It is the age-old question: How often should you be checking cows during calving? A common rule of thumb is that cows and heifers should be check every 3 hours. Of course, that does change depending on the weather. South Dakota State University Extension veterinarian Dr. Russ Daly says while most producers have their own plan, many do not consider how their stocks’ physiology should guide this schedule. “The stage of labor that is underappreciated is the first stage. This usual lasts from two-to-six hours,” says Daly. “If stage one labor goes on too long, that’s were we see stillborn calves or coming out oxygen deprived. We don’t want animals messing around more than eight hours in this stage.” Once a calf is born, there are weather conditions, like snow, wind and rain, that make newborns more susceptible to infection or diseases. Daly’s advice for producers is to get those calves into a thermo-neutral environment. Hear more.