Latest News From Calf

Trace minerals are important to calves’ development, but these nutritional components can vary in source. It turns out some trace minerals are more palatable than others, resulting in differences in consumption.

Extra water – along with a possible electrolyte boost -- is never more important than in the heat of summer.

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?

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.   

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.

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,.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

As awareness of animal welfare grows, new methods of detecting and evaluating stress and pain in calves are being evaluated. Researchers are exploring heart rate variability as an accurate, non-invasive assessment tool.

The products contain alkalizing agents to help calves manage acidosis during diarrhea, along with water-soluble B-vitamins lost during dehydration.

Calves with a hydration status of less than 8% dehydrated and relatively normal mentation can be treated with oral fluid therapy. With severe dehydration – generally above 8% – you likely need to provide IV therapy.

If you sell your bull calves shortly after birth, it’s tempting to send them down the road with no colostrum. But those animals will be far better served if you take the time to get them the colostrum they need.

Even healthy calves can suffer dehydration in extremely hot weather.

The U.S. calf-raising sector now has a program to help ensure optimal calf health and welfare via the Calf Care & Quality Assurance (CCQA) program.

Cows are beginning to calve and some newborns are certain to be cold stressed. Getting those calves back to normal body temperatures as soon as possible will save some calves and increase the vigor of others.

Bovine veterinarian Andrea Lear says the therapy she chooses is based on the animal's age, degree of dehydration present as well as her clinical assessment.

Despite our best efforts at bull selection and heifer development, cows or heifers occasionally need assistance at calving time. Here are recommendations on when to provide calving assistance for cows and heifers.

A high level of crude protein helps support development of the gastrointestinal system, especially important as calves go through the weaning process.

Primary scours disease-causing agents include bacteria such as E. coli and clostridium, and viruses such as rota and corona, and typically more than one pathogen is involved.

Before you cut, evaluate whether the case you face is one you can correct outside the clinic with lasting success.

The most likely candidates for “inadequate” passive immunity are calves born to first calf two-year-old heifers. Calves with inadequate passive immunity remain at higher risk to illness prior to weaning.

Proper care for calves sets them up for a lifetime of success. Here's a curated collection of Bovine Veterinarian's top calf care tips from 2020.

We've rounded up the top 10 stories of the year as decided by you, our readers. Take a look back at these memorable stories on BovineVetOnline.com in 2020.

Resistance to disease is greatly dependent on antibodies or immunoglobulins. Passive immunity gives temporary protection by transfer of certain immune substances from resistant individuals.

A new vaccine just approved by the USDA in September promises to turn the tide against Epizootic Bovine Abortion.

Early life water consumption in calves both encourages starter grain intake, and enhances the rumen fermentation process to digest and convert it to valuable VFAs.

Successful transition from a milk-based diet to a diet of grain and forages requires proper rumen development.

It is important for cattle producers to take the time to observe newly weaned calves for the early stages of illness.

There are many different causes of abdominal distension as well as many possible predisposing underlying factors for those causes. Four practical steps can help you figure out individual cases you find on the farm.

Abomasal bloat is a frustrating, mysterious, and often acute disease that affects young preweaned dairy calves, sometimes literally overnight.

The common industry practice of feeding first-day colostrum and then switching calves directly to whole milk or milk replacer may be under review.

Veterinarians have at least eight options for doing a cesarean section (c-section) in cattle, but most rely on only one.