Calves

Stopping Flies in 2026: 4 Steps to Battling These Economic Pests

Wed, 06 May 2026 14:27:47 GMT

With fly season approaching, now is the time to evaluate and refine your fly management plan for 2026.

“Every year, stable and horn flies cause significant economic losses, but a good fly control program can minimize this impact,” says Cassandra Olds, Kansas State University Extension entomologist. “Although often grouped together, these are very different flies that need different control approaches.”

Dr. Ashby Green, Neogen senior technical services veterinarian, says, “If you are seeing flies, ticks, lice or insect damage to your cattle herd, we know there is an economic impact; however, that impact can become far greater than production or weight gain loss alone. Insect pressure affects grazing patterns of cattle; it affects their comfort and it can lead to health issues. Some of those health issues can be definite, such as anaplasmosis.”

The vectors responsible for spreading anaplasmosis include horse flies, stable flies and ticks. This condition has been reported in most states across the U.S., while the disease has been recognized as endemic throughout the South and several Midwestern and Western states.

Jonathan Cammack, Oklahoma State University assistant professor and state extension specialist, says, “With horn flies, we’re looking at mastitis risk, so that’s going to impact both dairy cattle and also our cow-calf operations. A lot of times, horn flies will feed on the udders of the animals, and they transfer the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria because they land on the manure, then they go back to the animal to feed and bring those bacteria with them.”

Several other conditions are propagated by flies, including pinkeye, which can be spread by face flies and causes inflammation and ulceration of the eyes. Pinkeye-affected calves are, on average, 35 lb. to 40 lb. lighter at weaning compared to healthy calves, according to a University of Kentucky report.

Cammack predicts flies are costing the U.S. cattle industry $6 billion annually in losses.

“That encompasses everything from actual loss in production due to decreased weight gain or decreased milk production, veterinary needs associated with treatment of cattle with exposure to pathogens from some of these insects, and then also the control measures associated with managing those individual fly species,” he explains.

David Boxler, Nebraska Extension livestock entomologist, says if previous control efforts underperformed, consider adjusting your approach.
“The best control method will depend on several factors including efficacy, cost, convenience and your current herd management practices,” he summarizes.

He also reminds producers that horn flies can migrate from neighboring untreated herds, masking the effectiveness of your efforts and increasing fly pressure. For this reason, Boxler recommends a comprehensive, integrated fly control.

Olds shares these tips for stopping flies, or at least reducing their impact:

Step 1: Know What You Have

“The first step in developing a good fly control program is knowing who you have,” Olds explains.

(Kansas State University)

Horn flies feed 20 to 30 times a day and stay associated with their chosen animal 24/7, with females only leaving briefly to lay eggs. Stable flies in contrast only feed once or twice a day, remaining on the host for a short period of time (3 to 5 minutes).

When not feeding, flies are resting in shaded areas such as building sides and vegetation. This short feeding time means producers often underestimate their stable fly burdens. While both flies affect pastured cattle, horn flies are not a problem in confined settings such as dairies and feedlots. This is because horn flies need fresh, undisturbed manure as a breeding site while stable flies can develop in any decaying plant matter such as hay bales, feed bunk spill over and decaying grass.

“Their populations can build rapidly and often exceed the economic injury level defined as 200 flies per animal,” Boxler adds about horn flies. “Once fly numbers surpass this threshold, cattle experience reduced weight gain and milk production due to fly-induced stress and altered grazing behavior.”

Step 2: Reduce Populations

Olds explains with either fly species, using non-insecticidal control methods is essential for slowing insecticide resistance. For horn flies, pasture burning in spring kills any flies overwintering, which can significantly reduce fly populations emerging as weather warms. A healthy dung beetle population will also significantly reduce your fly numbers for free.

“Dung beetles are very susceptible to macrocyclic lactones so avoid using injectable and pour-on avermectins (abamectin, eprinomectin, ivermectin etc.),” Olds says.
Because horn flies die within hours of being removed from cattle, non-chemical walk-through traps can be effective if animals pass through it regularly.

Step 3: Eliminate Breeding Grounds

Round hay bales result in significant wastage, which when mixed into the manure-contaminated mud around bales provides a prime breeding site for stable flies.
Olds explains each round bale can produce 200,000 stable flies.

“Reducing hay waste and spreading/drying areas around finished bales is key to reducing stable fly numbers,” she says. “In feedlots, minimizing feed spillage and waste is critical to remove breeding sites for stable and house flies.”

Parasitoid wasps are available from multiple sellers and should be released around fly breeding sites. These are very effective if released before fly populations emerge and released repeatedly through the fly season.

Be careful using insecticides if using parasitoid wasps as they are very small and sensitive to these chemicals. Keeping vegetation surrounding pen areas short and exposed will remove sheltered resting areas, making life more difficult for the flies.

Step 4: Consider Chemical Control Options

Olds stresses chemical control options should be used as a supplement not the basis of a fly control program.

(Kansas State University)

“For horn flies, insecticidal ear tags are an effective method of control if correct rotation is used,” she adds. “Rotate the chemical class of your tag annually, in year one using pyrethroid-based products, year two use organophosphate-based products and year three use macrocyclic lactone tags. Repeating this three-year cycle will reduce the selection pressure on the fly populations, slowing down the spread of resistance.”

Olds also shares these tips for effective tagging: “Tag both ears and place the tag directly into the ear. For the tag to be effective, it must come into direct contact with the animal’s skin, which is greatly reduced when daisy chained.”

Little of the tag touches the body when attached to another tag.

(Cassandra Olds, Kansas State University)

She also instructs producers not to tag young calves and adds mature bulls with thick necks might not benefit from tagging unless the tag can touch the skin.

“Although the box may label products as effective for four to five months, field trials have shown that tags only remain effective for 90 to 100 days,” Olds says. “If possible, wait until fly populations are noticeable before tagging animals to get control over peak fly activity period. After 90 days, remove the tag to reduce the risk of insecticide resistance developing.”

(Neogen)

To increase coverage, pour-ons of the same chemical class as the ear tag can be used to increase coverage.

“Be aware that a macrocyclic lactone pour-on will impact dung beetle populations,” Olds says. “Make sure animals are dosed accurately according to weight and ensure head to tail coverage. Due to their low contact time with the host and preference for the legs, topical insecticidal treatments are generally not useful against stable flies.”

Spraying the legs can provide some relief, although it should be used sparingly as most sprays are pyrethroid-based, not allowing for effective annual rotation. Baits and premise sprays can be useful in controlling both house and stable flies, look for areas where flies are found resting such as building walls, fence posts and inside sheds and shelters.

Another option is feed through insect growth regulators (IGRs) to control horn fly. Olds says it is important cattle consume the correct amount, which can be difficult under free-choice conditions.

“Under-dosing will result in resistance developing over time, reducing product efficacy,” she says. “Although labeled for stable fly control also, when manure containing the IGR is diluted in the mud and hay, it is no longer effective.”

Often marketed as dung beetle safe, Olds says evaluations of these claims in most species have not been carried out, and their true impact remains unknown.

“Insecticide resistance to IGRs can and does happen; to slow this, rotate annually between Methoprene-based (Group 7A) and diflubenzuron-based products (Group 15),” she adds.

The Veterinary Entomology website , veterinaryentomology.org/vetpestx, provides a searchable database that can help producers select the right products. Producers can select from type of animal, insect and application method.

“For on-animal use, select the best product to allow an annual rotation between pyrethroid (Group 3A), organophosphate (Group 1B) and macrocyclic lactone (Group 6) groups,” Olds says.

Green also recommends using a multi-pronged approach to insect control. He says fly tags, IGR products, pour-ons, back rubbers and dust bags can help diminish the population.

“Both back rubbers and dust bags can be highly effective if managed correctly,” Green advises. “Keep in mind, when these are put out to withstand the elements, including moisture and rain, it’s key to keep the dust fresh or the oil recharged in your back rubbers. Otherwise, they will diminish in their ability to control flies quickly.”

Cammack stresses the importance of accurate dosing by the individual animal’s weight and following label guidelines.

To best control flies and insects on cattle operations, “the easy and effective way is the best way,” Green summarizes. “It’s up to you and with the help of your veterinarian to help create that combination.”

BQA at the Chute: 10 Tips for Spring Calf Processing

Mon, 04 May 2026 13:52:42 GMT

Spring calf processing is a critical window for establishing herd immunity, but its success depends entirely on the details. By following Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) principles, producers can maximize vaccine efficacy and protect carcass value through precise needle selection, proper injection site placement and strict adherence to the “one-hour rule” for modified-live vaccines.

“It will soon be time to process spring-born calves, which brings up the topic of best management practices and following BQA principles for all treatments,” says Chris Clark, Iowa State University Extension and outreach beef specialist, in a recent Growing Beef Newsletter. “The overall concepts are pretty simple, but it takes attention to detail to get the most out of each treatment and to ensure our product is as safe, wholesome and palatable as possible.”

Clark shares these 10 simple reminders for spring processing:

Follow label directions for all treatments, including injections, implants, pour-ons, insecticide ear tags, etc.
Administer all subcutaneous and intramuscular injections in front of the shoulder in the injection site triangle of the neck.
Select the appropriate needle diameter and length based on the weight of the animals being treated, viscosity of products being injected and routes of administration. Needles should be small enough to minimize tissue damage but large enough to prevent bending and breaking. The diameter should be appropriate for the viscosity of the product, and the length should be appropriate for the route of administration. For young calves weighing less than 300 pounds, 18-gauge needles are reasonable for most vaccines. For subcutaneous injections, ½ inch to ¾ inch needle length should work well, and for intramuscular injections, ¾ inch to 1 inch needle length should be appropriate. Keep in mind the greater the needle gauge, the smaller the diameter and vice versa.

Recommended needle size based on animal weight, viscosity of product and route of administration.
(BQA Field Guide)
Practice injection technique and pay attention to the angle of injection and the feel of the needle within the tissue. Subcutaneous injections should be applied at approximately 45 degrees to the body and intramuscular injections should be applied at approximately 90 degrees to the body. With experience, you can learn to feel whether you are in that subcutaneous space or whether you have entered the underlying muscle.
Change needles frequently. At a minimum, needles should be changed every 10 to 15 head. Additionally, a new needle should always be applied before refilling a syringe and any bent or burred needles should be immediately replaced.
For reusable syringes, clean well after each use by thoroughly rinsing with hot water. Refrain from using soaps and disinfectants because residues of these substances can damage vaccines and reduce vaccine efficacy.
Handle vaccines with care. When using modified live vaccines, mix only what you can use in an hour. Keep vaccines at steady, reasonable temperatures and take care to avoid freezing, excessive heat and exposure to UV light. Reconstitute modified live vaccines with sterile transfer needles and roll or invert gently to mix rather than shaking vigorously.
When possible, choose subcutaneous routes of administration over intramuscular routes. Some products are labeled to be given either way and when you have the choice, choose subcutaneous. Any insertion of a needle or injection of a substance into muscle tissue will cause tissue damage, potentially impacting the quality of that product.
Document complete processing/treatment records, including animal or group identification, treatment date, products administered, withdrawal times, earliest date animals would clear withdrawal times, dose administered, route of administration, name of person administering drugs and any prescription information.
Do not mix different vaccines or drugs in the same syringe or use a syringe to administer different products without washing in between. Try to place injections at least 4 inches apart from other injections to avoid product mixing/interaction within animal tissue.

Stop the Guesswork: Build a Targeted Parasite Plan

Mon, 04 May 2026 13:51:51 GMT

As grass greens up and cattle head back to pasture, many producers are “throwing darts in an open field” when it comes to parasite control, says Tennessee Hereford breeder Ryan Proffitt.

The real-world frustration of deworming programs is knowing if they are working, Proffitt says.

Norbrook Technical Services Veterinarian Megan Bollin explains fecal egg count testing, targeted treatment, concurrent deworming, maintaining refugia and smarter pasture management can turn parasite control guesswork into a targeted plan that protects herd health, preserves dewormer efficacy and ultimately adds pounds to the calf crop.

Both Bollin and Proffitt agree a pragmatic roadmap for modern parasite control is anchored in diagnostics, targeted treatment and strong relationships with veterinarians.

Bollin shares five practical strategies to get the most out of today’s dewormers and preserve them for tomorrow:

1. Sit Down with Your Vet.

She encourages producers to map out a herd‑specific internal and external parasite plan with diagnostics built in.

“Your local vet should be your key partner in designing a program that fits your parasites, climate and management style,” Bollin says.

2. Use the Right Product at the Right Time.

Use the correct class, correct dose and consider concurrent deworming when resistance is a known issue. Your local veterinarian can guide you on proper treatment timing to avoid wasting money.

3. Manage Pastures with Parasites in Mind.

Bollin says pasture management is as important as treatment. Pasture type, quality, topography and drainage should all be considered in your plan, knowing we can’t always do much to change them.

“Only about 10% of the parasite life cycle is in the animal; 90% is on pasture,” she says.

Larvae generally stay below 4” on the grass blade. She says it is important to avoid overgrazing pastures below this height and manage stocking density accordingly.

“When you get a big rain after a drought, the larvae that had been waiting in the manure pats can quickly become infective and significantly increase the risk of infection, especially in young calves,” she says.

4. Prioritize High-Risk Animals.

Calves, stockers, bulls and replacements should be prioritized with the strictest parasite control and monitoring programs.

“Calves, replacement heifers and bulls are typically heavier shedders and more susceptible to the effects of parasites than mature cows,” Bollin explains.

Proffitt notes that many producers historically concentrate on keeping mature cows dewormed while underestimating calves’ role as carriers.

“We don’t need to, and shouldn’t be, treating every animal like we always have,” Bollin adds. “That has gotten us in a pickle with resistance.”

