Latest News From Calf

AABP is offering online materials veterinarians can download and use with Spanish speaking caregivers of dairy and beef cattle. Some of the guidelines available address dehorning, castration, transportation and more.

As we move into late summer and early fall, we begin think about weaning time. Getting those calves on feed is critical, requiring a good diet and proper feed management.

Could fewer vaccinations reduce the incidence of BRD in beef-on-dairy calves? Some bovine veterinarians believe so. Dr. Dan Thomson shares four practices he says will serve these calves and the ag industry better.

Uterine torsions occur occasionally in cattle right before calving. It is an emergency situation to de-torse the uterus. Determine the direction of the torsion, whether it’s clockwise or counterclockwise.  

The Cryptosporidium parasite is endemic to even the tidiest dairy farms, and is especially threatening to calf health. But it can be kept at bay in the calf management system with one simple and consistent approach.

Weaning can be a stressful period for livestock and humans but making the extra effort to reduce stress on calves can lead to increased performance in the form of less illness and increased weight gain.

The state must "adopt rules and regulations concerning the confinement, care and treatment of breeding pigs and calves raised for veal," according to legislation signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy on Wednesday.

The 69th annual Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course in Bryan-College Station will offer some cutting-edge information and ranch technology, along with basic beef cattle production information.

Why do some of the best calves catch a cough, known as summer pneumonia? K-State experts discuss the disease and what ranchers can do to best mitigate an outbreak in their herd.

When going out to tag calves, most cow-calf producers would prefer to find a new bull calf. However, it's important to remember the extra options and opportunties heifer calves provide.

With temperatures rising from coast to coast, now is the time to wash and put away all of the calf jackets used over winter.

What dietary supplements are best for preweaned calf rations? Out of the literally hundreds from which to choose, do any of them really work?

Spring calving brings the promise of working calves and branding season. Each operation is set up differently with varying resources to work calves. How do you minimize cattle stress during this event?

Precision dairy technology isn’t just for cows. Autofeeders, activity monitors, and other emerging tools are making it possible to raise calves with the type of individual attention received by the calves of yesterday.

Calving is underway across the country, which means calf processing and branding (if applicable in your area) is just around the corner. Here's some things to remember heading into the season.

Ask 10 dairy producers what they believe is an effective vaccination program for calves, and you’ll likely get 10 unique answers. That’s OK, because there is no effective one-size-fits-all strategy.

Dairies have made great strides in managing colostrum, but about 14% of calves fail to get passive transfer of antibodies. There is still opportunity to improve upon this, encourages Sandra Godden, DVM.

Acidification of milk or milk replacer is a common practice for some calf raisers, with some studies showing it improves weight gain and fecal scores in calves.

Barry Whitworth, Oklahoma State University Extension veterinarian recommends cow-calf operators keep several doses of colostrum or colostrum replacer handy as calving season is underway in many parts of the country.

Plans for calving season should include how to identify and manage cold stress in newborns. Here's what you need to know.

It may not be a fancy cocktail, but accurate mixology is important for calf milk replacer, too.

Detecting respiratory disease in calves early – when treatment is most effective – should start by examining the head and facial features, according to veterinarian Tiago Tomazi with Merck Animal Health.

A management plan using clean calving pastures can help prevent direct contact between older calves and younger calves and minimize the potential for sickness to occur.

Calf scours results in sickness, poor performance, medical expenses and death. Here's a look at the complex disease and one management method found to decrease and even prevent transmission.

Raising an orphaned beef calf can be time consuming and may require additional expense. Additionally, calves may not be thriving at the time they are orphaned so managing health and nutrition can present challenges.

Caffeine may help stimulate at-risk calves that are the result of dystocia (difficult birth), hypothermia from being born in the cold, or being run down from a stressful event such as disease or transport. 

At approximately 90 to 120 days after calving, forage provides most of the calf’s nutrient requirements, which introduces a management decision: should I creep feed? 

While “high-risk” cattle are often given high levels of hay or forage to aid in the transition to a milled diet, a study at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researches ways to increase performance.

When baby calves are transported from their home dairy to a separate rearing site, they need support in multiple ways.

It has been well-documented that feeding preweaned calves on a higher plane of nutrition improves calf health and performance. However, providing calves more nutrients may also promote wound healing.

In the past, it was believed there was no point to give injectable respiratory vaccines before about 4 months of age, because they would be inactivated by maternal antibodies. A recent study proves that’s not the case.

Just like children letting off some steam on the playground, calves too could benefit from physical enrichment.

Decision-making for treating tough diseases in dairy calves is complex and challenging. Sometimes timely euthanasia is needed. More training and support for calf caretakers are needed in the process.

The third trimester is critical to calf development – like the final leg of a race – and cows need to be primed to reach the finish line.

Whether calves will be retained and backgrounded or sold shortly after weaning, it is important to consider the impacts of weaning strategies on calf health and performance.

University of Wisconsin animal welfare researcher Sarah Adcock addresses several considerations when using caustic paste to complete disbudding, as well as some drawbacks that could be improved upon.

After a typical birth the calf should breathe within 30 seconds of delivery, says Dr. Geof Smith, dairy technical services veterinarian for Zoetis. If it isn't, you need to intervene.

If you are experiencing a shortage in your straw supply, here are six bedding alternatives to consider.

Elizabeth Homerosky, DVM, Veterinary Agri-Health Services, set out to find how to quickly identify compromised calves and help predict whether they can acquire optimal passive immunity. She shares what she learned here.

Because newborn calves have very little body fat to help them stay warm, calf jackets can help them preserve energy, protect immunity and improve daily gain.

During periods of cold or wet weather, newborn calves (less than 2 days of age) should be checked every few hours with a thermometer and any calf with a below-normal temperature, even if it appears OK, should be warmed.

Projected value of gains for growing calves this winter are in the $1.35 to $1.40 per pound range and has the potential to go even higher based on projections for available feeder cattle numbers next spring.

Compared to Holsteins, is calving time with crossbreds more difficult in terms of calf weight, stillbirth, gestation length, or dystocia?

Effectively treating calves for scours could be as easy as feeding them something that virtually every dairy farm has on hand: colostrum.

And just like that, it’s time for fall processing. Let’s look closely at what to give weaning-aged calves for a leg-up in their next stage of life.     

America's dairy industry has been robust the last several decades. Now, larger average dairies are producing more beef-dairy crossbred calves that are much higher quality for producing beef.

Updates from the Dairy Cattle Welfare Symposium 2022

Monitoring calves’ body temperature is a critical metric to maintaining their health, and is especially valuable if temperature changes can be detected early.

While Lung Ultrasound is the cornerstone of any good Calf Herd Health Program, there are many other benefits to getting your herd vet in your calf barn on a regular basis.

Shrink is a concern because it reduces sales weight, but abnormal levels of shrink is often used as a health indicator for cattle arriving in receiving facilities at stocker operations, grow yards, and feedlots.