When they enter the world in the middle of winter, newborn calves need all the support we can give them.

Calves are born with very little internal fat and few reserves to regulate their body temperature. We want their energy reserves, and the nutrients they take in, to go toward growth and immune function, rather than just trying to stay warm. There are 3 ways to make that happen:

1. Provide deep, dry, clean bedding in which they are able to nest.

2. Increase their nutrition through higher volumes of the liquid ration and/or higher nutrient density, via either added fat or increased total solids.

3. Put a calf jacket on every newborn.

Calf jackets first came into use about 20 years ago, and their merits quickly caught on. If you’re looking for performance in your calves, it’s important to implement all three of these measures to help calves cope with the cold.

Some calf jacket tips include:

• When to start – A newborn calf’s thermal neutral zone is 50-77°F. One rule of thumb is that when the sum of the daytime high and nighttime low temperatures totals 90°F or less, it’s time to start putting calf jackets on. So, for example, a daytime high of 55°F and a low of 35°F would indicate the need for calf jackets. Some of my clients also note that when they start needing a jacket outdoors themselves, their calves do, too.

• Type and structure – The style of jackets that buckle or snap on will stay intact more reliably than those that fasten with Velcro, which can lose its function when straw and manure come into play. Producers also generally prefer wool or other fabric that wicks moisture away from the body, as calves do sometimes sweat under the jackets during temperature swings.

• Removal time – 1-month-old calf has a thermal neutral zone of 32°F-73°F. After 3-4 weeks, calves usually have grown and developed enough internal reserves that the jackets can come off. Be sure they don’t stay on so long that the jacket starts to dig into the animal, causing discomfort and restricted growth.

• Cleaning and maintenance – When jackets are removed, be sure to launder and sanitize them between every calf. Failure to do so is like putting a newborn calf into a dirty pen or hutch with just a little fresh bedding thrown over top of that from the previous calf – a great way to spread disease pathogens from older to younger animals. Also, be sure they are thoroughly dried. Putting a damp jacket on a newborn calf will chill the animal and reverse the intended purpose of the jacket.

Virtually every successful calf raiser I visit in the upper Midwest uses calf jackets. The benefits of this tool are obvious in the improved growth and low morbidity and mortality those producers enjoy. In operations that don’t use them, calves might survive, but they won’t thrive in the same way.

Other geographies might not encounter the brutal winter conditions that we have, but calf jackets still can add value any time 24-hour temperatures approach that 90-degree sum. Those operations may not need to use them for as many months through the year, but the jackets do still add value in the cold season.

Finally, calf jackets offer us a unique opportunity to demonstrate our concern for animal welfare to consumers. Nearly everyone can relate to the concept of putting a coat on a child in winter weather. That fact that we do the same for our bovine babies shows that we do everything we can to care for and support them. On your next farm tour or social media post, you can bring up calf jackets as a positive example of your farm’s devotion to your animals.