5. Measure and Adjust Treatment.

Bollin says it is important to know where you started. Get a baseline fecal egg count, understand your resistance patterns and monitor the efficacy of your treatment program. So many variables change from year to year: climate, weather conditions, new animals and other stressors. It’s critical to routinely evaluate your deworming program and avoid blindly doing the same thing year after year.

(Proffitt Family)

Diagnostics Are Essential, Not Optional

Fecal egg count reduction tests (FECRTs) are the most practical method we have to determine if dewormers are still working and at what level.

Bollin explains the process includes:

Collecting rectal fecal samples and recording identification.
Treating animals with product or products of choice.
Resampling the same animals by taking rectal fecal samples, 10 to 17 days later, depending on the drug or drugs used.

The lab will count how many eggs per gram are in that fecal sample. There will be a pretreatment and a posttreatment sample. Bollin says the goal should be greater than 95% reduction.

Proffitt argues FECRTs are worth the hassle.

“If we don’t have a game plan on what we’re doing and we’re just rushing,” he says. “What did we win at the end of the day if we don’t know what we’re doing?”

Proffitt says testing tells him which cows he can skip treating, which saves him money.

Bollin explains in many cases mature cows 3 years and older, shedding low levels of eggs, on a good plane of nutrition, with no other stressors or health concerns (including liver flukes), should not need to be dewormed.

“This supports ‘refugia’ — intentionally leaving low-risk animals untreated to slow resistance,” she explains. “Because they’re mature, they’ve got a competent immune system that can actually fight off these parasites by themselves without a dewormer.”

To reduce costs further, Bollin says producers can pool fecal samples from multiple cows into a single submission.

(Deb Gustafson)

Beating Parasite Resistance Starts at the Chute

Bollin says dewormer resistance, long documented in sheep and goats, is being seen more frequently in U.S. cattle herds.

She says overuse, underdosing and treating every animal regardless of need are major drivers in resistance.

“All of these deworming products, when they were originally approved, had very high levels of efficacy. We’re talking 99% and above,” Bollin explains. “As we’ve continually used these products, efficacy has been challenged because resistance has increased.”

If you’re using products that are no longer effective in your herd, you’re spending money on drugs that don’t work, and you’re not getting the production benefits. One way to restore efficacy when resistance is present is to use concurrent deworming.

Why Concurrent Deworming Matters

Bollin says concurrent deworming is using two dewormers from different classes at the same time. She stresses producers need to work with a veterinarian to avoid unknowingly pairing two products from the same class, which doesn’t provide the intended benefit.

She explains the benefits of concurrent deworming are:

· Higher overall efficacy when two partially effective products are combined. “Say you’ve got two products, for example, each with 70% efficacy. By using them together, you can raise your overall efficacy to levels exceeding 90%,” she says.

· Broader spectrum of parasite coverage.

· Models would suggest a slowing of resistance.

· Only sustainable long-term when used in conjunction with a refugia program. This means we don’t treat every animal. We want to keep a few “good” worms around that are still susceptible to the drug.

Bollin gives the example of pairing a benzimidazole, or a “white dewormer,” such as fenbendazole, albendazole or oxfendazole, with a macrocyclic lactone such as ivermectin, moxidectin or eprinomectin.

She emphasizes the industry unfortunately doesn’t have a lot of studies looking at this, but a study published in 2025 highlighted the benefits of concurrent treatment with fenbendazole in situations where resistance to macrocyclic lactones is likely.

Dung Beetles Are Valuable Allies

Dung beetles break up manure pats, exposing eggs and larvae to sunshine and dry conditions. Some dewormers are more compatible with dung beetle health.

“Two of the dewormers that are not harmful are moxidectin and fenbendazole,” Bollin says. “Those are two molecules that are generally safe for dung beetles, and those could be a good option to pair together.”

Facility where researchers collect blood samples and weigh cattle before and after they are transported. Steers have painted numbers on their backs so their activity can be followed on camera.

(Stephanie Hansen)

Application Technique and Dosing Accuracy Matter

Bollin says accurate body weights, not visual estimates, are critical, explaining underdosing is a key driver of resistance.

“One of the biggest contributors to resistance is that we are just not giving them enough active ingredient,” she says. “If you don’t have scales, it is best to treat to the heaviest body weight in the group, so that you make sure that they’re all getting enough.”

She also stresses the importance of storing deworming products correctly.

“Leaving them by the chute in temperature swings can reduce efficacy,” she says.

Proffitt also reminds producers to read labels and understand rain windows with pour-ons and to avoid mud or manure on hides. Bollin notes that injectables can provide more certainty that the animal is getting the full dose, whereas oral drenches can be spit out and pour-ons can run off or be groomed off by penmates.

Both Bollin and Proffitt frame parasite control not as one more chore on an overloaded to-do list but rather as a strategic, data-driven opportunity to protect animal health, slow resistance and convert good management into pounds sold.

Your Next Read:

Determine Parasite Load and Follow With Treatment

Clearing the Air About Ammonia in Calf Hutches

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:52:43 GMT

Most calf hutches look fine from the outside. But what’s happening inside the hutch, especially at calf level, is not always as obvious.

When wet bedding and manure break down, they release ammonia. In hutches, it builds up right where calves are breathing. Even at fairly low levels, it can affect intake, growth and overall performance.

During a recent episode of The Dairy Podcast Show, David Casper, a dairy nutritionist and owner of Casper’s Calf Ranch in Illinois, explains how ammonia develops in calf hutches and what it means from a management standpoint.

Airflow is a Strength

Calf hutches continue to be widely used across dairies because they naturally provide strong ventilation and keep calves in individual spaces that are easy to manage. They also offer flexibility as herds grow and do not require the same level of infrastructure as enclosed barns.

“In my opinion, the hutch would still be the gold standard as far as having the best environmental quality you could have, especially air quality, and not have to deal with ventilation problems,” Casper says.

Even so, ammonia can increase as bedding becomes damp. By the time it’s noticeable, calves have already been exposed.

“When we started using soy hulls, I started noticing ammonia in the hutches,” Casper says. “I could smell it and really picked up on it. And that’s when we started getting concerned.”

That realization prompted a closer look at ammonia levels in hutches and how they relate to calf growth and health.

Measuring Ammonia

To better understand the issue, Casper evaluated ammonia levels in 90 calf hutches. Calves were placed in alternating hutches assigned to either a control or treatment group, and ammonia was measured weekly.

“Once a week, we come through with a personal ammonia detector that’s digital, and we would turn that with the measuring system face down on the bedding,” he says. “After 30 seconds, you get a stable reading, and that was the ammonia reading in the hutch.”

Control hutches averaged about 10 parts per million, while treated hutches averaged around 1.5 parts per million, an 85% reduction.

“We actually reduced the ammonia levels in the hutches by 85%,” Casper says.

That difference was significat, as performance challenges can begin once ammonia exceeds about 4 to 6 parts per million.

“Basically the range is four to six parts per million,” he says. “Above that, you will actually start seeing performance losses or performance challenges.”

Ammonia levels varied widely between hutches. Wetter bedding, scours and older calves were all associated with higher readings.

“Some hutches would have values up to 100 parts per million and other ones would be very low,” Casper says.

Ammonia also tended to increase later in the preweaning period as calves consumed more starter.

“For our studies, week seven and eight were probably the higher ammonia readings,” Casper says. “The first week had almost no ammonia readings because they’re on freshly bedded straw and fecal output is very minimal.”

Impact on Calf Growth

Lower ammonia levels were also tied to better performance. Calves in lower ammonia environments gained more weight during the preweaning period.

“We actually picked up on a growth response as well,” Casper says. “We got .14 pounds more average daily gain.”

Milk feeding remained the same, pointing to differences in intake and environment.

“The calves that were in the lower ammonia levels in the hutches ate more calf starter and had better growth rates,” he says.

Calves in lower ammonia hutches also showed greater increases in heart girth, indicating more overall body development.

Managing Ammonia in the Hutch

While most dairies are not measuring ammonia regularly, several management areas influence how much builds up in hutches.

Bedding is the biggest driver. Keeping bedding dry and well maintained helps limit ammonia. Deep straw provides insulation and absorbs moisture, but it needs to be refreshed regularly, especially later in the preweaning period.

“A calf can take a lot of cold weather if they’ve got deep straw bedding that they can nest down into and stay warm,” Casper says.

Moisture control is also important. Hutches with scours or poor drainage tend to have higher ammonia levels, so identifying problem hutches early can help target extra bedding or cleanout.

Smell is another indicator. If ammonia is noticeable when checking calves, levels are already elevated.

Timing matters as well. Ammonia tends to increase as calves get older and consume more starter, so bedding management often needs to be more aggressive in the later weeks before weaning.

A few practical hutch-specific steps producers can use include:

Add fresh straw more often in the back third of the hutch, where moisture tends to build first
Pull wet bedding away from the calf’s resting area instead of just layering on top
Pay close attention to hutches with scouring calves and re-bed them first
Check bedding depth at the calf level, not just at the front entrance of the hutch
Clean or fully reset hutches between groups when possible to reduce carryover moisture

Paying attention to these areas can help keep ammonia levels lower and support more consistent calf performance through the preweaning period.

Hidden Pneumonia in Calves: Why More Dairies Use Ultrasound to Catch Respiratory Disease Early

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:06:17 GMT

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains one of the most common and costly health challenges in preweaned dairy calves. The challenge is that many cases develop long before calves show visible symptoms.

“By the time calves show obvious clinical signs of respiratory disease, lung damage may already be present,” says Aerica Bjurstrom, regional dairy educator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “That’s why tools that help us detect pneumonia earlier can make a big difference in calf health and long-term performance.”

Traditional diagnosis relies on symptoms such as coughing, nasal discharge, or elevated temperature. But these signs often appear late in the disease process. In many cases, calves may look completely healthy while still carrying lung infections.

This form of illness, known as subclinical pneumonia, can reduce growth, feed efficiency and even future milk production.

“The lungs can really act as an indicator organ,” Bjurstrom explains. “Respiratory disease often reflects larger management challenges, such as poor colostrum intake, nutrition issues, or environmental stress.”

The Hidden Pneumonia Problem

Research has shown that pneumonia often develops days before visible symptoms appear.

“Ultrasound allows us to see what’s happening inside the lung tissue, even when the calf looks normal from the outside,” Bjurstrom says. “In many cases, pneumonia can be present for days before any clinical signs appear.”

Studies suggest that 50% to 80% of pneumonia cases may remain subclinical for 7 to 14 days before producers notice symptoms. That delay can allow lung damage to progress before treatment begins.

“Sometimes calves with severe pneumonia don’t show obvious symptoms,” Bjurstrom says. “But an ultrasound exam can reveal lung lesions that tell us the disease is already present.”

How Lung Ultrasound Works

Lung ultrasonography allows veterinarians to examine calf lungs in real time using portable ultrasound equipment.

A normal lung appears air-filled on the scan and produces horizontal white lines that move with each breath. These lines indicate healthy lung tissue.

Changes in the image can reveal early disease.

“Comet tails are bright vertical lines that extend down from the lung surface,” Bjurstrom says. “A few may be normal, but severe or diffuse comet tailing can suggest interstitial disease caused by fluid or inflammation within the lung.”

More advanced disease appears as lung consolidation, where portions of the lung fill with inflammatory material instead of air. On ultrasound, these areas appear as solid gray regions.

Veterinarians often use a 0 to 5 lung scoring system to evaluate severity.

“This scoring system helps identify disease before calves begin coughing or showing nasal discharge,” Bjurstrom says. “Early detection allows for earlier treatment and better outcomes.”

Dr. Ollivett demonstrates positioning for thoracic ultrasound scanning on a calf’s right lung.

(Denise Garlow, University of Wisconsin)

Why Early Detection Matters

Even when calves show no visible symptoms, lung damage can affect their long-term performance.

In one study of more than 600 Holstein heifers, calves with lung consolidation detected at weaning were less likely to become pregnant and more likely to leave the herd before first calving.

Another study found calves with significant lung lesions in the first eight weeks of life produced 1,155 pounds less milk during their first lactation.

“These findings highlight why early detection matters,” Bjurstrom says. “Subclinical disease can still influence growth, reproduction, and milk production later in life.”

Improving Treatment Outcomes

Early detection can also make treatment more effective.

“When pneumonia is caught earlier, treatment tends to work better,” Bjurstrom explains. “We’re able to intervene before the disease becomes severe and causes permanent lung damage.”

Ultrasound can also help veterinarians monitor recovery.

“That monitoring aspect is important,” she says. “It helps ensure calves are improving and reduces unnecessary retreatment.”

A Management Tool for Farms

Beyond diagnosis, lung ultrasound is increasingly used as a herd management tool.

“Ultrasound gives producers objective information about lung health,” Bjurstrom says. “That can help guide decisions about treatment, culling, or adjusting weaning timing for calves that may need more time to recover.”

Regular scanning can also reveal herd-level trends tied to management practices.

“When used consistently, ultrasound becomes a benchmarking tool,” Bjurstrom says. “It can help farms evaluate colostrum programs, ventilation, sanitation, and other factors that influence calf health.”

A Growing Tool in Calf Health Programs

Portable ultrasound units have become more accessible and easier to use, making them more common in calf health programs. With proper training, scanning a calf’s lungs typically takes less than a minute.

“The equipment requires an initial investment, but the information it provides can be incredibly valuable,” Bjurstrom says. “Earlier detection can lead to better management decisions, improved calf growth, and fewer losses.”

As dairy farms continue adopting more data-driven management practices, lung ultrasound is giving producers a new way to detect disease sooner and protect the long-term potential of their calves.

“Lung ultrasound helps us move beyond waiting for visible symptoms,” Bjurstrom says. “It allows producers and veterinarians to identify problems earlier and take action before long-term damage occurs.”

Thoracic Ultrasound is Changing How We Detect Pneumonia in Calves

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:11:50 GMT

“If you don’t use lung ultrasound, you won’t catch a lot of pneumonia cases,” says Sebastián Umaña Sedó, assistant professor of production management medicine, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech.

