Get vaccines, antibiotics, and other supplies delivered directly to your farm.
How to Start Newborn Calves Strong
To say it all starts with newborn calf care is not an overstatement. Getting a calf started off strong and healthy sets it up for maximized growth and a solid weaning weight.
The new guide Best Practices for Assisting Cows During Calving teaches you how to deliver the calf more easily and how to prevent respiratory diseases and scours once it's born, as well as provides three treatment options for providing postpartum care to your cow. Download it for free here.
Continue reading below to get calf care tips and see the essential calving supplies that will help you be prepared this season.
The 5 Basic Steps of Newborn Calf Care
1. Get the Calf Warm and Dry
The mother should be able to dry and warm the calf by aggressively licking, but sometimes additional equipment like a warming box will be helpful. This will give you a place that is dry and warm for the newborn calf and will help protect it against the cold.
2. Dip Navel with Iodine
Dipping the navel with iodine will help reduce infection through the open umbilical cord, which can take a day or two to dry up and fall off. The umbilical cord goes straight to the liver so the potential for a calf to get systemically sick is very high if it becomes infected.
If a cow licks off the iodine aggressively, you may want to consider skipping this step. In some cases, the cow licking the navel can cause infection. Discuss your options with your veterinarian. If you do decide to skip this step, ensure that you have a nice dry and bedded area for the calf to rest.
3. Administer Vaccines
Scour vaccines and/or respiratory vaccines are good tools to protect your calf from disease. Discuss a protocol with your veterinarian that fits your operation.
FBN makes it easy to order prescription animal health products online for delivery to your ranch. Get step-by-step instructions here.
4. Consider Castrating Bull Calves
Veterinarians often advise that castration should take place when calves are young because it’s less painful, less stressful, and the likelihood of a bull calf bleeding out is reduced because they’re smaller. Discuss the timing and pain management with your veterinarian.
5. Let Mama and Baby Nurse
Ideally, calves should be up and nursing within 30 minutes of birth. This is necessary for the calf to get a full feeding of colostrum within 6 hours to get passive transfer of their immune system.
Essential Newborn Calf Supplies
Here is a list of supplies that you’ll want to have on hand during calving season:
Calf catcher — The little hook on the end is great for snagging the back leg of a calf when you need to catch and process them after birth. This is a helpful tool if the calf is rambunctious.
Antibody supplements — These come in handy if you have scour pressure or a stressed calf.
Warming equipment if you live in a cold climate.
Other antibiotics or pain medications — Discuss these with your veterinarian.
Get the calving supplies you need in one easy-to-carry bucket with the FBN Calving Kit. Learn the advantages in this blog post and add it to your cart here.
Shop Animal Health Products and Supplies at FBN
Whether you’re looking for antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, dewormers, insecticides, implants, reproductive products, vaccines, or supplies, FBN offers a full portfolio of products to get you through calving season and beyond. You can shop online or through the FBN app (available for iPhone or Google Play) 24/7 and get direct-to-farm delivery on your schedule.
Related Resources
The above is provided for information purposes only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any condition. This information does not cover all possible variables, conditions, reactions, or risks relating to any topic, medication, or product and should not be considered complete. Certain products or medications may have risks and you should always consult your local veterinarian concerning the treatment of your animals.
© 2014 - 2025 Farmer's Business Network, Inc. All rights Reserved. The sprout logo, “Farmers Business Network”, “FBN”, "Farmers First", “FBN Direct” , "F2F", and "F2F Genetics Network" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Farmer's Business Network, Inc.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
FBN Direct products and services and other products distributed by FBN Direct are offered by FBN Inputs, LLC and are available only in states where FBN Inputs, LLC is licensed and where those products are registered for sale or use, if applicable. If applicable, please check with your local extension service to ensure registration status. Nothing contained on this page, including the prices listed should be construed as an offer for sale, or a sale of products. All products and prices are subject to change at any time and without notice and excludes CA mills tax and MN ACRRA fees. Terms and conditions apply.
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any information provided on this page or which is provided by us in any form. It is your responsibility to confirm prior to purchase and use that a product is labeled for your specific purposes, including, but not limited to, your target pest, illness, or deficiency and its approval for use on your animal's species and that the usage of a product is otherwise consistent with federal, state and local laws. We reserve the right to restrict sales on a geographic basis in our sole discretion.
Disclaimer: The material provided is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized professional advice.Neither Farmer's Business Network, Inc. nor any of its affiliates makes any representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in the material and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.
Related content