The Antopol wool‑spinning factory has begun sewing winter “clothing” for calves. The company reported this.

The idea came to the specialists during last winter’s anomalous frosts. At that time, the first batches of blankets with insulation were sewn to warm the calves. “In anticipation of the next cold season, we realized this is in demand, so we continued the work. We use our own insulators for making the blankets. We can use both needle‑punched and synthetic foam of various thicknesses. If the temperature regime is down to minus 5 degrees, it will be thinner; for stronger frosts, thicker,” explained the factory.

For the outer layer, a waterproof material is usually used, and the inner layer is sewn from cotton fabric. “We make it soft, so it doesn’t irritate the calf’s skin and is comfortable. We don’t use glued materials that would make the animal sweat. For convenience, the blanket is made with special snap fasteners and adjustable straps,” said the company.

The initiative was supported by the Committee on Agriculture and Food of the Brest Oblispolkom. The southwestern region drew lessons from last winter. Not all agricultural facilities in the region were 100 % ready for extreme subzero temperatures. “Winter forecasts are all over the place. Some sources say it will not be milder than the previous one. We must not make mistakes. One of the measures (not the main one, but important) under anomalously low temperatures is making blankets for calves,” noted the regional agricultural and food department.

Blankets are recommended for newborn calves to protect them from hypothermia. “A calf under one month old has an underdeveloped thermoregulatory center in the brain. It cannot regulate body temperature, so hypothermia, as well as overheating, occurs very quickly. A small calf is highly dependent on ambient temperature. The blanket helps avoid wasting extra energy on self‑heating. It allows active growth and development,” emphasized the specialists.

In the Brest

We are striving to build prophylactic barns to automate all processes. They include a feed kitchen with all necessary equipment. We aim to equip the barns with milk pasteurizers, milk taxis, and equipment for automatic cleaning of utensils. In several farms we are building advanced prophylactic barns based on a custom design made at the request of the Brest Oblast Regional Council, — added the committee on agriculture and food.

Such approaches reduce manual labor. Thanks to this, specialists can focus more on caring for the calves.

Source: BELTA