Dairies utilizing beef sires for breeding has created a sturdy dairy-beef moist calf market. Simply how effectively are these moist calves dealing with transport, commingling and their new feeding facility? Those who obtain sufficient passive switch of colostrum usually tend to survive and thrive.
The USDA Nationwide Animal Well being Monitoring System Dairy 2014 survey discovered that on common, bull calves left U.S. dairy farms at 7 days of age. Within the survey, 93% of the reporting farms indicated bull calves obtained colostrum, however of these, 1.5% obtained colostrum solely by suckling the dam. No operations reported suckling as the only technique of offering colostrum to heifer calves. When bull calves have been hand-fed colostrum, they obtained much less quantity, and so they have been fed colostrum later than heifers on the farm.
Coupled collectively, these contribute to failure of passive switch for moist bull calves transported from dairy farms. Do related disparagements happen in your farm between your dairy bulls and retained dairy heifers and now the dairy-beef-cross calves?
Colostrum inequities
Calves with failure of passive switch (FPT) have the next threat for growing illness, plus they shed extra pathogens and contaminate calf-housing environments at larger charges than calves that obtain sufficient passive immunity. Throughout transport, FPT calves shed pathogens in trailers and environments the place they’re off-loaded, which will increase the danger of an infection to all calves they contact. The stress of loading and unloading, extra so than the entire distance traveled, causes elevated shedding of pathogens. FPT interprets into larger morbidity and mortality charges amongst pre- and post-weaned calves.
Dairy-beef-cross calves can be on the grill in lower than 20 months after delivery. Feeder calves want to maneuver on to high-energy rations to achieve remaining weights in a well timed method. There may be not sufficient time to recuperate from poor calf efficiency resulting from early calfhood ailments. Prevention of infectious scour and respiratory brokers for calves beneath 4 months of age is greatest offered by passive switch of colostrum. One or two therapies for respiratory signs early in a younger calf’s life could trigger diminished lung capability, which raises susceptibility to respiratory illness later in life within the feedlot. That, in flip, results in poor weight achieve and diminished meat high quality grades.
Advertising and marketing moist dairy-beef-cross calves with some assure of future well being and progress efficiency is a chance no dairies ought to ignore. Market the moist calf’s well being standing by sharing proof of passive switch of colostrum and the dam’s vaccination protocol. The calf obtained colostrum; subsequently, the calf ought to have maternal antibody to the brokers lined by the dry cow or close-up heifer vaccine protocol that features scour prevention vaccines. Additionally share the herd prevention methods for bovine viral diarrhea virus.
Moveable calf scale
Use a conveyable calf scale to measure the calf’s weight earlier than colostrum feeding to find out colostrum and subsequent feeding accuracy. Weekly, validate colostrum administration by measuring serum whole protein or Brix measurements of all calves higher than 1 day however lower than 7 days of age. Use serum monitoring to repeatedly enhance your colostrum administration.
Market calves with documentation of passive switch and preserve these with failing scores at residence; don’t transport them, as they’ve extra pathogen threat throughout transport and commingling than do your retained calves.
The impression from future illness challenges is diminished simply by making use of an excellent colostrum program to each calf, together with dairy-beef-cross calves. Do you have got sufficient colostrum? What’s your plan to make sure each calf will get what it wants?
Stuttgen is a veterinarian and College of Wisconsin Extension agriculture educator for Taylor County. This column is offered by the UW Division of Extension Livestock Crew.Â
