When is calving season in alberta

In the spring, weather conditions are generally more favourable, which can allow for ease in pasture births. Opting for pasture births over stall births can reduce the amount of bacteria that a calf is exposed to in the hours after its birth. With springtime also comes fresh grass growth— this grass growth is essential in providing the mother with key nutrients to enrich the milk that her calf will drink. Calving season has no shortage of dramas and comedy, as many ranchers well know.

More than anything, it is a lot of work— for mother, calf, and producer alike. Before the birth, the producer must monitor calving cows carefully. Some operations, like the Alberta ranch run by the Argent family, share the duties of monitoring among themselves.

Other operations are stepping into the future. Model Farm Angus, a 29 head farm run by the Higgins family in New Brunswick, has set up calving cameras in their barns. An added benefit is not having to fire up vehicles in the middle of the night to go down to the barn if nothing is happening. One of these signs is the pregnant cow isolating herself from the herd. She does this instinctively to reduce the risk of interference— essentially, so she can have some peace and quiet. It also helps to promote the chance for bonding with her calf once it is born.

Other signs of impending labour include increased mucous discharge and tail elevation. This is considered stage one of parturition the act of giving birth and these indications can be easy to miss. They have been continuously improving their calving area, removing old wood corrals and replacing them with heavy-duty portable corral panels and gates that can be moved, rearranged and adapted as their needs change.

Randi Wenzel and her family have installed cameras in their barn and outside in their pens to help them watch before, during, and after a cow gives birth. Photo courtesy of Randi Wenzel. Moving up the breeding season a few days has not been a challenge for the cows to adjust to. Heifers are calved out at the same time as their main herd, but they would consider calving heifers a bit earlier. The bulls are turned out approximately 30 days after calves are processed and they use Charolais, Red Angus, and Simmental genetics on their herd.

They typically wean and sell calves at the beginning of November, again timing those events around harvesting and other fall farm work like spraying. Jason and Karla Hicks made the switch from winter calving to pasture calving in May and June several years ago.

Photo courtesy of Karla Hicks. They shifted away from winter calving to a later season, May and June, and maintain a defined breeding season of 60 days. They calve bred heifers as well as earlier-bred community pasture cows and some purebreds slightly earlier than the main herd, in a field closer to the yard.

The weather can still be unpredictable however. While most of their calving pastures have natural shelter, with their first-calvers, they offset the risk of cold or trampled calves by planning ahead and giving the heifers access to pre-existing corrals or facilities if the weather turns bad. They did not have any conception issues as they moved breeding and calving back. They graze their tame grass earlier in the season and save their nutritious native grass for breeding season, especially during dry years.

They calve heifers in a field closer to the yard so allow them to monitor them more closely, although other than occasional malpresentation, they have very few calving issues. One downside of pasture calving has been predator attacks. Their ranch is natural terrain for coyotes and cougars, which has resulted in losses in the field and even in their corrals when they were still. After calving, they will brand, castrate, vaccinate and tag calves in four or five branding days in July.

Later, they wean calves from mid to late November. As groups of calves are weaned, they are sorted and backgrounded, trying to avoid selling in the fall when the majority of calves hit the marketplace. If confronted, travellers should never turn their back to get away. Instead, it's recommended that people stand their ground, maintain eye contact, and make themselves as big as possible while backing away slowly from the area.

Those who are attacked and knocked down should immediately try to get up and not attempt to play dead. The warning from Fish and Wildlife comes after an incident earlier this week that involved an elk charging a woman and her dog in the Rundle area of Canmore.

The elk, traveling with its calf, charged the woman to within her arms reach. As she walked away, the elk followed the woman for a distance before eventually leaving. If encountering a moose, the public is asked not to try and scare the moose off, but to wait for the moose to leave on its own.

If the moose charges, run away and try to find a car, tree or building to hide behind. Lac Beauvert Loop in Jasper is partially closed due to elk calving season. People are encouraged to report all elk encounters to Parks Canada at Those who find moose or other wildlife posing a risk to the public safety or having difficulty returning to the wild can call Fish and Wildlife at , or if outside business hours, contact Report a Poacher at A stock photo posted by Alberta Fish and Wildlife on Facebook shows an elk and her calf.

Alberta Fish and Wildlife is cautioning people of protective elk during calving season. Elk charges in Canmore The warning from Fish and Wildlife comes after an incident earlier this week that involved an elk charging a woman and her dog in the Rundle area of Canmore. Donations to prolife party in Alberta surge.