Keeping Calves Healthy
Calf Management
Practices
Dairy Skills Training
Jerry Bertoldo, DVM
Extension Dairy Specialist
NWNY Team CCE/ Pro-Dairy
Health Triad
Causes of Mortality
scours
respiratory
Wet calves
56.5%
22.5%
Weaned calves
12.6%
46.5%
NAHMS 2007
Does Infection = Disease?
NO!
Does Vaccination = Immunity?
NO!
Primary and Secondary Immune Response
Titer
Response
(Anamnestic or Booster Response)
2nd exposure
Memory Cells
0
14
21
28
35
Time in days from
1st antigen exposure
Vaccination
The Act of Administering a Vaccine
Immunization
Occurs following vaccination
when a response can be measured.
Protection
Occurs when a properly immunized animal is protected
against a specific disease following vaccination.
Vaccine use
Maternal antibody interference is
largely dissipated by 2 months of age
Vaccination programs should be based
on history and risk of disease
introduction
Calf raisers adopt early
administration by necessity
MLV Vaccines
Advantages
Disadvantages
Rapid protection
May cause abortion
One dose?
No sunlight
exposure
No adjuvant
Better CMI and
mucosal
“Cleaner” product
Less expensive
Mix and use rapidly
Inactivation with
residues
Possible viral
contamination
Killed Viral Vaccines
Advantages
Disadvantages
Safe on all
pregnancies
More
hypersensitivity
Stability
Multiple doses
needed for
protection
Ready to use
Use as needed
Little or no CMI or
mucosal protection
More expensive
Vaccination precautions
The 1st time use of E.coli, Salmonella,
Pasturella, Hemophilus and Moraxella
vaccines can be associated with
delayed allergic reactions particularly
in Holstein and Jersey cattle
Limit vaccinating to two bacterial
components per time
Separate from next one by 7 days
Do not use 5 way Lepto on calves
GOOD IMMUNITY CAN BE
OVERCOME BY
POOR MANAGEMENT!!
Vaccination failures – 5 to 15%
Maternal antibody interference
Age – under 5 days old
Stress (cortisol) – too hot, dehorning
Poor nutrition
Improper vaccine handling
Following directions – IM, SQ, how
deep???
Vaccination alternatives
Intranasal – Nasalgen, Onset
Little maternal antibody interference
Quick response
Safe at very young age
Possible wider spectrum of effect
Oral – Calf Guard, First Defense
Timing just like colostrum
Behavioral patterns for wet
calves vary by age
Lying down (73-81%)
with age
(55% lying in daylight vs. near 100% at night)
Standing (4.4-11.4%)
with age
Eating (1.4-5.5%) levels off after 2nd wk
Grooming (2.5–4.5%)
with age
Investigating (0.2-2.9%)
with age
Contacting pen (2.7-9.0%) peaks in 3rd wk
Bedding Choices
Wood shavings
Straw
Sawdust
Pea gravel
Sand
Crusher fines
Paper by-products
Harvest by-products
Wood shavings
(+)
(-)
Absorbent
Variability
Comfortable
Availability
Insulating
Cost
Low initial pH
Supports coliform
growth
Limited fly support
Clean hair coats
Sawdust
(+)
(-)
Absorbent +/-
Variability
Comfortable
Lung irritation
Insulating
Supports coliform
growth
Low initial pH
Limited fly support
Cheaper than
shavings
Less nesting ability
Dirtier calves
Straw (wheat is best)
(+)
(-)
Fairly absorbent
Worst for flies
Comfortable
High streptococcal
growth
Best nesting
Best insulating
Availability
Low initial pH
Cost
Clean calves
Sand &
Pea gravel
(+)
Comfortable
Cheap?
Does not support
bacterial growth
Good drainage
(-)
Dirty calves
Not for cool to cold
weather
Best for fly control
Weight dictates
mechanical handling
Great base material
Variability of quality
Paper by-products
(+)
(-)
Comfortable +/-
Dirty calves
Cheap?
Compresses readily
Absorbent
Wet surface
Can use with straw
and shavings
Variability of quality
Dusty at times
Baby calves and
parasites
Nematodes, lice, mange and ringworm
can be transmitted from adults or their
environment, but are less problematic
than flies
Exposure to sunlight, nutritional status,
whether housed in groups or alone and
contact with older cattle determines
infection
Flies are dependent on environment
alone
Flies
House fly
Stable fly
Horn fly
Face fly
Cattle grub fly
Horse fly
Deer fly
House (Musca domestica)
and Stable flies (Stomoxys
calcitrans) are the major
problems around buildings
Horn, face, horse, grub and
deer flies are most
prevalent in pastured cattle
Diagnostic Work
Quantitative bacterial counts on
colostrum, waste milk, pasteurized
milk and rinse water from cleaned
feeding equipment
Culture potential contaminated areas
such as calf “hot box”, transport
vehicle, area under feed and water
Diagnostic Work
Check for water hardness and coliforms
Check forages for mycotoxins, pH and
digestibility
How many deaths are posted and sampled?
Live calf sampling for pathogens
Screening for BVD, BLV, mycoplasma,
salmonella
Zoonotic Diseases
for man and beast!
Crypto
Campylobacter
Salmonella
Lepto
Ringworm
Mange
Feed Additives
Milk replacer antibiotic (NT) inclusion
rates to change
Early and late wet period strategies
Better to have cocci control in milk
replacer than antibiotic
MOS products generally give payback
Probiotics can be helpful
Feed Additives
AS700, Aureomycin, Aureo+Bovatec
Good management or crutch?
Organic/chelated minerals up to 50%
High iron, hydrogen sulfide or sulfates
Animal source proteins
Serum, blood meal
Welfare Issues
Depends on your perception
Ease of identification and visibility by
public increases concern
Dairy world has an acclimated view of
many welfare issues
Includes trucking, handling, noise,
teat removal, vaccinating
Tail Docking
Aid or substitute for cleanliness?
Public views as mutilation and
unnecessary (like dogs?)
No research to show any benefit
A loosing battle?
Tail Docking - Banding
Best < 21 days of age – shorter
sensitivity period
Close-up heifers minimal effect
Local/epidural anesthetic of little value
Cortisol (stress) response no different
than restraint response
Possible chronic pain – neuromas

number of flies on hind quarters
Dehorning
Great variation in possible effect
Younger the better
Restraint is as big a player as pain
Easier position to defend than tails
Paste Dehorning
Used to be a sloppy, poor
method
Newer products have better
consistency
Key = early, clip, right spot and
amount
Minimal stress, mostly from restraint
Hot Iron Dehorning
Younger is better
Painful and stressful without medications
Lidocaine = 2-3 hours of pain relief
The effect of restraint is equal to that
of pain
Need sedative, local anesthetic and
anti-inflammatory to stop impact
Mediating Pain
Little effort in the industry to deal
with post procedural discomfort
Banamine (fluniximine) only practical
drug
IV should be only administration route
Half life is only 8 hours
Must be repeated every 24 hours
Raising baby calves is one of the
toughest challenges on the dairy!
Special nutrition
Naïve immune
system
Pathogen exposure
Weather variations
A host of stressful
events
They are bovine
infants!!