figure 4). Almost one-half of operations with 

200 or more beef cows (46.2 percent) lost between 

0.1 to 0.9 percent of breeding cattle during 2007. 

0 20 40 60 80

All operatons

200 or more

100 to 199

50 to 99

1 to 49

Herd Size 

(Number of Beef Cows)

Percent

Figure 4. Percentage of Operations by Percentage of Beef

Breeding Cattle, Weaned or Older, that Died or Were Lost 

to all Causes during 2007, and by Herd Size

0

0.1-0.9

1.0-1.9

2.0-4.9

5.0-9.9

Percent

Breeding

Cattle Lost

10.0 or

more

75.5

37.7

17.5

12.4

0.0

7.4

23.6

46.2

1.7

28.6

32.3

26.4

12.7

16.3

25.2

12.7

6.3

5.3

1.4

2.3

3.8

4.7

0.0

0.0

60.7

5.8

10.2

14.4

5.5

3.4

Causes of beef breeding cattle mortality, 2007 

For beef breeding cattle that died or were lost in 

2007, similar percentages died from calving-related 

problems (17.3 percent), weather-related causes 

(16.2 percent), other known causes (22.2 percent), or 

unknown causes (23.4 percent) [figure 5]. Old age was 

one of the “Other known causes” specified by producers. 

Producers attributed 1.5 percent of breeding cattle 

deaths to “Other known diseases”; diseases specified 

included cancer, anaplasmosis, heart disease, and eye 

problems. 
United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture 

0 5 10 15 20 25

Percent

Figure 5. For Beef Breeding Cattle that Died or were Lost 

to all Causes During 2007, Percentage of Cattle Lost by 

Cause of Death

Digestive

problems

Respiratory problems

Lameness

or injury

Calving-related problems

Other known

diseases

Cause of

Death/Loss

Weatherrelated causes

Poisoning

Predators

Theft

Other known causes

Unknown causes

Metabolic

problems

Mastitis

5.4

3.4

2.1

0.1

6.4

17.3

1.5

16.2

1.7

0.1

0.2

22.2

23.4

Summary 

 Knowing the risks and understanding common 

causes of mortality in beef calves and cattle can help 

producers implement management practices to reduce 

these losses. An effective herd-health and productionmanagement program would typically include biosecurity 

practices to prevent the introduction and/or spread of 

disease agents, nutrition and preventive health programs 

to improve disease resistance of cattle and optimize 

reproductive success, and reproductive management 

practices to enable timely assistance for dams and 

calves during calving season. For NAHMS Beef 2007–

08 information on current vaccination practices on cowcalf operations, please see “Vaccination of Cattle and 

Calves on U.S. Beef Cow-calf Operations” (#564.1209, 

December 2009). 

____________________________ 

For more information, contact: 

USDA:APHIS:VS:CEAH 

NRRC Building B, M.S. 2E7 

2150 Centre Avenue 

Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117 

970.494.7000 

E-mail: NAHMS@aphis.usda.gov 

http://nahms.aphis.usda.gov

#568.0510 

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