That statement reflects a growing reality in calf health, and it is backed by field data.

In a new multistate dataset presented by Umaña Sedó of 357 dairy calves across 34 farms in Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, roughly 30% of calves showed some form of respiratory disease between 22 and 60 days of age. Clinical pneumonia and subclinical pneumonia occurred at nearly identical rates, each accounting for about 10% to 11% of cases.

This is a substantial portion of pneumonia occurring in calves that would appear normal during routine observation.

Why Health Scoring Alone Isn’t Enough

Subclinical pneumonia often goes undetected because calves can appear healthy despite significant lung lesions. Standard respiratory scoring systems remain useful, but they have a critical blind spot.

“Clinical pneumonia is when we have a positive health score and positive ultrasound … subclinical pneumonia is when the health score is negative but the ultrasound is positive,” Umaña Sedó says, emphasizing that ultrasound is essential to identify subclinical cases. Calves can pass a health exam and still have meaningful lung pathology.

“If you do a health score on one calf, you might say the calf is healthy, but in reality it has a compromised lung. So there can be a disassociation between what you see clinically and what is actually happening in the lung,” he explains.

This gap between appearance and pathology allows disease to progress unnoticed, often until treatment becomes more difficult and more costly.

The Real Cost of Delayed Detection

Missed or late-detected pneumonia carries real economic consequences, even when cases are eventually treated.

“A case of pneumonia is around $300, and this is just the first treatment. Most of these animals need two treatments,” Umaña Sedó says.

In addition to direct treatment costs, delayed pneumonia detection is associated with higher retreatment rates, increased antimicrobial use and reduced growth and future productivity. At the same time, subclinical cases may go undetected entirely, quietly impacting performance without ever being formally diagnosed.

What Thoracic Ultrasound Changes

Thoracic ultrasound addresses this gap by allowing veterinarians to assess the lung directly rather than relying solely on outward signs.

“It really helped to change the health of these calves by detecting pneumonia way earlier,” Umaña Sedó says.

With ultrasound, practitioners can:

Detect lung consolidation earlier
Differentiate upper versus lower respiratory disease
Identify cases that actually require antimicrobial treatment
Monitor response to therapy

This shift enables earlier, more precise and more confident intervention.

Set Ultrasound Benchmarks

As adoption increases, thoracic ultrasound is moving beyond diagnosis and becoming a tool for herd-level monitoring and decision-making.

Umaña Sedó highlights practical Wean Clean benchmarks set forth by The Dairyland Initiative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that farms can use to evaluate their respiratory programs:

At the start of weaning: Fewer than 15% of calves should have evidence of pneumonia
At first treatment: Fewer than 15% of calves should have advanced lung lesions (score greater than 3)
→ Higher levels suggest disease is being detected too late
7 to 10 days after treatment: Fewer than 15% of calves should still show significant lesions (score greater than 2)
→ Higher levels may indicate treatment failure or relapse

Together, these benchmarks provide a way to evaluate both timing and effectiveness of intervention.

How to Start Using Ultrasound On-Farm

For many operations, implementation begins with a simple, targeted approach.

“The way I started with this was scanning animals that were not getting better … and then showing the producer what we were finding and how treatment could change based on that,” Umaña Sedó explains.

That initial step helps demonstrate value quickly and builds confidence in the tool.

“You start with a few animals, and as you get results, you can expand — scan 10 to 12 calves every week and follow them through weaning,” he suggests.

One structured approach is the 12 × 7 strategy, which involves beginning scans at seven days of age, evaluating a group of 12 calves and repeating that process every seven days. Over time, this helps identify when calves are most at risk and supports more proactive management.

From Better Decisions to Proactive Care

Thoracic ultrasound is not only improving how pneumonia is detected; it is also reshaping how treatment decisions are made.

“Right now, we’re treating some of those cases with anti-inflammatories instead of antimicrobials, because we’re scanning constantly and we have that data,” Umaña Sedó says.

By distinguishing true pneumonia from upper respiratory disease, ultrasound allows for more targeted antimicrobial use, reduces unnecessary treatments and better aligns calf health programs with antimicrobial stewardship goals.

More broadly, thoracic ultrasound reflects a shift in how calf respiratory disease is managed. Instead of reacting to visible illness, veterinarians can detect disease earlier, better understand its true prevalence within a herd and continuously refine treatment protocols based on real data.

In doing so, they are not just improving detection, but redefining what effective pneumonia management looks like.

Rethinking BRD Risk as Bovine Coronavirus Shows Up in Pen Air

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:26:00 GMT

Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) has long been associated with both enteric and respiratory disease in calves, but how it moves through a group has remained less clear. A new study published in JDS Communications provides evidence that infected calves can release viral RNA into the air through normal breathing, raising important questions about the role of shared airspace in transmission.

The findings shift the conversation from strictly contact-based spread toward a more complex picture where air within a pen may contribute to disease dynamics.

Detecting the Virus in the Air Calves Breathe

Researchers conducted the study using group-housed calves in a commercial-style setting collecting repeated air samples within pens alongside exhaled breath samples from individual animals over the study period. Using PCR testing, they detected BCoV RNA both in pen air and in the breath of calves. Calves whose breath samples tested positive for BCoV also tested positive via nasal swab.

Bovine coronavirus breath sample collection from calves was performed using a soft-sided chamber onto gelatin filters at varying distances (1, 2, 3).

(JDS Communications (2026). DOI: 10.3168/jdsc.2026-1019)

This confirms infected animals are not just contaminating surfaces or infecting penmates through close contact. They are also releasing viral RNA into the surrounding air during exhalation.

Importantly, pen air samples were collected under real-world housing conditions rather than controlled laboratory settings, making the findings directly relevant to commercial calf operations.

What This Means for BRD Transmission

The presence of viral RNA in air does not prove infectious virus is being transmitted over distance. However, it does demonstrate BCoV can become aerosolized and be present within shared airspace. In practical terms, this suggests calves may be exposed to viral material simply by breathing the same air as infected penmates.

This is particularly relevant in group housing systems where:

Air exchange may be limited
Calves are stocked at higher densities
Pathogen load can accumulate over time

Taken together, these conditions create an environment where airborne exposure could contribute to overall disease pressure, even if it is not the sole route of transmission.

Reframe Bovine Respiratory Disease Risk

Bovine coronavirus is already recognized as part of the broader bovine respiratory disease complex. What this study adds is a potential mechanism that could contribute to how respiratory pathogens move within a group, even when direct contact appears limited.

This reinforces the need to think beyond individual animal interactions and focus on the environment those animals share.

Key risk factors to revisit include:

Ventilation effectiveness, not just the presence of airflow
Air mixing patterns within pens and barns
Stocking density, particularly in enclosed spaces
Humidity and temperature, which influence aerosol persistence

Air quality has long been a cornerstone of respiratory disease prevention. This work strengthens the idea that it may also influence how viral material is distributed within a barn.

Not Proof, but a Meaningful Step

The authors note the study detected viral RNA, not live infectious virus. That distinction is important. Detecting RNA confirms viral material is present and moving through the air, but it does not confirm calves are becoming infected through that route.

Even so, the findings provide a foundation for future research aimed at determining whether airborne BCoV is infectious and under what conditions transmission is most likely to occur. For now, the study demonstrates that aerosolization is biologically plausible and likely occurring in commercial settings.

Practical Implications for the Field

While more research is needed to fully define the role of airborne transmission, the immediate takeaway is straightforward. Airspace should be treated as a shared risk factor, not just a background condition.

That means revisiting basic management questions:

Is ventilation removing stale air or simply redistributing it?
Are calves exposed to consistent airflow or pockets of stagnant air?
Does stocking density allow for adequate air exchange per animal?

Improvements in these areas can reduce overall pathogen load and may help limit the spread of respiratory viruses within a group.

For operations struggling with recurring respiratory disease, this research offers a useful lens. The challenge may not only be which pathogens are present, but how they are distributed through the environment. Recognizing air as a potential pathway of exposure supports prevention strategies built around ventilation, stocking density and environmental control.

Calf Survival Tips For Before, During and After Birth

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:13:09 GMT

Most discussions around calf loss begin at calving. But by then, much of the outcome has already been set in motion.

Across veterinary perspectives from different production environments, a consistent picture emerges. Calf outcomes are shaped over time, influenced by a series of decisions and conditions that build on one another.

It is important to note these patterns may look different depending on region — whether driven by cold stress, heat, drought or mud. The underlying process, however, remains consistent across systems.

Before Birth: Build Resilience Early

Calf outcomes begin to take shape during gestation. Nutrition, stress and overall maternal management all contribute to how the calf develops before it is ever born.

“Poor nutrition of the cow is a stress on the fetus … any stress on the cow can affect the development of the placenta and also of the calf,” says Dr. Katie Waine, veterinary pathologist at the University of Calgary. “Maternal stress around breeding and pregnancy can also have much longer-term effects on calf health, production and reproductive performance way off into the future.”

This concept, known as fetal programming, highlights how early conditions influence organ development, immune function and long-term performance. Calves may appear normal at birth while still benefiting from stronger developmental foundations established during gestation.

Key risk factors before birth include:

Inadequate maternal nutrition or poor body condition
Environmental or physiological stress during gestation
Inconsistent feed quality
Health challenges
Gaps in vaccination or biosecurity planning

Nutritional management during gestation plays a central role in setting the foundation for calf health. Cows entering calving in appropriate body condition are better positioned to support both fetal growth and colostrum quality. Reducing stress during pregnancy further supports placental function and fetal development. Consistent feed quality, stable environments and proactive health management all contribute to a stronger starting point for the calf.

At Birth: Support a Strong Transition

Calving represents a key opportunity to support the calf’s transition into early life. While it can reveal existing vulnerabilities, it also provides a chance to reinforce resilience.

“The effects of a difficult calving don’t stop at birth — they carry forward into immunity, vigor and overall survivability,” says Dr. Lisa Freeze, field veterinarian supervisor with the Government of New Brunswick.

A smooth calving process helps calves stand, nurse and absorb colostrum more effectively. Timely intervention when needed can prevent minor challenges from becoming larger setbacks.

“When calves are delayed during calving or we have to intervene late, they’re already starting life at a disadvantage,” Freeze says.

Key risk factors at birth include:

Prolonged or difficult calving (dystocia)
Delayed standing or nursing
Inadequate or delayed colostrum intake
Early-life stress or trauma

Focusing on calving ease, monitoring progress and ensuring early colostrum intake all support a stronger start. These early actions directly influence immune transfer and overall vigor.

“What we see with the sickness and death of calves all depends on how much pathogen they get exposed to and how resistant they are to it,” says Dr. Van Mitchell of Metzger Veterinary Services.

Supporting resistance through colostrum and minimizing early stress helps calves respond effectively to their environment.

After Birth: Manage Exposure and Reinforcing Success

After birth, management focuses on maintaining the balance between exposure and resistance. Even well-prepared calves benefit from environments that support their continued development.

In practical settings, multiple factors often interact. Recognizing these interactions allows producers to stay ahead of potential challenges.

“It’s rarely just one thing. A calf that struggles at birth, doesn’t get enough colostrum, and then is exposed to a challenging environment — those risks stack on top of each other,” says Dr. Allison Pylypjuk of Beausejour Animal Hospital.

Dr. Lauren Wilson of Peterborough Veterinary Services agrees: “Those calves that don’t receive adequate colostrum are much more susceptible to disease, and when you combine that with environmental exposure, that’s when we start to see problems like scours and pneumonia.”

The same principle applies in a positive direction. When calves receive timely colostrum, experience minimal stress at birth and are raised in clean environments, those advantages build as well.

Key risk factors after birth include:

High pathogen load in calving or housing areas
Overcrowding or poor stocking density
Mixing age groups, especially older calves with newborns
Delayed identification and isolation of sick animals

Clean calving areas, appropriate stocking density and thoughtful grouping strategies help limit pathogen exposure. These practices support calves as they continue to develop immunity and resilience.

“We can eliminate a lot of exposure to the pathogens by keeping our calving areas clean, keeping the sick animals away,” Mitchell says.

Managing these factors helps maintain momentum established earlier, allowing calves to continue on a positive trajectory.

A Proactive Approach to Calf Survival

Viewing calf outcomes as a cumulative process creates more opportunities for intervention. Each stage — before birth, at calving and after birth — offers a chance to support the calf’s success.

Rather than focusing only on problems after they appear, this approach emphasizes building resilience early and reinforcing it over time. The goal is not to eliminate all challenges, but to create conditions where calves are better prepared to respond. Consistent management, early attention and thoughtful decision-making all contribute to improved outcomes.

Calf survival is not determined in a single moment. It develops step by step, shaped by a series of actions that build on one another from gestation through early life.

Using the D.A.R.T. Method to Identify Smoke-Stressed Calves

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:27:31 GMT

Wildfires occurring in western and central Nebraska mirror a broader trend of increasing wildfire frequency and magnitude across the western U.S. While the immediate impacts of wildfire are devastating to beef production and rural communities, the effects of wildfire smoke may also pose risks to both human and animal health.

“In the weeks and months following a wildfire event, producers should remain vigilant and monitor calves for signs of respiratory disease or illness,” explains Brock Ortner, Nebraska extension livestock system educator .

Combustion of biomass during wildfires produces carbon dioxide and water vapor but also generates ash, a mixture of inorganic compounds. Of particular concern is ultrafine particulate matter (less than 2.5 microns), which can travel deep into the lung alveoli and enter the bloodstream. In humans, these particles have been associated with inflammation and oxidative stress.

Limited research has examined wildfire smoke exposure in cattle. However, work conducted by Ranches and others (2021) in a small group of Simmental × Jersey calves reported increased concentrations of cortisol, an indicator of stress, following exposure to smoke from a wildfire approximately 10 miles away from the study site. In the same study, concentrations of ceruloplasmin, a marker of systemic inflammation, were elevated following the wildfire event. Antibodies including IgM and IgA were also increased, suggesting activation of the immune system.

