Young calves dot fields across the country as we immerse into calving season; offer them a healthy start.
To help prevent summer-pneumonia risk, vaccinate calves prior to sending to pasture.
Young calves dot fields across the country as we immerse into calving season. We want to help offer young calves a healthy start.
“Umbilical infections are a real thing and so are scours,” said Dr. Tony Hawkins, veterinarian with Valley Vet Supply. “These are two of the more-immediate risks a newborn calf may be up against. To best prevent navel infections, immediately tie off the umbilical cord with a suture line to prevent bacteria from traveling up and building into the bloodstream. Cut it 2 to 3 inches from the body, and then disinfect the stump with iodine or navel care solution.
“I will mention, though, that if you’re not able to do it immediately, clamping or tying off can actually do more harm than good. That’s because if there’s already contamination, you could be sealing in the bacteria. I recommend suturing or clamping off the navel within a six- to 12-hour window.”
• umbilical stump feels larger than the size of your pinky finger
• unwillingness to stand and-or nurse
“Scours is one of the gravest challenges affecting young calves,” Hawkins said. “Symptoms include calf diarrhea and watery stool, weakness, reluctance to stand or nurse, and sunken eyes. If calves experience an early scours case, there are effective antibody products that can be given immediately following birth to help them overcome it.
“We also can vaccinate them simultaneously to help stimulate their own protection. If they’re dealing with Clostridium perfringens scours, then we can provide calves with antiserum at birth that provides three weeks of protection. Scours causes damage in the intestines and gut, and it can take up to 10 days for those calves to heal up from that and normalize stool consistency.
“Spreading cattle out onto clean ground during calving will minimize their exposure to those pathogens – an approach known as the Sandhills Calving System. If you have the space, then that’s your best prevention for scours.
“Have some prescription antibiotics on hand, in case you need to treat your calves for an umbilical infection or scours, but make sure antibiotic treatment is absolutely necessary. Talk with your veterinarian to learn more and be prepared, should you experience any trouble.
“Check right away for calf vitality. You really want that calf to be able to stand up and start nursing within 10 minutes. If the calf is sluggish to stand, either due to a difficult birth or environmental conditions, then we need to be intervening – administering colostrum replacers, and helping him to stand and nurse on his own. To help prevent dehydration it’s a good idea to have electrolyte packets on hand, in case your calves start scouring or do not want to nurse.”
Dr. Ray Shultz, veterinarian with Valley Vet Supply, said, “During springtime, take steps to prevent summer pneumonia. I’ve always thought of summer pneumonia being related to the antibody levels from the colostrum dropping below protective levels, usually when the calf is three months or so old. By ingesting quality colostrum, calves absorb maternal antibodies that initiate a strong immune system early in life. However this immunity deteriorates as the calf gets older, making vaccinations vital. Vaccines sensitize and train the calf’s immune system to recognize and fight these viruses and bacteria when encountered.
“Summer pneumonia often coincides with the farmer (stocker) being very busy with hay and other crops, so they are unable to watch calves as closely. This can make summer pneumonia seem like a sudden disaster because the first thing they may see is a severely sick, or even a dead calf.”
To help prevent summer-pneumonia risk, vaccinate calves prior to sending to pasture, he said. Use a modified-live-virus vaccine combined with Pasteurella pneumonia.
“Implement strategies to shield against pinkeye,” Shultz said. “Warm weather spurs development and transmission of Moraxella bovis, the primary infectious agent of Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis – more commonly known as pinkeye. Signs of pinkeye can include mild eye irritation with tears, ulceration of the cornea, severe inflammation, vision loss and decreased time grazing – to name just a few.
“Face flies are known to transmit the bacteria from animal to animal, escalating especially during late spring and summer. An intensive fly-control program is essential among other best-management practices like vaccinating against pinkeye, clipping tall grass heads to avoid eye irritation in the pastures, and minimizing dust in hay and feed bunks. As it relates to fly-control methods, consider what is the most practical to implement in your operation. If your herd interaction is infrequent due to time, distance or pasture size, your approach may differ from a producer whose cattle are nearby and easily accessible.”
Calving season is an exciting time for us all as we gear up to welcome our newest calf crop into the world. Help make it the most successful season possible by ensuring adequate colostrum, preventing cold stress and having a calving kit at the ready.
Calves are born agammaglobulinemic, meaning they have almost no antibodies to protect them against disease. They’re not born with any immune memory that we develop during our lifetime. They receive those antibodies, an immediate source of immunity and a concentrated source of energy from their cow’s colostrum – the first milk produced following birth.
Colostrum delivers some 95 percent of the antibodies a calf obtains, plus a rich source of minerals, vitamins and energy. It provides protection for newborn calves against infectious agents during the first few months of life.
Colostrum absorbance has a 24-hour window. That short time influences a calf’s lifetime of health and productivity. Because antibodies are large molecules, the calf’s intestine is only capable of absorbing the protection immediately following birth, with essentially no absorption possible after the first 24 hours. Within the first 12 hours of a calf’s life, ideally within the first four to six hours of life, calves should receive 3 to 4 quarts of colostrum.
