Teagasc adviser Eoin Horgan spoke about the safe handling of calves at the AHI/Teagasc Calf Care event held at Sean Kearney’s farm in Kilbehenny, Co Limerick.

Eoin said that one of the key things to remember is to always be calm around livestock.

“If the calf is frightened, its natural reaction is to sit still and not move. A calf that is calm and relaxed will move a lot easier,” Eoin said.

If a calf is lying down and you want to move it, rubbing or patting its back will encourage it to get up.

Rubbing against the direction of the hair will stimulate it to get up faster, as this mimics what its mother does when she licks the calf to get up.

Eoin says that moving calves in small groups is easier than moving them in large groups or as single calves.

Generally, the calf will follow a leader and once that leader is going in the right direction, the rest will move easier.

When it comes to moving calves on their own, Eoin said there are two main options. The calf can be pushed along from behind, or moved backwards.

Eoin said that moving the calf backwards works very well and is a good way to move calves.

“You put one arm around its neck and under its head and you guide the calf with your other arm on the calves back near the hip bones.

"Calves usually walk freely backwards and it’s easy to steer them in the direction that you want.”

Safe lifting

When it comes to lifting newborn calves that aren’t yet walking, Eoin said that using the correct technique is very important to prevent injury to yourself.

The correct technique when lifting a heavy object like a calf (that usually weighs between 30 and 50kg) is to:

  • Bend your legs, not your back. Keep your back straight and lower your body by bending at the knees. This will get your arms to ground level and you are ready to hold the calf. People who don’t bend their knees when lifting put massive strain on their back, and it can lead to very serious long-term injury.
  • When lifting the calf, push up with your legs. Your legs should do all the work, not your back. The muscles in your legs are designed for lifting and using your leg muscles more is a very good workout for your whole body.
  • Hold the heaviest part of the calf. The weight of the calf is not evenly spread throughout its body. Most of the calf’s weight is at the front of its body, between the head and ribcage. The recommendation is to put one arm under its head and one arm just in front of the back legs. This ensures that most of the calf’s weight is close to your own centre of gravity. Carrying and moving the calf will be easier as you will be carrying a more balanced load.
  • Shuffle with your legs, not your shoulders. When turning direction, move your legs in the direction that you want to travel. This seems very obvious, but when you observe some people lifting heavy objects, they move direction with their upper body and this puts big strain on their shoulders and back.