Physiological stress and inflammation can negatively affect cattle performance and immune function. When immune defenses are compromised, calves may become more susceptible to respiratory pathogens. In the development of bovine respiratory disease (BRD), opportunistic bacterial pathogens — including Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, Histophilus somni and Mycoplasma bovis — are normally present at low levels in healthy calves. However, when viral infection or physiological stress suppresses immune function, these bacteria can proliferate in the respiratory tract, leading to morbidity, reduced performance and potentially death.

Because stressors, such as wildfire smoke, may increase disease susceptibility, monitoring calves closely for early signs of illness is important. One practical approach is the D.A.R.T. method, which helps producers identify calves that may require further evaluation.

D — Depression:
Observe calf posture and behavior. Droopy ears or head carriage, lethargy, increased time spent lying down and separation from pasture mates may indicate illness. Because cattle are prey animals and tend to hide sickness, subtle behavioral differences may only become apparent after calves become accustomed to your presence.

A — Appetite:
Reduced appetite — whether at the feed bunk or during nursing—can indicate a health challenge. On pasture, reduced gut fill relative to herdmates may also signal decreased intake.

R — Respiration:
Healthy cattle typically take 10 to 30 breaths per minute. Increased respiratory rate, shallow breathing, or abnormal sounds such as coughing or raspy breathing may indicate respiratory disease. Nasal discharge or excessive eye secretions may also accompany illness.

T — Temperature:
Rectal temperatures of approximately 103.5 to 104.0 degrees Fahrenheit or greater are indicative of fever and warrant further attention.

Early detection and treatment of sick calves improve the likelihood of recovery and helps reduce performance losses associated with respiratory disease. Extra vigilance and responsiveness may mitigate negative health outcomes in the weeks and months following wildfire smoke exposure.

Your Next Read:
Tips for Care Following Wildfire

Does Every Calf Need a Gallon of Colostrum? Not Necessarily

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 22:04:44 GMT

For years, feeding a gallon of colostrum shortly after birth has been considered the gold standard for calf care. It’s simple, easy to remember and straightforward to train employees to follow. But today’s calves don’t all look the same. With more variation in size, some researchers are asking whether the same volume makes sense for every newborn.

During a recent “Dairy Health Blackbelt” podcast, Dr. Sabine Mann, associate professor at Cornell University, revisited the research behind that long-standing recommendation.

“One of the questions I have gotten frequently is, why are we feeding all calves a gallon of colostrum?” she says. “It’s a pretty widespread management strategy in the U.S. And if you try to dig into the literature of why that came about, there’s actually not that much evidence that that is the best approach for every calf.”

She notes that for an average 85- to 90-pound calf, four liters is probably appropriate. But not every calf falls into that range. When birthweights vary, feeding the same volume across the board may not always match what each individual calf truly needs.

Putting the Gallon Rule to the Test

To take a closer look at the gallon recommendation, Dr. Mann and her team conducted a study on a commercial dairy in collaboration with researchers at the University of Guelph.

They began by pooling colostrum to keep quality consistent across calves. From each pool, four calves were assigned different feeding levels based on a percentage of their body weight.

“We made a big pool of colostrum, and then we assigned four calves to that pool, and one calf got 6% and one calf got 8% and one calf got 10% and one calf got 12% so that was our range, six to 12,” Mann explains.

Rather than giving every calf the same fixed volume, the team adjusted how much colostrum each calf received relative to its size.

The intent was not to create a complicated system requiring producers to weigh every calf and calculate exact doses.

“This is not meant for people to weigh each and every single one of the calves and then figure out the milliliters,” Mann says. “But it’s for us to understand, is there an effect on the calf’s ability to take up IgG into circulation. And if there is, how would we translate this into actionable recommendations on farm.”

Ultimately, the study focused on whether feeding different amounts based on body weight would influence how well calves absorb the antibodies they need early in life.

More Isn’t Always Better

The study looked at how different colostrum volumes (as a percent of body weight) affected IgG in the blood, absorption efficiency, stomach emptying and calf comfort. As expected, bigger feeds gave calves more total IgG

“We found that the more volume they got within a certain quality of colostrum, the more IgG they had in their blood, which makes sense, right? The more you give, the more you get,” Mann says.

But the benefit slowed at the highest volume, 12% of the calf’s body weight.

“There was a declining return on investment, so to say, with increasing volumes,” Mann says. “There was a steep increase from 6% to 8% to 10% of body weight, but only a very small improvement in blood IgG concentration at 12% of body weight.”

This happened because calves absorbed a smaller proportion of the IgG when fed very large amounts.

“The proportion of the IgG in colostrum that actually appears in the blood was declining, meaning that the more volume you put into them, the less proportion the calf can actually take up into that in that window of time.”

When calves get a large meal, their stomach empties more slowly, so less colostrum reaches the intestine while the gut is still “open” to IgG absorption.

“We wanted to see if different volumes affect how the stomach empties colostrum into the intestine, and timing matters because the gut is only open for IgG absorption for a limited period.”

She compared it humans overeating during a holiday meal.

“We do this around Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we sit there and our belly hurts, right? Our systems know to slow down the gastric output in those situations, and that’s the same that happens in calves.”

Calf Comfort and Behavior

Dr. Mann’s team also looked at calf behavior, since small calves fed four liters often appear bloated or uncomfortable.

“We were interested in this notion from the field, and we did observe that the more volume we fed, the more we saw behavior associated with colic, like kicking the abdomen,” she says.

While lying time wasn’t significantly affected, higher volumes tended to reduce relaxed resting.

“We didn’t find a statistical effect in lying time, but those calves fed higher volumes tended to lie less in a relaxed position, similar to us at Thanksgiving,” she joked.

The “Goldilocks” Approach

When it comes to determining how much colostrum a calf truly needs, Mann describes the “Goldilocks” approach as the best option.

“I think we’re getting back to a Goldilocks approach where you want to have enough, but you don’t have to give too much,” she says. “Just the right amount is most beneficial to the calf.”

Based on this research, around 10% of a calf’s body weight is a solid target for an initial feeding. That amount provides enough immunoglobulins to support immunity without overwhelming the stomach, and it can be adjusted for smaller or larger calves.

Mann adds that while colostrum is packed with nutrients, extra benefits might be better delivered through multiple feedings rather than one very large meal.

“The nutritive value of colostrum should not be underestimated, but we also have to keep in mind the comfort of the calf,” she says. “Maybe it’s better given in separate feedings. A lot of farms have gone to feeding second feedings or even third feedings of colostrum.”

Practical Takeaways

While colostrum is essential for newborn calf health, Mann emphasizes that the goal isn’t to hit a fixed volume, but to give calves the right start while keeping them comfortable. She provides the following tips to use on the farm:

1. Know your herd’s average birth weight. “A good first step is to know the average birth weight of calves in your herd, since that can vary,” Mann says. “Once you know that, you can adjust the colostrum volume to match your average calf.”

2. Use a couple of standard volumes rather than one fixed size, “Many herds now use two standard volumes, like three liters and four liters. That way, even without a scale, you can look at a calf and decide: this one won’t be over 85 pounds, so it gets the smaller amount,” she says.

3. Consider second or third colostrum feedings. “Instead of giving all the colostrum at once, it can help to split it into two or three feedings if your farm can manage it,” Mann says. “Many people see benefits from this, though we could always use a bit more research to confirm.”

4 Tips for Assessing Hydration Status in Calves

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:56:39 GMT

Assessing dehydration status is the first step in managing a scouring calf, but it’s not as simple as assigning a percentage. Dehydration, acidemia and neurologic function do not progress at the same rate. A calf may not look profoundly dehydrated but still require intravenous correction.

Speaking at the AABP Recent Grad conference, Dr. Blake Balog, professional services veterinarian with TELUS Agriculture, outlined some tips for assessing hydration status in calves.

1. Start with the Eye

Globe recession remains one of the most reliable field indicators of dehydration, but only if it is measured correctly.

Balog recommends rolling down the lower eyelid to look for space.

“Make sure when you’re assessing that you’re rolling that lower eyelid out to a more normal position and measure that depth,” Balog says. “If it’s hitting somewhere in the 4 mm range, that’s going to be close to 8% dehydration, which is the point where we want to use IV fluids.”

Measure deliberately and determine whether oral fluids will be enough.

2. Check Peripheral Profusion

As dehydration progresses, circulation shifts centrally and causes the extremities to cool. While you could invest in an infrared thermometer, using your hands to feel whether the peripheral distal limbs are cold or cool will likely suffice.

Cold limbs alone may not indicate dehydration, but they certainly reinforce that it may be the case.

3. Separate Dehydration from Acidemia

“The level of dehydration doesn’t always linearly go along with the level of acidemia,” Balog says.

This is a crossroads at which decisions can go wrong. A calf may not appear severely dehydrated and still be acidemic. Relying on percent dehydration alone can miss calves that require escalation.

Balog suggests testing the palpebral reflex.

“When you tap that medial canthus and you get a delayed or sluggish palpebral reflex, that’s an indicator of lactic acid that’s accumulated in that animal,” Balog says.

Delayed reflexes, weakness and failure to suckle suggest metabolic compromise. If the calf cannot suckle, oral therapy alone is unlikely to be enough.

4. Use Supporting Findings

Urine concentration can reinforce your assessment. If a refractometer is available, specific gravity could be used. Otherwise, dark, concentrated urine supports systemic dehydration.

Skin tenting is another quick way to evaluate hydration. Pinch a fold of skin on the neck or around the eyes and count the number of seconds it takes to flatten. Skin flattening in less than 2 seconds indicates normal hydration, 2 to 5 seconds to flatten indicates 8% dehydration and over five seconds would indicate severe dehydration over 10%.

Placing an IV Catheter in Calves

Placing an IV catheter in a dehydrated calf can be more difficult because the skin is thick and the jugular vein does not present well.

Balog recommends focusing on mechanics.

Position the head on a downward slope.
“We’re going to have the head of that calf dropping downward. That’s going to help fill the jugular vein a little bit easier,” Balog says.

Lowering the head improves venous fill and simplifies placement.
Clip and prep generously.
Dehydrated skin offers more resistance. A wide clip and thorough prep make catheter passage smoother.
Perform a cut down incision.
“This is the key part that I think we’ll struggle with: Not doing a cut down. Cut down to me is not sawing with the scalpel blade down toward the jugular. We’re going to tent the skin up and we’re going to go straight down with our 22 blade until it finally releases through there and then we’re going to lay that down,” Balog says.

This incision is vertical and controlled, not a sweeping motion toward the vein. This is critical in dehydrated calves when the skin is super thick and difficult to get through.
Secure the catheter carefully.
Tape and suture so access remains stable during fluid delivery. Balog likes to use a butterfly catheter secured with a couple sutures. He’ll then do an additional suture up on the head so the line remains straight.

The goal is straightforward: assess accurately and intervene appropriately. When dehydration approaches 8% or acidemia affects function, oral therapy may not be sufficient. At that point, gain access, deliver fluids and reassess.

Could The ClipFitter Work For Calf Castration?

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:56:26 GMT

Castration remains a routine management practice in cattle systems, yet it continues to raise persistent animal welfare concerns. Bloodless methods are widely used because they are easy to apply, but none are pain-free. Rubber banding is effective, but associated with both acute and prolonged discomfort. Burdizzo castration can reduce long-term pain, but carries a higher risk of incomplete castration and subsequent complications. This trade-off has driven interest in new tools that might preserve reliability without increasing pain.

New work published in “ The Bovine Practitioner ” by Jacob Schumacher and colleagues at Kansas State University explored the ClipFitter , a castration method that combines the benefits of both rubber banding and the Burdizzo method, for calf castration.

The ClipFitter is a disposable plastic clamp that crushes the spermatic cords and associated nerves like a Burdizzo, but remains on the scrotum until it sloughs off, providing visual confirmation of successful castration. While the ClipFitter has been used previously in lambs, this pilot study represents its first evaluation of its use in calves.

ClipFitter vs. Banding: A Comparison

The study included 12 beef-dairy cross calves aged 8 to 10 weeks. These animals were assigned to one of three groups: ClipFitter castration, standard rubber band castration or sham handling. No local anesthetics or systemic analgesics were administered, reflecting common practices in the U.S.

The following physiological and behavioral indicators were used to assess animal welfare and pain before and after castration:

Plasma cortisol and substance P levels
Lying and standing activity measured via accelerometer
Ocular and scrotal temperature measured via infrared thermography, as indicators of acute stress responses and blood flow and castration effectiveness, respectively

Data were collected through seven days post-castration.

(ClipFitter)

Pain, Behavior and Effectiveness

Plasma cortisol concentrations increased shortly after castration across all groups, peaking at 30 minutes before declining toward baseline. However, cortisol levels did not differ significantly among the three treatment groups. Substance P concentrations showed no differences between treatments or over time.

These findings suggest neither blood biomarker was sensitive enough to distinguish pain responses between ClipFitter and rubber band castration. However, this may also have been due to the relatively small sample size used in this study along with the variability of these biomarkers.

Activity monitoring revealed subtle but measurable changes in lying and standing behavior following castration. Calves castrated with rubber bands spent less time standing before switching to a lying position compared to sham calves. ClipFitter calves spent less time lying before standing compared with sham calves. No lying or standing outcomes differed significantly between the two castration methods.

These results indicate both ClipFitter and band castration altered normal behavior patterns in ways consistent with discomfort. The differing patterns between treatments may reflect mechanical differences between devices rather than meaningful differences in pain severity. The authors noted the lateral application of the ClipFitter prototype may have contributed to positional discomfort while calves were lying: “Excess plastic on either side of the scrotum may rub on the calves’ legs or pull on their scrotums while lying.”

