Troxel said heavy rains compound the problems. Cattle can manage well in very cold weather, but if it rains and their hair coat gets wet, temperatures in the 40s can have a chilling effect. Cold, wet weather hits newborn calves especially hard. It can cause them to have scours and respiratory diseases, according to Troxel. Colostrum in the cow s milk contains antibodies that protect the calf from diseases.
Proper nutrition is critical for the cow and the calf.
A cow in good body condition produces more colostrum, and the colostrum is more concentrated. Troxel noted that a cow s nutritional demands increase when she s in the final third of her pregnancy. That s when the fetal calf gains two-thirds of its birth weight. For spring-calving cows, the last third of pregnancy is often during February, March and April. The cow s nutritional demands will continue to increase until 60 days after she s calved.