nervous new mother

[greenhorn]

not the cow...me! We had a little bull calf born here (central OH) Sunday morning. He's doing great; perky, nursing, pretty friendly. He spent his first 2 nights in the barn with his mom because some black vultures were circling just after he'd been born and I wanted him out of their range. Now he's out in the pasture with his mom, 2 other adult females, 1 yearling bull, 2 8mo steers and a 4mo bull calf. All they females seem to be looking after him.

So, here's my question: Are young calves fine outside if they're thriving and with a good mom even if it's cold? I don't even want to call our night cold after seeing what ND is having (-22!) but single digits always concern me. They have a large 3 sider, facing east, which has straw down on the floor. Is it common practice to just let a healthy young calf stay with mom outside? Thanks and sorry to sound like a worrywart. We have not had the best luck around here, as per my other recent posts!

So here's my "nervous mom" question: what

[tinknal]

As long as the calf is bright and healthy this is the best place for him. All the nastys that can infect a calf are frozen solid. Wet is a lot worse then cold. He could get a bit of frostbite on the edges of his ears and they could die back a little. This is common with winter calves and nothing to worry about. The big thing is that he is well bedded and can get out of the wind.