Infrared imaging of the scrotum provided the clearest evidence of castration effectiveness. By seven days postcastration, ClipFitter calves exhibited significantly lower scrotal temperatures than sham calves, consistent with reduced blood flow to the testicles. These temperatures were not different from those of banded calves.

Key Findings from the Pilot Study

While the ClipFitter successfully restricted blood flow to the testicles, the results did not demonstrate a welfare advantage over standard rubber band castration within the first seven days. Behavioral data suggest both methods cause measurable discomfort that physiological markers failed to differentiate.

As the authors conclude: “While the viability of the ClipFitter for castration of calves was demonstrated to be promising, we were unable to find differences in pain measures that could correlate to a negative state of welfare.”

The ClipFitter may prove to be a technically reliable alternative, but current data do not justify viewing it as a welfare-improving replacement for band castration. Larger studies with longer follow-up periods could determine whether the device can meaningfully shift castration welfare outcomes.

Zoetis Launches First Commercial BRD Genetic Predictions to Help Build More Resilient Beef Herds

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:34:06 GMT

Zoetis Inc. today announced the launch of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) genetic predictions in INHERIT^® Select for commercial cow-calf operations and as an upgrade to its INHERIT Connect test for seedstock. This marks the first time that cattle producers can select replacement females and evaluate sires based on genetic predictions for BRD health and survival.

BRD costs the beef industry nearly $1 billion each year due to calf and production losses and increased treatment expenses. Until now, producers had no way to evaluate and select for the genetics that influence calf BRD health and survival after weaning.

“This is a breakthrough for the beef industry,” says Brett Bristol, head of Zoetis Precision Animal Health. “For the first time, producers can make selection and breeding decisions based on Genomic Expected Progeny Differences for BRD health and survival, in addition to production traits. Long-term, this innovation is expected to have meaningful economic impacts on commercial cow/calf producers and downstream backgrounders and feeders.”

Genetics That Compound Over Time

As the rebuilding of the U.S. cow herd begins and replacement costs are at historic highs, producers are looking for ways to build cow herds that last longer, raise healthier calves and deliver predictable value. Genetic advancement from testing and selection compounds over time; the breeding decisions made today influence future herd health and productivity.

INHERIT Select and INHERIT Connect with the BRD Upgrade include three BRD genetic predictions in the form of Genomic expected progeny differences (GEPDs):

BRD Health (BRDH) GEPD: Predicts genetic differences in the likelihood that calves (progeny) will stay healthy after weaning without requiring treatment for BRD. Higher BRDH and lower percent rank are better.
BRD Survival (BRDS) GEPD: Predicts genetic differences in the likelihood that calves (progeny) will survive from arrival for backgrounding to harvest without dying from BRD. Higher BRDS and lower percent rank are better.
$BRD Economic Index: Combines BRDH and BRDS into a single dollar value that estimates revenue impact per calf (progeny). Higher $BRD and lower rank are better.

These predictions are based on feedlot health and performance data from a commercially representative population of more than 50,000 head of cattle across North America. These phenotypes, along with continual genetic data additions, are updated weekly and included in the Zoetis Multi-Breed Genetic Evaluation.

Select Replacements That Build Healthier Calf Crops

“GEPDs for BRD and $BRD bridge an economically important gap in current beef genetic evaluations,” says Kent Andersen, Zoetis Precision Animal Health
director of beef technical services. “BRD predictions give us a way to select for post-weaning BRDH and BRDS and related economic impact that we couldn’t before. That matters when used along with predictions for maternal, feedlot, carcass and adaptability traits, and simplified via economic indexes.”

With BRD genetic predictions in INHERIT Select, commercial cow-calf producers can:

Select replacement heifers with stronger genetic potential across all major economically important traits to set the stage for healthier and more productive calf crops.
Identify and invest in genetics for greater profit potential and less health risk that compounds over time.

Using the population of more than 440,000 commercial animals tested using INHERIT^®, researchers compared the top versus bottom 25th percentile rank based on GEPDs for BRDH, BRDS and $BRD. The comparison shows progeny of the top 25th percentile that are genetically:

25% more likely to stay healthy and not require treatment for BRD from feedlot arrival to harvest
14% more likely to survive and not die from BRD from feedlot arrival to harvest
$12 per calf advantage in net return from combined genetics for BRDH and BRDS

Evaluate Bulls for BRD Health Genetics

For seedstock, the INHERIT Connect + BRD Upgrade provides a powerful way to evaluate bull batteries and potentially differentiate sale bulls based on BRD GEPDs and $BRD.

With the INHERIT Connect + BRD Upgrade, producers can:

Potentially differentiate sale bulls with BRD predictions that benefit commercial buyers and downstream backgrounders and feeders
Evaluate A.I. sires and bull batteries to benchmark genetic merit for BRD and identify favorable and unfavorable outliers
Document genetic merit for BRDH and BRDS and position future calf crops for premium prices

When comparing bulls tested using INHERIT Connect + BRD Upgrade, bulls in the top 25th percentile rank for $BRD have a $1200 predicted advantage over bulls in the bottom 25th percentile rank, assuming they sire 100 calves during their lifetime.

Producers can contact their Zoetis Genetics representative or visit beefgenetics.com to learn more and get started with testing.

When and How to Implant Calves on Cow-Calf Operations

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:55:59 GMT

Implants remain one of the highest-return technologies available to cow–calf producers when timing and technique align. Most implant failures are not product failures; they stem from calves being implanted at the wrong time, placed incorrectly or handled without enough attention to cleanliness and restraint. Success depends on getting both the “when” and the “how” right.

Why Timing and Technique Belong Together

“Implants will not replace good management,” says Lauren Younker, feedlot production consultant with TELUS Agriculture during a webinar with the Beef Cattle Research Council. “Healthy and less stressed calves are going to respond the most to an implant.”

Implants work by amplifying existing growth potential. That means calves must be healthy, minimally stressed and on an adequate plane of nutrition. Proper timing ensures the implant’s payout window matches biological opportunity and marketing goals, while correct placement ensures the hormone actually does what it is designed to do. Miss either piece, and much of the expected benefit disappears.

When to Implant: Matching Biology to the Calendar

For most cow–calf operations, branding or early pasture turnout (roughly 45 to 60 days of age) remains the most reliable window for implanting suckling calves. At this stage, calves are healthy, stress is often already part of routine processing and the implant’s payout aligns well with the grazing season.

Implanting too early offers little benefit. Calves at that stage are still physiologically adjusting, and implants require sufficient nutrient intake to generate a measurable response.

“For the first couple weeks [of life], they’re just getting used to being alive. That implant would probably not be doing much,” Younker says, advising against placing implants at newborn processing. “The older they are, that 45-day range, they’re starting to nibble on grass. You’re going to see more value there.”

Implanting later — including grass turnout at 120 to 150 days of age — is still worthwhile, particularly when earlier processing opportunities were missed. While some early gain potential is lost, implants can still improve feed efficiency and lean growth during the remainder of the grazing period. The key adjustment at later ages is selecting an implant appropriate for calf size and nutritional plane.

Reimplanting at weaning is an area in which the research is less clear. Younker suggests considering whether you will be keeping these animals as replacements.

“Some research suggests when we are implanting heifers at wearing, we can delay that first cycle and the first calving,” Younker says. “You can consider not implanting any of your heifers at weaning if you pick your replacements later, or you sort your replacements off at weaning and implant the rest to capture that value when you sell them later on.”

Common Implant Types and When to Use Them

Implants vary widely in potency and payout length, but at the cow–calf level, success depends more on matching the implant to the production phase than selecting the most aggressive option.

Suckling-calf implants (low-to-moderate potency)

When to use:
- Branding or early pasture turnout (typically 45 to 60 days of age)
- Calves grazing pasture with moderate energy intake
Why they fit:
- Improve average daily gain and feed efficiency
- Appropriate for both steers and heifers during the suckling phase
- Commonly used as a single implant when calves will be sold at weaning

Grower / grasser / stocker implants (moderate potency)

When to use:
- Post-weaning when calves are retained on pasture or backgrounding rations
- Programs where calves will be kept beyond weaning but not immediately finished
Why they fit:
- Payout periods align with extended grazing or backgrounding
- Useful when reimplanting retained calves
- Better matched to increasing nutrient intake

Longer-duration grower implants

When to use:
- Retained ownership where calves cannot be easily rehandled
- Grazing or backgrounding programs with limited processing opportunities
Why they fit:
- Extended payout reduces the need for reimplanting
- Helps align hormone release with longer marketing timelines

High-potency finishing implants

When to use:
- Feedlot or high-energy rations
- Retained ownership calves transitioning toward finishing

Why they fit:
- Most effective when paired with high-energy diets
- Generally not appropriate for typical cow–calf pasture systems

How to Implant Correctly

Even well-timed implants fail if placement is poor. Attention to technique protects both animal welfare and economic return.

Equipment matters. Bent, burred or dull needles increase tissue trauma and pellet damage. Replacing needles frequently is inexpensive and prevents avoidable failures.

Cleanliness is non-negotiable. Dirty ears and nondisinfected needles are among the most common causes of implant abscesses. If an abscess forms, hormone payout is compromised and performance gains are lost. Consistent use of disinfectant solutions and cleaning visibly dirty ears is critical, especially in wet or muddy conditions.

Restraint improves results. Proper head restraint stabilizes the ear, improves placement accuracy, and reduces tearing or cartilage penetration.

Most importantly, be proactive if something doesn’t seem right.

“If something goes wrong, redo it,” Younker says. “Implants are relatively cheap to the value they provide; they’re worth getting right.”

Implant Placement That Works

The preferred site is the middle third of the ear, between the skin and cartilage, away from tags, scars and ridges. Pellets should lie in a straight line and be palpable under the skin without bunching.

“We want to have a lot of blood flow and no scar tissue around where that implant is,” Younker says. “This will take practice. It’s a very learnable skill, but it will take you a few calves to get comfortable.”

Common placement failures include:

Pellets deposited into cartilage
Crushed or bunched pellets
Implants exiting through the ear
Excessive swelling weeks after processing

When placement errors occur, removing the pellets and reimplanting immediately is preferable to leaving a non-functional implant in place.

Put It Into Practice

Veterinarians and producers should work collaboratively to capture implant value consistently. That includes aligning implant timing with herd goals, recommending appropriate products for each production phase and reinforcing proper technique during processing.

This guidance often extends to specific situations producers ask about:

Replacement heifers: Suckling-calf implants used before four months of age have not been shown to impair future reproduction. Post-weaning implants warrant greater caution.
Dry years or marginal pasture: Implants still provide benefit and may be more valuable when nutrients are limited.
Retained ownership or show calves: Implant choice should reflect ration intensity and days on feed rather than age alone.

How Should Scouring Calves be Treated?

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 17:41:00 GMT

What ultimately threatens the survival of a scouring calf isn’t the diarrhea itself, but the cascade of dehydration, acid-base imbalance and energy flow that follows. As calving season approaches and temperatures drop, a familiar challenge presents itself: deciding how to intervene quickly and effectively before metabolic collapse sets in.

Neonatal calf scours is fundamentally a metabolic disease. Sodium, chloride and potassium are lost through diarrhea, D-lactate accumulates, blood pH drops, calves become weak, stop drinking milk and rapidly run out of energy reserves. Effective treatment means correcting these problems in a timely manner.

Treatment for a Scouring Calf

In the rush to do something, treatment with an antibiotic might be tempting, but a fluid plan could be the right call.

“Certainly, it seems way easier to give a shot than it is to actually go inside and mix up a bottle of electrolytes,” says Dr. Geoffrey Smith, dairy technical services veterinarian with Zoetis, on an episode of “ Have You Herd .” However, when treating a scouring calf, the goal isn’t simply to stop diarrhea, it’s to correct the metabolic derailment that diarrhea causes. “Your main treatment goals are correcting dehydration, making sure we’re replacing those electrolytes, sodium and potassium in particular, something to give that calf some energy, and ultimately, the goal is to get it back on milk.”

Achieving these goals depends not only on what fluids are used, but how they are delivered. Oral electrolyte therapy and IV fluids are both good options, but choosing the treatment that is best for each calf is important.

Oral Versus IV Fluids: Making the Call

According to Smith, oral electrolytes are appropriate for calves that are:

Still standing
Alert or mildly depressed
Able to swallow safely

IV fluids should be considered for calves that are:

Down or unwilling to stand
Severely depressed
Not responding to oral therapy

It used to be that IV fluids weren’t a part of the consideration, given the expertise or potential vet call required for administration, but with the increased value of calves, they’re being used more commonly.

Choosing an Oral Electrolyte that Works

There are a variety of oral electrolyte products available on the market. Smith says there are four things that should be considered when choosing a treatment.

Sodium concentration

“Sodium is really the backbone of that extracellular fluid,” Smith says. “If we don’t replace sodium, we’re not going to adequately rehydrate that calf.” He recommends somewhere in the 90 to 130 millimolar range to hit the hydration needs.

Glycine

Glycine is needed in the mix to increase sodium absorption across the gut wall. Glycine and sodium absorption in the intestine are closely linked, with glycine significantly enhancing sodium and water uptake via coupled transport mechanisms. It’s important to check your ingredients list as glycine is expensive and often left out of cheaper products.

An alkalizing agent

“Acidosis is critical; that’s probably why the calf is ultimately dying,” Smith says. “We need to make sure that our oral electrolyte has what we would call an alkalizing agent or something in there that will help increase the pH of the blood.” Sodium acetate or sodium bicarbonate are good options.

The strong ion difference

The strong ion difference, or the difference between the concentrations of strong cations and strong anions, is calculated by adding together the sodium and potassium concentrations and subtracting the chloride concentration. Smith advises a strong ion difference of at least 60 millimolar for oral electrolyte solutions for calves.

