Above all other management practices you could deploy, the one key thing you can do to maximise your investment in your calf and her future genetic potential is to ensure she receives gold colostrum with her important protective antibodies in the first few hours of life (from the first milking). Calves are born naive and rely on protection from pathogens in the environment by getting quality colostrum, quickly. Ideally, every calf needs 10-15% of their bodyweight in colostrum, with half of this at birth, and the balance of this 6-12 hours later.
This ability of the calf to absorb antibodies decreases by 30-50% within 6 hrs. of birth and stops completely between 24 to 36 hrs. of birth.
In the first few weeks of life, they can be exposed to entero-pathogens such E.coli, Rotavirus, Coronavirus, Salmonella, Cryptosporidium and Coccidia. Quality colostrum received in the first few hours of life will help to protect them in their early weeks of life.
Other important calf-rearing management points:
- Pick calves up twice a day.
- Warm clean dry bedding, no wet spots. No cold draughts.
- Clean water daily, off-ground, situated to avoid faecal contamination.
- Routinely sanitise the calf trailer, no amount of chemical will sanitise faeces.
- All in / all out pen system. Do not mix calves of different ages, fill a pen progressively and then move to the next one down. Older calves can be a source of pathogens, particularly if they have reached the age where some of the neonatal diseases no longer have an effect (their immune system is more developed).
- Never use a nursing pen, it just becomes highly contaminated and an area of high challenge to neonates
- Sick pen calves must be isolated from others by solid walls. Always feed last.
- All equipment cleaned after use – with appropriate chemicals that kill common pathogens.
- Keep over trousers and boots clean, and if possible, sanitise between pens.
- Solid sides between pens are ideal – the design does not have to be expensive, use polythene or cable-tied corflute. Prevent nose-nose and nose-bum contact to prevent the transfer of disease between pens.
- Remove obvious manure – no amount of chemical can sanitise faecal matter.
- Avoid turning out onto pasture, (even for a few hours on a sunny day), rear them in the shed/pen until they are ready to wean onto pasture. Turning out onto pasture where last year’s calves have been can be a source of infection as the coccidia oocysts can persist in the environment > 1- 2 years.
- For a calf to receive protection from a coccidiostat in a feed product, for most oral products each individual calf must consume at least 2Kg/day to receive a ‘protective’ dose.
- If a pen is being re-used, allow for thorough cleaning after each batch of calves. Remove bedding and replace with clean. Steam clean sanitise and let dry before putting calves in.
As always prevention is better than the cure, the attention to the above suggestions will allow for the newborn calf to healthily navigate its early few weeks of life.
