Woolover
The Woolover is a wool-rich calf cover that generates heat and maintains the calf's natural body heat to protect the calf from cold, wet and windy conditions. With reinforced felt, the Woolover is ideal for calves housed outside or when calf protection is important.
 

• Healthy Calves...Improved Growth Rates Trials* have shown increases of up to 54% in the growth weight of calves over their first 3-4 weeks and notably: Woolover covers increased calf average daily gain at an early age regardless of severity of winter conditions. In seasonably cold conditions, the application of the blanket increased the rate gained of both newborn and month old calves. Blanketed calves that exhibited early postpartum gains, also maintained a performance advantage in later stages of growth. *1997-98 Trial, "Effect of Calf Wool/Polyester Blankets on Beef and Dairy Newborn Health and Performance," Animal and Range Science Dept./NDSU Extension Service, North Dakota State University. Test trials prove effectiveness Research trials supervised by North Dakota State University revealed significant performance gains for calves wearing the original Woolover. Dairy calves gained an extra 14 pounds during the 65-day trial versus non-blanketed control calves.¹ Beef calves, wearing a blanket of different composition, gained 37.8 pounds more than their controls.¹ Unseasonably mild temperatures made the gains even more notable. Research further showed that the Woolover is most beneficial during the first three weeks for dairy calves kept outside or in hutches, and for the first 60 days for beef calves in dry lots. Better Calf Health...Increased Survivability By providing body warmth, the Woolover improves the calf's resistance to disease and helps prevent scours by keeping temperatures constant. And, they are especially effective in improving the survivability of sick or environmentally challenged calves. Calves not only are protected against subfreezing temperatures, but against sudden weather changes. Click to close this box

  70 percent wool, 30 percent polyester design:
• Wicks away water to keep calf dry
• Retains calf's natural body heat
• Provides protection in wet, windy and cold conditions  

• Reduces sickness and also effective when used on sick calves
• Helps sick calves recover faster and aids in preventing scours
• Improves weight gain and maximizes growth

• Frequently Asked Questions What are Woolovers? Woolovers are 70% wool, 30% polyester blankets that are designed to easily slip onto calves and help protect them from the weather. Imported from New Zealand, they were first designed to protect lambs from fast changing weather conditions with the result being that their mortality rate decreased from 40% to 10%. Based on this success, they were then redesigned to provide similar protection for calves against harsh conditions. Ideal for calves housed outside or in hutches, Woolovers enable calves to maintain body heat and thereby experience uninterrupted growth rates. How do Woolovers work? Because Woolovers are made of 70% wool, they have many unique qualities. When water is added to wool it creates heat, thus calves with Woolovers remain warm and dry even in wet or damp conditions. Wool also has the ability to breath, thus Woolovers dry quickly. In addition, wool will take on 1/3 of its weight in water before becoming wet. Therefore, Woolovers have the ability to keep water away from the hide while keeping calves dry and warm. In cold weather, Woolovers decrease the maintenance requirement, thereby allowing nutrients to go toward growth instead of maintenance. They also are a great aid to calves in periods of stress, such as when they have scours, pneumonia or other sickness and enable them to recover more quickly. Are there other applications? Woolovers are also available for beef calves, lambs, goats and they are effective for young foals. Click to close this box

  Cost Effective and long-lasting; may be used for 30-45 days on each of 4-5 calves
• Easy to fit
  

Producer Results with Woolovers

"Woolovers work great when I have a wet, newborn calf. At birth, I immediately put a Woolover on the calf and then move it into a hutch. I have used Woolovers for the past three winters and they stay on better than any competitor product I have tried."

— Joel Schnelle, Howard Grove, WI
205 Holsteins

"This year we will raise around 2000 calves, in the fall when the temperature starts dipping below freezing, every calf on the farm will wear a Woolover. The Woolover is my first choice calf jacket. Calf-raising since 1999, we began using Woolovers in the fall of 2000, and they have really helped with the survivability of the calves. The Woolover helps decrease death loss and increases the calves weight gain. The calves just do better with a Woolover on, plus it gives me piece of mind to know they have on something warm."

— Sherry Arnold, Busse's Barron Acres, Calf Raiser, WI

Frequently Asked Questions about Woolovers