IV Fluid Options: Selecting for Speed and Effect

Large-volume isotonic fluids, such as lactated Ringer’s, are useful when a farm has the space and time to hold a calf, but to really hydrate the calf, it would need 4 liters to 5 liters.

“If you have a calf that’s flat out and really acidotic, lactated Ringer’s may not be the best because it’s going to take six to eight hours to really start seeing increases in blood pH,” Smith says. “There’s nothing wrong with lactated Ringer’s, but a lot of people have moved on to other fluids they could give in smaller volumes and still have a similar effect.”

Isotonic sodium bicarbonate is another option to correct the blood pH faster than lactated Ringer’s, but calves still need a large volume, about 4 liters.

Hypertonic saline can quickly improve calf hydration by creating an osmotic gradient between the gut and the blood, but it must be combined with oral electrolytes. Further, hypertonic saline is concentrated enough that it can be dosed via syringe instead of a catheter; however, it doesn’t address the acidosis.

“If we have a calf that’s recumbent or laying there on its side, probably that calf has pretty severe acidosis. I’m tempted to give hypertonic saline because I know it’s easy to do,” Smith says. “I may correct the dehydration, but if I don’t also correct the acidosis, the calf may go ahead and die after I leave.”

Hypertonic sodium bicarbonate supports both rehydration and pH correction, making it particularly valuable for recumbent or severely acidotic calves when rapid stabilization is needed. An oral electrolyte must also accompany treatment. Another benefit according to Smith, is that this can be made fairly easily at whatever concentration you’re comfortable with to address the bicarbonate deficit.

“When your calf is recumbent and doesn’t want to stand, your base deficit is at least 20 mEQ/L,” says Smith, recommending something in the ballpark of 500 mEQ of bicarbonate for a calf depending on weight.

Next Steps After Fluid Terapy for Calves with Scours

Recovery doesn’t end with the first fluid intervention. Smith recommends continued daily electrolyte support until the diarrhea resolves, typically three to five days. Calves that relapse after initial improvement frequently reflect incomplete correction of acidosis. Environmental factors matter as well; hypothermic calves respond poorly to fluids alone and should be warmed as part of therapy.

Successful scours management depends on aligning treatment with the calf’s physiological needs. Fluids that restore volume, correct acidosis and support a return to milk consistently outperform approaches that focus elsewhere. As calving season begins, reviewing protocols before calves go down can make the difference between recovery and loss.

Winter Herd Health: Optimizing Cow-Calf Vaccination for Spring Success

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 17:12:31 GMT

Winter often brings renewed focus on vaccination — not because disease risk suddenly appears, but because management decisions make it more visible. Calving preparations, breeding plans, housing changes and closer observation of cattle prompt producers to ask a familiar question: Are we covered on vaccines?

It’s a reasonable place to start, but not where effective planning ends. Vaccines are a critical part of herd health, yet their success depends on how well they align with animal condition, management practices and disease risk. On a recent episode of “ Cattlemen and Veterinarians ,” Dr. Jason Banta of Texas A&M spoke on the opportunity for veterinarians to reframe vaccination as strategy, not just product choice.

The Role of Vaccination in Herd Health Programs

“The vaccine protocol is going to vary a little bit depending on the risk level of the operation and where you’re located, but I do think there are some core vaccines that all cow-calf producers probably need to think about including in their operations,” Banta says.

These include clostridial vaccines that protect against pathogens that persist in the environment and viral respiratory vaccines that play a key role in reducing clinical disease, reproductive loss and downstream performance impacts.

“Spores from those clostridial organisms are in the environment, and so our animals are typically always exposed to that,” Banta says. “When we think about clostridial vaccines, we’ll see either a seven way clostridial vaccine, an eight way clostridial vaccine or a nine way clostridial vaccine. It’s important to read the label to see exactly what’s in there.”

Usually, the difference between a seven- and eight-way vaccine is coverage for Clostridium hemolyticum, which causes redwater disease. The nine-way vaccine often includes tetanus, which may or may not be relevant to an operation.

Banta also emphasizes the importance of vaccinating the cows along with the calves, as antibodies can be passed on in the colostrum. This is especially important when it comes to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and bovine viral diarrhea as these can cause reproductive losses.

Geographic Threats are Important for Herd Vaccine Plans

“One that we deal with in my area is lepto, so that’s a routine pathogen that we vaccinate for,” Banta says. “It’s important because it causes reproductive losses in the cow herd, but it can also cause the death of younger calves.”

Above all, Banta encourages open discourse between producer and veterinarian to discuss which vaccines are most relevant to their operation, noting that these could change over time.

“As a minimum, I would think about the clustered organisms and then the viral respiratory organisms, and then if you need lepto or anything else, that would be a herd specific situation,” Banta says.

Vaccine recommendations are most effective when matched to the conditions cattle will face, not simply the diseases producers want to avoid.

Immune response is reduced in cattle experiencing nutritional deficiencies, stress or concurrent disease. Winter conditions — changes in forage quality, weather stress and closer confinement — can amplify those challenges.

Strategic Planning for Spring Herd Health

As winter management transitions into spring preparations, the goal shifts from maintaining the status quo to building a foundation for the upcoming production cycle. While Banta’s advice provides a technical road map of core versus situational vaccines, the true value lies in timing and execution. Winter provides a window for producers and veterinarians to conduct a herd health audit together.

To ensure your vaccination strategy is effective, consider these key pillars of a winter health audit:

Assess nutritional status: Verify that cattle have the energy and mineral reserves necessary to mount a robust immune response.
Review regional risks: Discuss whether local pressures require specific additions to the core protocol.
Evaluate management stress: Identify environmental challenges or handling practices that could compromise the efficacy of the health program.
Audit records and timing: Review previous disease challenges to ensure the timing of vaccine protocols align with the herd’s peak periods of risk.

Ultimately, a general vaccination schedule is a starting point, but a strategic plan is a competitive advantage. By focusing on the why and the when during the winter months, you ensure the investment in animal health yields the highest possible return when the spring calving season arrives.

Neonatal Calf Distress: Managing the First 24 Hours

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 18:11:16 GMT

The first 24 hours of life represent the most vulnerable period a calf will ever experience, where oxygen deprivation, metabolic acidosis, trauma and pain can quickly overwhelm an already compromised neonate. Managing neonatal distress involves early detection, rapid assessment and decisive intervention.

Many distressed calves arrive compromised. Prolonged calving, excessive traction or repeated premature intervention increase the likelihood of hypoxia, trauma and delayed physiologic recovery. A live calf is not necessarily a stable calf. Distress is often subtle in the first minutes and can be missed if assessment relies solely on heart rate or movement.

Dr. Ryan Breuer of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine outlined the following early indicators of neonatal distress:

Delayed head lifting or failure to achieve sternal recumbency
Irregular, shallow or gasping respiration
Blue or pale mucous membranes
Meconium staining
Swollen head or tongue

“If calves are not trying to get up or won’t stay in sternal recumbency after 15 minutes, these calves have a very poor prognosis,” Breuer says. These calves need immediate veterinary care and are often experiencing combined hypoxia and metabolic acidosis.

“Acid is toxic to the brain and can cause scarring and neurologic death to the brain tissue,” adds Breuer, listing blindness as a neurologic sign to look out for. “These animals can’t see, or they’ll start stargazing, tipping their nose to the sky.”

Respiratory Distress: The Primary Emergency

Respiratory compromise is the most immediate life-threatening component of neonatal distress. Newborn lungs have never expanded, and even mild impairment can prevent adequate oxygen exchange.

“Open mouth and flaring nostrils are signs of respiratory distress,” explains Breuer, adding that blue tinged or cyanotic mucous membranes are also indicators that the calf is not getting enough oxygen. “If the heart rate is less than 50 beats per minute and falling, intervention is going to be needed to save them.”

Calves in respiratory distress should be placed in sternal recumbency to maximize lung expansion. Physical stimulation including vigorous rubbing, nasal septum stimulation or pressure on the nasal philtrum can trigger inspiratory reflexes and help initiate more effective breathing.

Other Distress Indicators in Calves

Meconium staining is a visible indicator that the calf experienced distress before delivery. Passage of the meconium into the uterus typically reflects prolonged time in the birth canal or delayed delivery.

“Now that the amniotic sac has ruptured, there’s mixing of the waste and what the calf is submerged in,” Breuer says. “This can cause issues down the road because it can cause difficulties in cleaning that airway.”

Calves born with meconium staining are more likely to experience respiratory compromise, difficulty clearing airways and delayed stabilization after birth.

Trauma from dystocia can contribute to pain, reduced movement, impaired breathing mechanics and delayed recovery. Swelling of the head, tongue and soft tissues can further compromise airways and oxygen delivery.

Ongoing Monitoring Through the First 24 Hours

Calves that survive an initial distress event remain at elevated risk through the first 24 hours of life. Ongoing monitoring for declining vigor, abnormal respiration or changes in responsiveness is essential as early compromise often evolves rather than resolves.

Many calves that survive neonatal distress reappear later as poor performers, respiratory cases or unexplained losses. Effective neonatal distress management is not about saving every calf but about recognizing when intervention can still alter the outcome and preventing avoidable compromise. The first 24 hours determine which calves stabilize and recover and which never fully catch up.

To learn more about the first 24 hours of neonatal calf care among other topics, check out the Dairy Cattle Welfare Council webinar series .

5 Considerations for Calf Care

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 16:39:33 GMT

Calves that struggle rarely do so because a single decision was wrong. More often, they falter because their daily environment, feeding or handling is unpredictable. Inconsistent inputs can quietly undermine digestion, immunity and growth, creating calves that never quite thrive and are repeatedly flagged for treatment.

“How do we improve consistency?” asks Ohio State University Extension specialist Jason Hartschuh when speaking on the proper care of calves . “Consistency is critical.”

When working with calf operations, consistency is not a management buzzword but a biological requirement. Hartschuh emphasizes the importance of decreasing variability in practice for better animal health. Below are five areas where variability shows up most often and where veterinarians can have a meaningful impact by helping producers identify and reduce it.

1. Milk Replacer Mixing

Milk replacer programs often look correct on paper but fall apart in execution. Studies show wide swings in total solids and feeding temperature when caretakers are given identical instructions.

“Forty-one batches of milk replacer were mixed,” says Hartschuh, describing a recent project. “The same directions were given on how to mix that milk replacer, but the solids content of [the resulting batches] ranged from 6% to 14.5%. The temperature ranged from 80°F to 115°F.”

Of these batches, less than half of them reached the ideal solid content of 10% to 15%, two hit the precise goal of 13%, and two hit the final temperature goal of 110°F to 115°F.

Day-to-day variation in concentration or delivery temperature forces repeated digestive adjustment, which can manifest as loose manure, reduced intake or inconsistent growth. Over time, this physiological stress can weaken immune responses and complicate disease diagnosis.

What vets can ask:

Are milk replacer amounts weighed or scooped?
How often are solids checked?
What temperature does milk reach the calf, not just the mixing bucket?

2. Water Quality and Delivery

Water is often treated as background input, yet its composition can vary widely. Elevated sodium from softened water, high total dissolved solids, sulfates or microbial contamination can all influence intake, digestion and health, even in well-managed milk programs.

Research has shown differences in calf performance, fever incidence and diarrhea days tied solely to water source and water access. Hartschuh described work where they varied how water was offered to calves.

“At five months of age, the calf that we provided water to every feeding from birth versus waiting until the calf was 17 days old gained about 28 more pounds,” Hartschuh says.

They found this was linked to rumen development being positively correlated with water intake, therefore these calves had increased digestion and absorption leading to growth.

What vets can recommend:

Routine water testing, including sodium and bacteria
Rechecking water quality seasonally
Offering water to calves from birth

3. Feeding Equipment Hygiene

Many sanitation programs fail because they are incomplete. Rinsing equipment with water that is too hot can bake fat into plastic surfaces, encouraging biofilm formation. Inadequate drying or cracked nipples further compounds the issue, allowing bacteria to persist between feedings.

“It comes down to talking more about the sanitation of equipment to make sure that we’re not transferring disease from one calf to the next or that there’s nothing growing in that biofilm that milk can develop,” Hartschuh says.

What vets should look for:

Initial rinse water temperature
Whether equipment is fully dry before reuse
Nipple condition and replacement frequency

4. Feeding Timing and Delivery Technique

Calves adapt to routine. Variations in feeding time, volume or delivery method disrupt that adaptation.

“We have that milk mixed up consistently, now we have to feed it every day consistently at the same time,” Hartschuh advises.

Even bottle height matters: poor positioning can interfere with esophageal groove closure, altering milk flow and digestion. Hartschuh recommends holding the bottle at 24" to 27" high so that the calf isn’t gulping air and the milk flows down nicely, bypassing the rumen to the abomasum.

What vets can ask:

Are feeding times consistent from day to day?
Is delivery technique the same across caretakers?
Is water offered in a way that encourages intake?

5. Temperature and Ventilation

“Trying to figure out how to ventilate those barns as we go from potentially 60°F tomorrow down to 16°F in a few days, with those temperature swings, how do we keep calves comfortable and healthy?” Hartschuh asks.

Repeated environmental adjustments driven by weather changes can increase physiological stress. This is especially important to consider with big temperature swings. Attempts to protect calves by closing barns often trade cold stress for poor air quality, increasing respiratory risk instead. Hartschuh advises that consistency in ventilation is often more protective than short-term temperature control.

What vets can emphasize:

Air quality at the calf level
Adjusting jackets and bedding proactively during weather shifts
Using calf behaviors (posture, rest patterns) as indicators for needed changes

Diagnosing Systems, Not Just Calves

When calves cycle through low-grade illness, repeated treatments or uneven growth, inconsistency is often the underlying driver. Stepping back to evaluate systems, rather than symptoms might help identify patterns that need adjusting. Improving consistency doesn’t require new products or protocols but rather a tightening of execution. This could pay dividends across health, performance and labor efficiency.

