With many cow-calf producers on the peak of calving season, some additionally will probably be experiencing outbreaks of calf diarrhea.Sometimes, these calves are 1–3 weeks outdated and develop into dehydrated extraordinarily quickly. Most can survive with supportive care if obtained in a well timed method, however they’re nonetheless in danger to some secondary bacterial infections, and in some circumstances demise loss could be excessive.
The chilly moist climate skilled by many can enhance scours because of focus of cattle in feeding and shelter areas and the muddy circumstances. As soon as an outbreak of calf scours begins, it is extremely troublesome to manage in your present calving space as a result of pathogen contamination overwhelms any protecting immunity your calves have. Implementing a Sandhills Calving System is without doubt one of the greatest methods to handle a calf diarrhea drawback. Nevertheless, most Midwestern operations don’t have sufficient land sources to totally implement the Sandhills system.
A modified Sandhills system could be utilized that may assist clear up a calf scours outbreak. The Sandhill system requires you to maneuver to a brand new calving pasture each 7–10 days, which works out to about eight totally different calving pastures for a 60–day calving season. With a modified system, I like to recommend shifting to a brand new calving space each 20–30 days. This is not going to fully break a scours outbreak with its commonplace 10–day incubation interval, however could make it extra manageable.
Moreover, calving doesn’t need to happen on pasture. An instance of a Midwestern modified calving system is to begin with a calving barn in early March when antagonistic climate remains to be a problem, then in 20 days transfer to an outside lot, and end off calving in April on pasture. It doesn’t matter what system you employ it nonetheless takes good calving administration (together with ensuring calves obtain colostrum), hygiene and immediate therapy to climate a scours outbreak.
A truth sheet on calf diarrhea is accessible from the ISU Beef Heart. Contact your veterinarian for therapy recommendation and different prevention methods.
