Calf
We now know the beneficial influence of feeding transition milk to calves. Is there a way to deliver that nutritional and immunological support and bypass the tedious process of harvesting and feeding transition milk?
The sooner calves eat enough dry feed to sustain themselves, the better equipped they are to bridge the nutritional gap between the fixed liquid ration and a weaned diet of solely dry feeds.
Know when to cut and when to run. With the former, Amanda Hartnack, DVM, recommends fixing those hernias in the field that are no larger than 10 to 15 centimeters.
Maternal colostrum is often considered nature’s “perfect food.” But does this “free” resource help calves achieve passive immunity as reliably as the guaranteed ingredients in a bag of colostrum replacer?
Every re-treatment puts additional stress on calves and reduces profit margins due to the additional medicine and labor costs. On the other hand, waiting too long to re-treat can increase the number of sick calves.
Pardon the pun, but dealing with scours can be a real pain in the butt. It’s frustrating, it’s costly, and it can be downright messy at times.
It’s important to stay abreast of new research that can influence dairy management practices. That’s what happened recently at Rosy-Lane Holsteins, Watertown, Wis.
With the cost of inflation impacting every corner of a dairy, the producer’s breeding strategy has been forced to become finetuned. More and more producers are keeping just enough replacements to fill the pipeline,.
Veterinarians have at least eight options for doing a cesarean section (c-section) in cattle, but most rely on only one.
Providing free choice water to newborn calves has been shown to deliver a wide array of benefits in terms of calf health and performance. But it’s also a huge challenge for some farms in the winter.
It is well-known that sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) is a harmful and costly condition for adult dairy cows. But when calves get SARA, is it bad news for them, too? A Canadian researcher’s conclusion: maybe not.
A protocol overhaul helped the team at Singing Brook Farms, Imler, Pa., up their game in colostrum delivery. Two of their key managers share how they now seamlessly deliver high-quality colostrum to every newborn calf.
You should provide assistance immediately if you notice an abnormal presentation of the calf (AKA back feet, only one leg, etc.) or when there is no progress after 30 minutes for a cow or 60 minutes for a heifer.
Wet, cold conditions often contribute to cattle producers re-examining the timing of their calving seasons. Does moving the season to a different time of year make sense for your clients?
The tick transmits Theileria orientalis to many animal species, including cattle, pigs, horses, sheep and goats. Death occurs in up to 5% of affected animals, according to Washington State University scientists.
More and more farms have made the switch from feeding calves individually to group autofed systems. However, disease detection in group-housed calves remains a challenge. Could autofeeders help detect sick calves?
Simply producing a black calf if not enough if the dairy industry wants to make permanent inroads into successful crossbreeding.
Along with some insightful vaccine history, Scott Nordstrom, DVM, shared specifics about the role of mucosal immunology in young calves, during the American Hereford Association’s educational forums in Kansas City.
Calving during daylight means calves are born during times of warmer temperatures, cows calving are easier to find and provide assistance if needed and accordingly, more calves saved and alive
Of the seven different “primary causes” of enteritis, some can have a good prognosis while others will be guarded or poor, depending on the prescribed treatment and how quickly treatment is implemented.
Hernias in young calves can often be addressed surgically in the field. But before taking that step, evaluate whether the case you face is one you can correct with lasting success.
As one of the top scourges to calf raisers, cryptosporidium is an ever-present challenge that rarely takes a holiday.
Evaluate and monitor pregnant cows and heifers that are under any stress. That could be stress associated with transport movement or disease, if that animal is suffering from a system illness or some viral infection.
Calves with navel infections will present wet or pus ridden navel cords and their navel areas will be swollen, hard, and painful to the touch.
The natural inclination to manage calf diseases solely with a needle and a bottle is trumped by a host of other care methods that can guide calves on the road to recovery.
Wintry weather demands extra attention for preweaned calves, and that includes the temperature of their liquid feedings.
Neonatal diarrhea is a significant economic loss to the cattle industry and continues to be the most common cause of mortality in calves.
Infectious arthritis is a frequent complication of septicemia in calves.
The ongoing drought has impacted all segments of the cattle industry, and some of the hardest hit have been beef cows.
A team of Brazilian researchers recently conducted a study on the longer-term impact of colostrum on calves’ ability to tolerate cold and regulate their body temperatures.