2 Veterinarians Share Their Tips for Keeping Calves Healthy

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:51:44 GMT

Health issues during calving season are high on the list of nightmares for ranchers. Veterinarians Troy Dutton and Joe Hochhalter from the Steele Vet Clinic in Steele, N.D., share several of their tips and strategies to help ranchers stay ahead of illness and health challenges this calving season.

Prevention is Key

Calves might get an official ID in the spring, but other factors throughout gestation impact the health of that calf before they hit the ground. This starts by focusing on challenges or risks your unique operation may experience throughout the year.

Dutton says: “It’s a lot easier and more rewarding to help people prevent problems than help them work through problems like scours and pneumonia in baby calves.”

Be honest with your veterinarian so you get the most accurate and timely advice.

“If you’re dealing with a specific problem, discussing that issue with your veterinarian before we get to calving season gives us a chance to intervene early,” Hochhalter says.

Year-round nutrition also plays a role in keeping calves healthy.

“We start all the way back prebreeding to make sure nutrition-wise they’re set up properly,” Dutton explains. “Work with a nutritionist to make sure your herd’s energy and protein needs are being met as well as provide mineral year-round.”

Additionally, monitor body condition scores throughout the year.

Hochhalter adds: “Those cows that are in good body condition at the time of calving are more likely to birth a healthier calf, have better quality colostrum for that calf and be in a better condition to breed back.”

Keep in mind the unique needs of your operation.

“Every rancher is different. You really have to work with your local veterinarian to help address those issues that the ranch is having,” Hochhalter says.

Get Them Off to a Good Start

Once calves hit the ground, a good start sets them up for the rest of their lives.

Hochhalter explains: “Calves that have some kind of calfhood disease never do catch up to their herd mates that have been healthy their whole life.”

Colostrum is a key component to this good start.

“Growing up, I was always told that calf needs colostrum within 24 hours. However, recent research shows us calves need colostrum sooner than that,” Dutton says. “Calves need colostrum within 6 to 12 hours of birth to get the most out of the antibodies it provides.”

Adequate colostrum impacts more than just health, too.

“Calves with adequate colostrum have better rate of gain and feed efficiency all the way through to the end,” Dutton says.

Dutton and Hochhalter encourage producers to know the difference between colostrum replacement and colostrum supplement in situations where the dam cannot provide colostrum.

Dutton says: “There are colostrum supplement products and colostrum replacement products. Colostrum replacement products have greater than 150 immunoglobulins.”

Sanitation and Calving Barns

Sanitation and calving areas look different depending on the time of year, herd size and geographical area of the ranch.

Regardless, keeping cattle clean and dry is non-negotiable.
For those using calving barns, know when to change out the bedding.

“In a perfect world, we’d like to see each new pair get fresh bedding, but that’s not realistic,” Hochhalter says. “The next best option is to change that bedding once it becomes damp and spoiled to reduce the exposure of pathogens to calves with naïve immune systems.”

Clean pens between pairs reduces the risk of disease spread along with proper ventilation.

“One overlooked factor that plays a role in the spread of disease is ventilation in calving barns,” Dutton says. “Ventilation issues present a real challenge even in the beef industry — especially for those early calvers.”

Sanitary equipment also can’t be forgotten in the calving frenzy.

Dutton says: “Equipment sanitation is also important — especially if you’re running around giving a bolus to a calf or using needles and syringes.”

For producers not using a barn, be aware of how mud impacts calf health.

“Weather plays a huge role. If those calves are really muddy, it increases the risk for navel infection or scours,” Hochhalter says.

Try to change bedding around shelters and find dry areas for cattle. Spreading cattle out also helps reduce disease transmission.

“We have some clients who sort pairs by age or keep pairs separate from cows left to calve, and we know reducing that calving density reduces the spread of illness,” Dutton explains. “However, this can be challenging depending on labor and resource availability.”

Remember the basics this calving season and don’t forget to ask your veterinarian for help when you need it. You can listen to the full conversation on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast .

For more tips, check out Drover’s Calving Preparation articles.

How Important is Colostrum?

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 16:50:41 GMT

A make-or-break moment for the future potential of a calf is within hours of them being born . Receiving colostrum — the first milk produced by a cow after birth that is rich in antibodies, energy, vitamins and minerals that the calf cannot obtain before birth — is essential to a calf’s future.

South Dakota State University Extension beef specialist Julie Walker says the timing of colostrum consumption in calves is critical.

“At birth they should receive at least 5% of the calf’s body weight,” Walker says. “After 24 hours, the calf’s intestine tract cannot absorb the antibodies intact.”

If the calf does not receive colostrum, Walker says you could see an increase in risk of disease, making them more susceptible to pneumonia, sours, septicemia and joint issues.

“Since they lack passive immunity without colostrum, they might be a poor doing calf,” she adds. “This can be seen later in their life. When everything goes right, calves receive colostrum from nursing on the cow.”

North Carolina State University beef Extension veterinarian Tomas Gonzalez agrees that in a normal birth, the calf should be on its feet within about an hour and nursing the cow on its own soon after.

“Most beef operations rely on this natural nursing, and when the cow has good maternal behavior and weather conditions are favorable, this approach works well,” Gonzalez says. “Still, having a colostrum management plan available as a backup is critical, as not every calf nurses adequately in the first few hours.”

Colostrum Replacement

Having a replacement plan prepared before calving helps producers manage abnormal situations quickly and effectively. Walker and Gonzales agree there are three options to replace colostrum: milking the dam to collect the colostrum, colostrum from another cow or commercially available products.

“If a newborn calf is not nursing, the first step is to milk the dam and feed her colostrum to the calf using a bottle or an esophageal feeder [after proper training by your veterinarian],” Gonzales explains. “If this is not possible, colostrum [not milk] from another healthy, properly vaccinated cow in the herd can be used.”

Walker adds that you want to only obtain colostrum from healthy cows, preferably in their third lactation.

“If you have the opportunity to pick the cow you would collect colostrum from, ideally it would be a cow in its third lactation or greater, since this would provide higher-quality colostrum than two-year-old cows,” she says. “It can be difficult to get colostrum from beef cows, so some producers may work with a local dairy producer to get colostrum and freeze it until needed.”

The third option when neither of the above is available is a colostrum replacer. Gonzales says to be sure it is a true replacer, at least 100 g IgG per dose, and not just a supplement. While colostrum replacer is not the same as colostrum from a cow, it can sometimes be the only option and is better than not receiving anything.

“When it is needed, it provides immunoglobulin that helps with passive immunity coverage,” Walker says. “Follow the label when preparing the replacer and get it into the calf as soon as possible. Our best substitute is milking another cow in the same herd, but if you can’t get that, a colostrum milk replacer or substitute is certainly the way to go, and there’s producers that will just keep that on hand just in case they need that.”

Tips For Calving Season

It is often hard to tell if a calf has nursed or not, especially on an older cow. Gonzales recommends watching every newborn long enough to see it stand and actually latch onto the teat. If it hasn’t been nursed within 1 to 2 hours of birth, then step in.

Another tip he shares is to record problem calvings and assisted colostrum feedings. This helps make cull decisions down the road and better prepare for future calving.

Have a colostrum plan before the first calf is born and keep a basic calving kit ready to be prepared before a problem occurs. He says to be sure to identify your high-risk calves, use records to spot problems and work with your veterinarian closely.

“During the calving season , remember that colostrum management is critical to giving calves a strong start and preventing avoidable losses,” Gonzales says.

Your Next Reads:
Your Calving Prep Starts Here: The Essential Checklist
What You Should Know About the 3 Stages of Calving
9 Tips to Ensure Calving Season Success

Waste Milk Feeding Alters Calf Immune Development

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 16:05:31 GMT

For many dairies, feeding waste milk — milk that can’t be sold because of antibiotic residues, high somatic cell counts or other quality issues — is an appealing way to save on calf-rearing costs. It’s calorie-rich, familiar to calves and readily available. However, waste milk is one of the least standardized inputs in calf nutrition as it varies in microbial load, drug residues and inflammatory components. While the short-term economics are easy to calculate, the potential biological impact is less clear.

Most evaluations of waste milk stop at visible outcomes like growth rates or scours. What’s harder to see is how early antigen exposure shapes immune development below the surface. New research from the University of São Paulo shows the immune system of a growing Holstein calf responds differently depending on whether it’s fed salable milk (SM), pasteurized waste milk (PWM) or raw waste milk (WM).

In the study, 30 calves were raised on one of these three liquid diets for the first nine weeks of life and regularly sampled for immune markers and cellular responses. Although overall health scores (temperature, diarrhea prevalence, respiratory signs) didn’t differ among groups, the internal immune story was much more revealing.

Immune Cell Counts and Cytokines Shift With Waste Milk Feeding

Calves fed PWM and WM showed consistent differences in systemic immune markers:

Serum total protein and Brix values were higher in WM calves.
Total protein and Brix are composite biomarkers influenced by both innate inflammatory response and adaptive humoral immunity. This observed increase likely represents innate immune responses associated with increased microbial and antigen exposure.

Plasma IgG concentrations did not differ by diet.
Levels followed the expected passive transfer pattern in all groups, with a decline at 21 days as maternal antibodies waned.

PWM and WM calves exhibited increased circulating immune cell numbers.
Lymphocyte and total mononuclear cell counts were higher compared to SM calves, but these did not translate into greater immune function. Immune cell proliferation in response to bacterial challenge was not impacted by liquid diet.

Cytokine profiles differed by diet.
SM and PWM calves produced more IL-10, a regulatory cytokine, while WM calves showed higher IL-17, consistent with a more pro-inflammatory profile.

What These Findings Mean for Calf Health Decisions

Together, these findings suggest waste milk feeding alters immune development in subtle but meaningful ways, even when calves appear outwardly healthy.

Several implications stand out:

Waste milk is not immunologically neutral.
It exposes calves to greater antigenic stimulation, increasing immune cell numbers and inflammatory signaling without improving functional responsiveness.

Higher TP and Brix values should be interpreted cautiously.
In WM calves, these markers likely reflect inflammatory proteins rather than improved humoral immunity.

Pasteurization reduces, but does not eliminate, immune effects.
PWM calves consistently showed intermediate immune profiles between SM and WM, supporting pasteurization as a risk-mitigation step rather than a complete solution.

Early immune skewing might matter most under stress.
An immune system biased toward activation rather than regulation could respond differently during weaning, transport, pathogen exposure or vaccination.

Diet quality is part of immune programming.
Liquid diet decisions influence not just growth and scours but how the calf immune system is shaped during a critical developmental window.

While this study did not directly assess long-term health or vaccine outcomes, it reinforces an important message for calf programs: What calves drink early in life can influence how their immune systems are wired.

Why Subacute Rumen Adicosis in Calves Often Goes Unrecognized

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 18:26:19 GMT

Subacute rumen acidosis (SARA) is well defined in adult cattle, but in calves it often goes undiagnosed — not because it is rare, but because it lacks a clear definition. Increasingly, research and field observations suggest fermentative disturbances during weaning are common in calves, yet difficult to distinguish from normal developmental changes.

“In adult cattle, we have established thresholds for acidosis to detect and define it: 5.8, 5.6, some people even say 6.0 if you’re using the reticulorumen bolus,” says Gustavo Mazon, nutritionist at Axiota Animal Health. “But in calves, we still don’t have that magic number because the rumen of the calf is more acidic than the rumen of a cow.”

Rumen acidosis diagnosis in adult cattle is built around discrete pH thresholds and production responses. In calves, however, rumen function is still developing, immune function is being actively shaped, and fermentation patterns differ fundamentally from those of mature cattle. These factors blur the line between normal adaptation and pathological acid stress.

Why Calf Rumen Acidosis Is Hard to Define

One of the central challenges in recognizing SARA in calves is that calves routinely operate at rumen pH values that would be considered acidotic in adult cattle. Continuous monitoring studies show rumen pH commonly averages near 5.2 to 5.6 during the weaning period, even in otherwise healthy calves.

Indeed, additional work by Anne Laarman from the University of Alberta observed calves fed varying starters consistently had a rumen pH value dropping to 5.0 to 5.2, levels that would make adult cattle clinically sick fairly quickly.

Average rumen pH values for calves consuming a calf starter with 18.8% ground corn (·····; n=9), 10.1% beet pulp (—; n=14), or 18.6% triticale dried distillers grains with solubles (- - -; n=11). Calves were fed calf starter once per day at 0600h (arrow).

(Journal of Dairy Science (2012). DOI: 10.3168/jds.2011-4822)

“These calves had no clinical symptoms. pH just recovered every day. It was really quite something to see. And we’ve since seen that in multiple studies, no matter how we measure it,” says Laarman, discussing the study on a Heifer Academy webinar .

According to Laarman, this lower pH appears to be a tolerated, and possibly adaptive, feature of early rumen development rather than an immediate clinical failure. Calves are biologically primed to accommodate rapid microbial colonization and fermentation, which complicates attempts to apply adult SARA definitions directly to young animals.

Several factors contribute to why SARA in calves remains poorly defined and easily overlooked:

Adult diagnostic thresholds do not translate well to calves.
Low rumen pH is common during normal weaning.
Clinical signs are subtle or absent, with changes often limited to intake patterns or behavior rather than overt disease.
Rumen development, immune maturation and fermentation occur simultaneously, obscuring cause-and-effect relationships.
Field monitoring of rumen pH in calves is uncommon, limiting real-world recognition of acidotic patterns.

The consequence is a diagnostic gray zone: fermentation patterns that would raise concern in adult cattle are often normalized in calves, even though they may still carry biological cost.

Weaning: Fermentation Outpaces Rumen Maturity

“The transition from milk to grain is very important in calves,” Mazon says. “In the natural environment, you’re going to have a calf that’s going to nurse for eight, nine months and develop the rumen very slowly. We’re trying to develop that rumen now in the dairy industry within less than two months.”

