Windbreaks, well-bedded areas and calving barns can prevent hypothermia, but there are steps to take if it does occur
Preparation can prevent or at least minimize the risk of hypothermia in young calves.
Dr. Chris Jermey, a veterinarian at Veterinary Agri Health Services in Airdrie, Alta., says hypothermia can easily occur.
“When a calf is born, it’s going from a warm, wet environment that’s sitting at somewhere in that 38 C range, and all of a sudden, it’s out, wet, cold and laying on the ground.
“Anyone who’s been raising cattle for any amount of time likely has a story of at least one calf with this condition.”
Read Also
The Western Producer Livestock Report – November 6, 2025
Western Producer Livestock Report for November 6, 2025. See U.S. & Canadian hog prices, Canadian bison & lamb market data and sales insights.
There are a few common scenarios that increase risk for newborns. Hypothermia usually occurs in the first 24 hours.
“You’ll see it two ways, either as an outbreak following inclement weather during calving season, where guys are doing everything right, but Mother Nature decides to throw a curveball and you get snow and rain and cold all piling in.
“The other one is more sporadic and would be in calves considered higher risk, so things like dystocia and calves that mis-mother. Those would be at a high risk for hypothermia even if the weather isn’t terrible because if they don’t get dried off and get a belly full of warm colostrum, it’s very easy for exposure to set in,” said Jermey.
Low birth weight is another risk factor. Smaller calves with fewer reserves are more at risk of exposure, especially if they struggle to get up and nurse or are without shelter in their first day of life.
Calves also become depressed as body temperature drops into the 35 C to 37 C range.
“One of the first symptoms is shivering, losing the ability to suckle and becoming recumbent or unable to rise. As it progresses, they can reach a comatose state as their core temperature drops,” said Jermey.
“That eventually will progress to a state of shock and ultimately cardiac arrest as the temperature continues to drop and the body is not able to operate at its normal processes because it’s so cold and their metabolism is so slow.”
As the calf gets cold, its survival mechanism directs more blood to the core and away from external limbs, ears and tail.
“The biggest thing to assess is their feet. If a calf freezes its feet to the point where it’s not recovering and doesn’t regain circulation, those would be animals that you unfortunately have to put down,” he said.
Many producers determine the suckle reflex in hypothermic calves by putting a couple of fingers in the calf’s mouth to see whether it will nurse.
“You can physically feel that calf is cold, so the calves that are clinically hypothermic aren’t standing up to nurse.
“It’s a vicious circle where once they get cold and start down this process, it’s hard for them to recover without producer intervention,” Jermey said.
Supportive care includes bottle or esophageal-tube feeding colostrum, as well as moving calves into a more sheltered area where they are dry and are out of the elements.
“Farmers are pretty creative with earmuffs and things like that. That’ll help protect those extremities from freezing.”
The importance of colostrum, the foundation of calf health and performance, cannot be overstressed.
“Once a calf gets to the point where it’s coming around and able to support itself and maintain a swallow reflex, tubing with warm colostrum is really important.
“Any animal that you’re treating for hypothermia in that first day of life would be considered a high-risk animal for not getting enough immunity through its mother’s colostrum. These animals are unlikely to have nursed, and should be calves that receive supplemental colostrum to meet their needs,” he said.
Putting a hypothermic calf on the floor boards of the truck and blowing hot air on it is one effective intervention. Another is using a hot box with an air heater but calves must be monitored to avoid burns.
“You always want to be very careful with external warming devices, whether that’s a portable heater or a calving box, to make sure you’re warming the calf but not causing thermal damage, shock or things like that,” said Jermey.
“Growing harmful bacteria and pathogens in there is certainly a possibility, which is why producers need to make very sure they’re cleaning and sanitizing the boxes between each calf.”
A warm water bath is another popular option, said Jermey, who grew up on a cattle operation in Manitoba.
“It certainly wasn’t uncommon to have a calf waiting for you in the bathtub in the morning.
“Remember that this is a weak animal that needs support, so make sure they’re monitored constantly and their head stays above water.”
It’s also important to understand these techniques warm the calf externally, so blood near the surface is warmed and carried through the body.
“You want that to be a gradual warming process. You don’t want to dunk them into extremely warm water because that will cause them to rapidly vasodilate, sending cold blood back to the heart, which can cause shock.
“Start with water slightly warmer than the calf, and slowly increase the temperature over 30 minutes to an hour, bringing the calf up to that normal 38 C temperature. Afterwards, make sure they’re fully dried off before they go back out to momma.”
Severe hypothermic calves can be revived and saved, but their body defences can be compromised, which sets the calf up for pneumonia, scours and other problems later.
“Producers are very good at planning for worst case, so having infrastructure set up — windbreaks and well-bedded areas, calving barns, things like that. Preparing for those times is important,” Jermey said.
