Family Milk Cow Calving Kit: What You Actually Need

Supplies For Calving

There are few things that will make you question how prepared you are quite like realizing your milk cow is getting ready to calve.

You can read all the books, watch all the videos, and have the due date circled on the calendar. Then she starts pacing the pasture at 10:30 at night and suddenly you’re wondering where you put the OB lubricant.

After years of calving cows on our farmstead, I’ve learned that you don’t need an entire veterinary clinic sitting in the barn.

You do need a handful of basic supplies, a way to safely handle your cow if something goes wrong, and your veterinarian’s phone number somewhere you can find it quickly.

Most importantly, you need to know which problems you can handle yourself and which ones require someone with more experience.

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When Should You Put Together a Calving Kit?

Don’t wait until your cow looks like she’s going into labor.

I like having everything gathered well ahead of her expected calving date. Calves have a terrible habit of ignoring the calendar, and searching the barn for a clean bottle while a newborn calf is lying in the straw is not how you want to spend those first few minutes.

I keep our supplies together in a clean tote so I can grab the entire thing when I need it.

Before calving, I also make sure I have my veterinarian’s phone number saved in my phone and that everyone who may be caring for the cows knows where the calving supplies are.

My Basic Family Milk Cow Calving Kit

You can certainly buy more than what’s on this list. Farm stores are very good at convincing us we need things.

These are the supplies I consider the basics.

Calving Supply	Why I Keep It
Long OB sleeves	For clean examinations if assistance is needed
OB lubricant	You want plenty, not the last half-ounce in an old bottle
Clean towels	Drying and stimulating a newborn calf
Clean bucket	You’ll find ten uses for it
Navel dip	For newborn navel care
Calf bottle and nipple	For feeding colostrum when necessary
Colostrum replacer	Backup when adequate maternal colostrum isn’t available
Digital thermometer	Useful for both cow and calf
Halter and lead rope	Safe handling and restraint
Flashlight or headlamp	Because apparently cows prefer nighttime emergencies
OB chains or straps	For assisted deliveries when you know how to use them
Veterinarian’s phone number	Possibly the most important thing in the box

A Few Calving Supplies Worth Explaining

Most of the supplies in my calving kit are pretty self-explanatory, but there are a few things I wouldn’t want to be without.

Buy More OB Lubricant Than You Think You’ll Need

OB lubricant is inexpensive, easy to store, and one of those things you don’t want to discover you’re almost out of when you actually need it.

I keep plenty on hand along with long disposable OB sleeves. Most calvings won’t require either one, but if I need to check a calf’s position or assist with a delivery, I want clean supplies ready.

Keep Colostrum Replacer on the Shelf

Ideally, every calf gets plenty of good colostrum from mama. That’s always my first choice.

But I still keep a quality colostrum replacer on hand.

Sometimes a calf struggles to nurse. Occasionally, a cow doesn’t have enough good-quality colostrum available. When that happens, I don’t want to be driving around looking for replacer with a newborn calf waiting at home.

Make sure you’re buying a true colostrum replacer, not simply a colostrum supplement. Keep it stored according to the package directions and check the expiration date before calving season.

I consider this one of those supplies that’s worth buying even if I never have to open it.

Keep a Calf Bottle Ready

Along with colostrum replacer, keep a clean calf bottle and nipple.

They’re inexpensive, take up almost no room, and can sit in your calving tote until you need them.

Even if you plan to let every calf nurse mama, have one anyway. This is not something you want to realize you’re missing after the calf is already on the ground.

Don’t Forget Navel Care

I keep a product intended for newborn calf navel care in my calving supplies.

The umbilical cord leaves an opening where bacteria can enter, so this is one of those simple supplies I want ready rather than something I’m trying to find after calving.

Keep whatever product you’re using clean, properly stored, and within its expiration date.

A Digital Thermometer Is Cheap Insurance

A basic digital thermometer belongs in every livestock medicine cabinet.

It costs very little and gives you actual information instead of standing there wondering whether a cow or calf feels too warm or too cold.

Keep one specifically for the animals, along with a little lubricant, and make sure everyone knows where it lives.

Towels Don’t Need to Be Fancy

Please don’t buy special towels for calving.

Old bath towels work just fine.

I keep several clean ones in the calving tote for drying a calf when necessary, cleaning up, or simply having something clean within reach.

This is an excellent retirement plan for the towels your family has destroyed.

What About Calving Chains?

I keep OB chains with my calving supplies, but there’s an important distinction between owning them and knowing how to use them.

If you’re going to keep calving chains or straps, learn how to position and use them correctly before you ever need them.

They aren’t something I would buy, toss into a tote, and assume I’ll figure out when the time comes.

Do You Need a Calf Jack?

I own a calf jack.

I also don’t think I could give you a respectable lesson on how to use one.

That tells you just about everything you need to know.

When I bought my first cow, I thought being prepared meant owning every piece of equipment I might possibly need. Years later, the calf jack has spent far more time collecting dust than delivering calves.

For most people bringing home their first family milk cow, I wouldn’t put a calf jack at the top of the shopping list.

If you eventually decide you want one, learn how to use it from someone who actually knows what they’re doing. Owning specialized equipment doesn’t automatically make us qualified to use it.

What About Calcium?

I keep an oral calcium product in our dairy supplies, but I don’t consider calcium something every cow should automatically receive simply because she calved.

The right approach depends on the cow, her age, production, history, and individual risk. Older cows and heavy milkers may require a different plan than a younger, lower-producing cow.

Nutrition and mineral balance are especially important around freshening. If you’re still figuring out your mineral program, read my guide to dairy cow mineral deficiencies.

I also recommend learning the signs of milk fever before your cow calves. It’s much easier to make a plan ahead of time than to stand in the barn wondering what you’re looking at when something isn’t right.

Talk with your veterinarian about whether you should keep calcium on hand and which product is appropriate for your cow. That way, you’re buying it with a plan instead of guessing after calving.

My Advice Before You Start Shopping

Don’t build your first calving kit around every possible thing that could go wrong.

Start with the basics.

Buy the things you’re likely to use, keep a few important emergency supplies on hand, and learn how to use everything in your kit before you need it.

You can always add supplies as you gain experience and figure out what makes sense for your own farm.

I spent close to $1,000 preparing for my first family milk cow to calve because I thought more equipment meant I was more prepared.

It didn’t.

Years later, my calving kit is simpler, I’m much more confident, and some of those original “must-have” supplies are still sitting in the barn.

If you’re preparing for your first family milk cow, start with my Family Milk Cow FAQ for Beginners. It covers many of the questions I wish I’d known to ask when I was getting started.

Calving supplies are also one of those startup expenses that are easy to overlook when budgeting for your first cow. My Family Milk Cow Cost Calculator can help you estimate the other expenses you’ll need to plan for.

Sometimes experience is the best thing you can add to the box.