The exploding phenomenon of using beef sires to add value to non-replacement dairy calves is creating an unprecedented merging of the U.S. dairy and beef sectors.
“We love those calves,” declares Dan Thomson, DVM, PhD, who provides health consultation to major U.S. feedlots and conducts research at Iowa State University. “Their genetics have improved considerably in the past few years. They grade very well, and they are a consistent, steady supply of feeder cattle.”
But Thomson, along with other practitioners, is concerned about the potential over-vaccination that could be underway with beef-on-dairy calves.
Thomson reflects on discussions among fellow practitioners at the 2022 Academy of Veterinary Consultants meeting: “The concern stems from the fact that consultants are seeing beef-on-dairy calves struggling with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) after entering the feedlot, even though they’ve been given a whole host of vaccinations,” he says.
“Some of our higher-risk populations of cattle for BRD at the feedyard are the beef calves that come in with no vaccinations, and the beef-on-dairy calves that have been blasted with vaccines,” he adds.
Common Protocols
During the first 90 to 100 days of their lives, Thomson says calf-ranched-raised calves may receive up to 20 vaccinations, including antigens for various viral respiratory disease agents like IBR and BVD and a host of bacterins ranging from blackleg, respiratory disease, enteric disease, pinkeye, and more.
Every vaccine sparks a challenge to the calf’s developing immune system. “I’m not an immunologist, but from a field perspective, it
makes one wonder, ‘How many challenges can those little calves take?’” says Thomson, pictured here. “I’ve seen protocols that call for vaccination on Days 1, 28, 35, 42, 49, 63, and at departure from the calf ranch. That’s very common.”
Beef-on-dairy calves are often excessively vaccinated and heavily treated, agrees Dan Altena, DVM, Valley Veterinarians Inc., Tulare, Calif. He encourages feedyards to call calf ranch veterinarians and get all calves’ vaccination status and history before taking possession of them.
“Know the source or sources of the calf ranch, as animal quality is widely variable,” Altena also advised during his presentation at the 2022 Academy of Veterinary Consultants meeting.
In addition to the systemic challenge, Thomson is concerned about the pain associated with a near-weekly needle poke. And he says there is research-based evidence that some vaccines change the microbiome of the nasal passages in calves, permanently altering their natural bacterial defenses.
Thomson would like to see the dairy and calf ranch sectors shift their focus away from super-sized vaccine protocols and toward at least four fundamentals that he believes will serve the calves and the industry much better:
1. Colostrum delivery – There’s no way to re-create the natural immunity conferred by the passive transfer of immunoglobulins and other helpful agents supplied by colostrum on the first day of life. Thomson says dairy managers have a good understanding of this, but would like to see equal focus on excellent colostrum quality and delivery for replacement and non-replacement calves alike.
“If anybody needs good quality colostrum, it’s the calves that are leaving the dairy,” adds Sandra Stuttgen, DVM and associate professor with the University of Wisconsin Division of Extension. “They’re the ones that are going to be the most challenged by respiratory disease and other potential health problems.”
Calves that achieve colostrum-derived passive immunity before leaving the farm of origin are better equipped to deflect pathogens they encounter at the sale barn or the calf-raising facility. That ability can set them up for long-term production success. The opposite is true, too, Stuttgen notes.
“Just one respiratory episode has the potential to damage a young calf’s lung capacity for life,” she says. “Research by the beef industry shows these calves with lung damage have a lower carcass finished weight and quality grades as compared to their non-affected pen mates. They just don’t perform and finish like they should.”
2. BVD screening – Replacement heifers on many dairies are screened vigilantly, early in life, to cull out persistently infected (PI) BVD carriers. Again, Thomson suggests the equivalent handling of calves headed for the beef supply chain, as he believes BVD caused by PI carriers remains a significant cause of respiratory issues in feedlot cattle.
3. Rearing basics – Vaccines cannot make up for inadequate nutrition and water delivery, sub-par sanitation of housing and feeding equipment, fly problems, and heat stress, according to Thomson. He says tending to all of those details for calves is more important than any shot you give them.
4. Humane transportation – “Putting day-old baby calves on a truck at their birthplace in the upper Midwest and shipping them to calf ranches in Kansas and West Texas has become a standard practice that I think needs to be adjusted,” Thomson states. “They might be alive when they reach their destination, but you can’t tell me that it’s good for their immune systems.”
With strengthened communication and possible incentives between the various stages of the beef-on-dairy production chain, Thomson is optimistic about the future, merging veins of the industry.
“I think we’re on a very successful path to a system that benefits every sector,” he says. “You can’t vaccinate your way out of a problem once it’s started, but by tweaking the fundamentals at the ground level, we can create healthier animals with fewer disease challenges and stronger natural immunity.”
Check out these articles for more about calf health and nutrition:
Fall Calving in Hot Weather is a Challenge
Why Do Healthy Calves Get Summer Pneumonia? Here’s How to Best Protect Your Herd
