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January 21, 2026 - Clocking Out on Nighttime Calving

How altering your feeding schedule can reduce nighttime calving.

With the New Year behind us and winter in full swing, we have started seeing calves on the ground! Calving season will be ongoing for the next few months and for our local beef producers and their operations, it’s the most critical time of year. 

Calf mortality is significantly reduced with frequent herd checks. As producers, we know that we can’t always be everywhere at once, especially when night falls and herd supervision becomes limited. But still, the alarm is set and checks are completed around the clock.

How convenient would it be if you never had to wake from a dead sleep in the middle of night to check on your cows? Never say never… but is it possible to alter the time-of-day the majority of your cattle calve? What are the benefits of reducing nighttime calving? There are several. Calving difficulties are easier to manage during daylight. Daylight births give calves time to dry off before the sun goes down. Predators are less likely to strike during the day. It is easier to spot calving cows sooner and reduce the exposure time to snow and freezing temperatures.

Snow and freezing temperatures are all too familiar in Clearwater County. Calving facilities and shelters come in handy but sometimes, letting nature conquer nature can be effective. Feeding in the evening helps maintain body temperature during cold winter nights. “The exothermic fermentation in the rumen is driven by a diverse community of symbiotic microbes. This heat production helps maintain the optimal core temperature of 38.6 – 41.0 °C”, states the University of Alberta’s website. 

There is a direct correlation between rumen activity and labour. “Rumen motility studies indicate the frequency of rumen contractions is lower a few hours prior to calving. Pressure in the rumen begins to decrease in the last two weeks of gestation, with a more rapid decline during calving. It has been shown that night feeding causes pressure in the rumen to rise at night due to feed volume in the rumen from evening feeding and decline during the daytime”, advises Alberta Agriculture.

How much can feeding in the evening increase daytime calving? The Oklahoma State University compared and reported on several studies trying to determine this answer. One study involving 162 cattle from four different farms compared the percentages of calves born from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. with cows being fed in the morning versus feeding in the evening. Fifty-seven per cent of the calves born during the day were from cattle fed at 9:00 am versus 79 per cent born during the day when cows were fed at 10 p.m. A study done in Iowa with 1331 cows from 15 farms showed that 85 per cent of the calves were born between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. when fed once daily at dusk.

For larger operations it may be physically impossible to feed all the cows at or after dusk. With sizeable operations it would be important to feed the first and second calf heifers in the evening, as they are the animals in need of the most attention during calving. The mature cows could then be fed earlier in the day.

The Agriculture and Community Services team wants to wish all our local cattle producers a safe and successful calving season!