Depending on if the calf nurses or not, we might need to tube them to put some colostrum replacers or colostrum supplements into them. Keep in mind there are colostrum supplements and colostrum replacers, and there is a difference.
• Colostrum replacers have about double the level of antibodies in them, compared with colostrum supplements. If a calf doesn’t receive any colostrum, then we would recommend giving them a colostrum replacer.
• Colostrum supplements work well in circumstances where a calf might not have nursed enough, for calves born from heifers or if the cow’s colostrum quality could be lacking. Colostrum supplements can also offer a good source of energy, fat and protein to help jump-start sick calves.
Tip 2 – keep chilled calves warm
The most severe result from cold stress on calves is death from hypothermia. If at all possible, bring cows indoors to a calving shed or barn to calve in a heavily bedded, clean pen for added warmth and reduced moisture. If calving outdoors, an area mostly free of mud and manure – with a wind break – is ideal. Cold stress and hypothermia can pose great risk to calves, especially if calves experience dystocia. That often results in delayed standing and nursing, both can quickly cool their body temperature.
A cold calf is going to be slow and a little lethargic; it might not want to stand up. If the nose or extremities like feet – or just above the feet – feel cold, then most likely they need warming.
Beware the signs of hypothermia.
• body temperature less than 94 degrees Fahrenheit
• increased pulse and breathing rate
• cold, pale nostrils and hooves
It’s critical to return calves to the normal core body temperature of 102 degrees. There are several ways to do this, such as placing them under a heat lamp, warm blankets, bringing them indoors, giving them a warm bath – warmed gradually – or putting the calf into a warming box.
“I personally find there to be more-practical methods than, let’s say, a warm-water bath,” Hawkins said. “Let’s face it, often there’s a lot of moisture, snow and mud. So after a warm-water bath indoors, we need to dry calves completely before returning them to the cows. The practice can be labor-intensive.
“There are calf warmers that can dry them as the unit warms the calf. Another benefit is, when inside the warmer the calf is actually breathing in warm air – also helping to warm them internally. That’s my favorite way to warm a chilled calf.
“As far as when we need to warm them, I recommend warming if their body temperature cools to less than 100 degrees. Producers will also need to consider wind-break availability and what current environmental conditions are like. If it’s extreme enough, drying and warming every calf could be necessary.”
Tip 3 – have a stocked calving kit
“It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it – and that’s especially true during calving season,” Hawkins said. “I recommend having a calving kit on-hand; there are several items I’ve always valued having in mine.”
Visit ValleyVet.com for more information.
Dr. Tony Hawkins is a Valley Vet Supply technical-service veterinarian. He attended Kansas State University-College of Veterinary Medicine where he focused on mixed-animal practice. Before joining the technical-service veterinarian team at Valley Vet Supply, Hawkins practiced veterinary medicine in Marysville, Kansas, where he was involved in cattle health – including processing, obstetrical work and servicing the local sale barn. He’s treasured by the community for his care of horses and pets, through wellness appointments and surgery.
Valley Vet Supply was founded in 1985 by veterinarians to provide customers with animal-health solutions. Building on more than half a century of experience in veterinary medicine, Valley Vet Supply serves equine, pet and livestock owners with thousands of products and medications selected by Valley Vet Supply Technical Service veterinarians and team of industry professionals. With an in-house pharmacy that is licensed in all 50 states, and verified through the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, Valley Vet Supply is a source for horse, livestock and pet supplies. Visit ValleyVet.com for more information.
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
HAZEL GREEN, Wis. – Andy Smith had been a dairy farmer his entire adult life but began to think he should leave dairying when he turned 55.
The question of breed profitability and efficiency has again come to the forefront as producers face increasing feed costs and volatile milk p…
Plant-based protein and “meat-alternative” products have streamed into the marketplace in recent years. The trend has been driven in part by w…
The time of day when cows are fed affects their metabolism and milk yield. And daily milk production is affected by the timing of post-ruminal…
In spite of the COVID shutdown the University of Wisconsin in 2020-2021 performed one of its biggest studies ever done with dairy cows. The fo…
“Genomic solutions to improve dairy bull fertility,” led by Francisco Peñagaricano, an assistant professor focused on development and applicat…
“Pilot scale process to convert an acid whey waste stream to high-value food products,” led by Scott Rankin, a professor in the Department of …
“Assessing and addressing barriers to dairy-product exports by small- and medium sized Wisconsin manufacturers,” led by Charles Nicholson, an …
Fly season is here. The little pests cause significant loss of production and spread disease readily.
“Evaluating Salmonella Cerro as a preventative for Salmonellosis,” led by Garret Suen, an associate professor of bacteriology.
Young calves dot fields across the country as we immerse into calving season; offer them a healthy start.
To help prevent summer-pneumonia risk, vaccinate calves prior to sending to pasture.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.