Weaning represents a compressed and intense transition from a milk-based diet to reliance on solid feed. The intake of starter feed, which is high in starch and non-fibrous carbohydrates, drives volatile fatty acid production, which is necessary for rumen papillae development. However, research has demonstrated that fermentation frequently accelerates faster than the rumen’s buffering and absorptive capacity.

During this window, calves experience prolonged exposure to acidic conditions without overt clinical signs. This aligns with Laarman’s observation that calves appear remarkably tolerant of low rumen pH during early life — a tolerance that may mask fermentative stress rather than eliminate it.

Rumen Development Under Acidic Conditions

While starter intake is essential, research increasingly suggests the pace and stability of fermentation matter as much as intake itself. Highly fermentable starter diets have been associated with altered rumen morphology , epithelial gene expression and fermentation profiles consistent with acid stress.

Rather than supporting orderly development, early and sustained acid exposure, which can carry through to the hindgut, may compromise epithelial integrity or absorptive efficiency. This challenges the assumption that faster rumen development is always better and raises questions about whether some calves are adapting to, rather than thriving under, acidic conditions.

Behavioral Changes: Subtle but Informative

With SARA, calves may show subtle behavioral changes, including altered feeding patterns and non-nutritive oral behaviors.

“We might see a lot of bar biting. If your calves are in hutches or pens you’re going to see them doing a lot of oral manipulation,” Mazon says. “In animal behavior, we say that every behavior has a form and a function. The form is they’re going to tongue roll, they’re going to bite the bars, they’re going to try to eat bedding, or they might constantly lick their hair. They’re going perform these behaviors to stimulate saliva production to buffer the rumen.”

These oral behaviors have also been observed in lambs and goat kids fed high concentrate diets. From a practical standpoint, behavior may be one of the earliest indicators fermentation is not proceeding smoothly, yet it is rarely interpreted through a rumen health lens.

Although these, sometimes subtle, behavioral signs are associated with SARA in calves, the presence of bubbles in loose feces and occurrence of ruminal bloats during the weaning and postweaning periods are other common indicators of SARA in calves.

Redefining Rumen Acidosis in the Growing Calf

The resilience of the neonatal rumen is remarkable, yet the lack of a clear clinical definition for SARA in calves remains a significant barrier to optimizing animal welfare. While calves appear biologically primed to tolerate acidic conditions during weaning, the long-term biological cost of this “adaptive” stress on gut integrity and immune maturation remains a critical area for study. Bridging the gap between adult SARA definitions and calf-specific physiology will be essential for developing the next generation of precision weaning strategies that support, rather than stress, the developing ruminant.

How to Manage Coccidiosis Risk in Weaned Calves: What Producers Need to Know

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:41:27 GMT

A ranch weans four groups of calves, all from separate pastures and breeding groups. They are placed in the same drylot to be fed, and three weeks later, some calves are dealing with bloody diarrhea. With the time of year and situation described, coccidiosis is high on the list of possible issues.

In the most recent episode of the “ Bovine Science with BCI ” podcast, Kansas State University veterinarians Bob Larson and Brad White look at this case of potential coccidiosis in weaned calves.

Larson explains there are other issues that can cause bloody diarrhea, like Salmonella or any other intestinal disease that cause damage to the intestinal lining.

One of the first factors to investigate is feed rations. In this case, these calves were being fed a corn, corn-gluten and soy hull mix with free-choice hay. Larson explains this is a rather fibrous diet with less starch, therefore acidosis and other related digestive tract issues can be eliminated.

The Prognosis

Studying the feces is another way to analyze the situation. Typical signs of acidosis include runny feces, sometimes containing gas bubbles, according to Larson. But he also adds that this is never a perfect test and to keep your options open when determining the prognosis.

To further understand feces tests, Larson explains that frank blood, often appearing bright red in color, indicates the damaged gut is further back in the digestive tract and the blood hasn’t been digested. When the blood is digested, like with abomasum ulcers or earlier tract issues, it appears black in color with a tar-like texture. In this ranch’s case, calves are presenting frank blood.

For more diagnostics, Larson says fecal floats are an option. There are different types of coccidia organisms that infect cattle in varying strengths. He warns these protozoa of the coccidia organisms will invade into the cells that line the intestine and then destroy the intestine as they multiply. But sometimes these protozoa do not show up in a fecal float, so it is important to not rule out coccidiosis if that is what is suspected, and the fecal float is negative.

White adds most calves will have coccidia organisms in their systems already.

Larson explains it is common for most mammals to have these organisms present in their systems, and the coccidia are specific to animal species. So, a high number of these organisms would confidently indicate coccidiosis, but smaller numbers should not be looked over either.

Larson and White both agree coccidiosis seems to be the issue with this ranch’s case, so the next item to address is where or how the calves contract it.

Control and Prevention

“They had it themselves — it’s not that they got it from somebody else necessarily,” Larson explains.

But he notes cattle can still get sick if they encounter calves carrying a coccidia species they haven’t been exposed to.

Young cattle like these are more susceptible to coccidia protozoa because they haven’t had time to build an immunity to them like older cattle would. However, there are a variety of populations of coccidia, so they cannot build an immunity to all types.

“There’s some challenges there keeping everybody on track nutritionally, and I’m mixing cattle from different sources, which probably means they are bringing in different types of coccidia,” Larson says.

White adds coccidia can be spread by fecal or oral contamination, and this setting is ideal for it. However, he also mentions their ration has an ionophore in it that should help control the contamination.

Rumensin or Bovitech are common ionophore products that provide control, but Larson says we should think of them as ways to control the multiplication of organisms. If cattle are at high levels of protozoa already, these additives are ineffective. But they are a crucial part of control and prevention.

For early precautions, Larson recommends feeding ionophore products like Decoquinate or Amprolium as they, “will do a better job of killing those organisms at other stages in the life cycle.”

Once calves are settled from weaning and their stress levels decrease, then they can be switched to other ionophores in their daily rations.

Larson says these treatments can be administered in feed or water, but it is often better to treat individual animals. Then, the whole group can be started on the ionophores for further prevention.

Managing environments and their conditions and limiting nutritional and weaning stress is also beneficial in the prevention of coccidiosis.

Larson reminds producers: “It takes consistent attention to the details to try to keep these problems at bay.”

Nightly Battles and Big Losses: Ranchers Demand Reform as Wolves Continue to Wreak Havoc

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 18:42:52 GMT

It’s hard to fathom: 92 confirmed or probable kills of cattle by three wolves during one season (April to October 2025) in the Sierra Valley. For ranchers, it’s more than economical loss — the emotional toll of dealing with wolves targeting their livestock and livelihoods is real.

Reintroduction and management of wolves in Sierra County, Calif., has led to significant challenges. The community, led by officials such as Paul Roen, has been actively pushing for updated management protocols, enhanced deterrence measures and better support from state and federal agencies to address the escalating wolf-livestock conflict.

Roen, a Sierra County supervisor (similar to a county commissioner) and rancher, explains it’s more than a livestock issue; it is a human safety issue.

“These wolves were not bothered by humans whatsoever. I mean, they were not acting like wild animals at all,” he says in reference to the wolves killing cattle earlier this year.

Rick Roberti, California Cattlemen’s Association president and a cattle rancher in Sierra Valley, adds: “For every confirmed kill you find, there’s probably four to six others. The wolves had gotten so used to eating cattle they didn’t hardly even look at a deer if they could find one.”

Roen and Roberti both stress the wolves have no fear of humans, with frequent sightings near homes and barns.

The severity of the attacks led Roen and other local officials to declare a state of emergency, drawing statewide and media attention. Despite the efforts of ranchers and local authorities — including constant night patrols, protective measures and deployment of technology like drones — wolf predation persisted. The community also engaged with state and federal resources, including a Strike Force sent by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to document the losses and explore possible intervention .

The program, designed to prevent livestock attacks on ranching properties in the heavily impacted Sierra Valley, deployed more than 18,000 staff hours across 114 days, engaging in 95 hazing events that helped to prevent an even greater loss in cattle deaths.

Eighteen Sierra Valley ranches enrolled in the program. CDFW staff also assisted ranches in evaluating the use of wolf-deterring fladry and ensuring livestock carcasses are correctly disposed to avoid attracting scavenging wolves. Additionally, the program helped facilitate depredation investigations, enabling ranchers to access compensation through CDFW’s Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program .

Following the unprecedented level of livestock attacks across the Sierra Valley, CDFW, in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), took the step of lethally removing four gray wolves from the Beyem Seyo pack.

“This action follows months of intensive non-lethal management efforts to reduce livestock loss and is grounded in the best available science and understanding of wolf biology,” according to the press release.

Roen says progress dealing with the wolf issue came with federal involvement and local law enforcement support. He says when the sheriff got involved , people woke up in Sacramento.

Read more about how sheriff departments from seven California counties united to oppose environmental polices they believe threaten ranchers and farmers.

Not Just California

The gray wolf is on the federal endangered species list except in the Northern Rocky Mountain region of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, the eastern one-third of Oregon, Washington and north-central Utah. In Minnesota, the gray wolf is considered threatened. Because of these protections, killing a wolf in the states where it’s protected is illegal, even if it’s seen killing livestock.

Luke Morgan, Lightning Bolt Cattle Company general manager, has been dealing with wolves since 2011 when they first came to Oregon. Morgan manages 2,500 mother cows on multiple locations in Oregon and Washington using both public and private lands.

A pack of wolves that live on one of the Lightning Bolt ranches in western Oregon have been causing havoc the past couple years. According to Morgan, the wolves killed more than 25 head of livestock from mid-October to mid-November.

He says the wolves prey the weak-minded: “Whatever can’t take the pressure … the ones that will break and run.”

(CDFW)

Cattle producer Amy Anderson Fitzpatrick says her family has also been dealing with wolves since 2011. They raise cattle in southern Oregon during the grazing season (May to December), then move the herd to winter in Northern California. The base ranch, called Rancheria Ranch, is in the mountains of Oregon and is a mix of owned land and permitted grazing. The operation includes commercial cow herd plus some yearlings.

Since 2019, Fitzpatrick says at least 24 cattle deaths have been attributed to wolves, though actual losses are likely higher due to unconfirmed cases in the rugged terrain.

“I have learned far more about wolves and their behavior than I could ever imagine. Wolves kill for food, yes, but they also kill to hone their skills, teach their young and for fun. We have witnessed wolves literally bumping livestock bedded down to get them up and running to chase them,” Fitzpatrick says. “We’ve been dealing with it for about 14 years. … The earlier pack, the Rogue Pack, would hit Fort Klamath hard in the summer months when there was an abundance of yearling cattle, then in the fall they’d come over the hill to Rancheria and hit us. Now we deal with what is known as this Grouse Ridge Pack, which seems to just like to hang out at the ranch and hit our permit country in the summertime.”

Fitzpatrick says they previously anticipated up to five losses per year from cattle turned out on the range as a cost of doing business. With the increase in wolf population, the ranch tallied between 35 and 40 mostly weaned calves during the 2024 season.

The Rogue Pack would kill livestock as sport and not consume the animals. However, the current, larger pack tends to consume more carcasses, further complicating verification.

In Wisconsin over the past 12 months, wolf attacks on livestock have increased. According to the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), there have been 62 livestock depredation incidents in 2025 — 45 killed and 17 confirmed harassments — all of which are either livestock or pets. That’s nearly double the number of incidents reported just three years ago.

According to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau : “Wisconsin’s wolf population has rebounded from extinction to an undeniable conservation success. But lately, it feels more like a horror story than a success story.”

Read more about how ranchers say they are willing to deal with wolves if they will return to their natural habitat:
Wolves Are Not Going Away: Ranchers Push for Practical Management Tools

(Paul Roen)

Financial Loss is Real

Herd-level effects beyond death loss include lower conception rates, 50 lb. to 75 lb. weaning weight declines and cow herd fear. Wolves have changed cattle behavior significantly.

Fitzpatrick says the presence of wolves has caused observable stress and aggression in the cattle, leading to behavioral changes, abortions and decreased weaning weights.

“Wolves actively harass resting cattle, preventing them from relaxing or thriving,” she says.

Morgan says herd experience more vulnerability during calving season. He points out calves and protective dams are high-risk with wolf attacks leading to increasing accidental calf deaths and stress-related herd disruptions.

Research by Tina Saitone, a University of California-Davis professor and cooperative Extension specialist in livestock and rangeland economics, found one wolf can cause up to $162,000 in annual financial loss .

Compensation is Available But Falls Short

Compensation frameworks exist but often lack speed and scope and require confirmations that are often unfeasible. Morgan says there’s not even close to enough funds in the pool to cover all the losses.

“There is money appropriated in California, but we’re just having a hard time getting it,” Roberti adds. “Most have been waiting since April.”

All four producers say depredations are significantly undercounted compared with real losses due to terrain, investigation lags and evidence requirements. A shared frustration is the fact if an animal is nearly completely consumed, the investigators can’t find the evidence it was a wolf attack and thus, it does not count as a wolf depredation.

Emotional Toll is Substantial

For cattle producers impacted by wolves, it’s more than the financial toll; it’s the human factor, the stress incurred.

“Financial-wise, it’s huge. It’s astronomical, if you really dig into it, but the mental capacity it takes from us and the people who work for us is huge,” Morgan says. “The emotional toll we have to go through just watching and observing cattle, and we spend every day we possibly can trying to keep these animals alive.

“There’s nothing pretty about the way [wolves] kill animals,” he continues. “For us to go out and find them or have to deal with that, it’s huge emotionally.”

Fitzpatrick explains the losses due to wolves have deeply affected her dad.

“My dad is 81 years old, and I have never seen him so depressed,” she explains. “He’s not the same; he’s lost the fight. It’s like we’ve lost. How do you put a price tag on that?”

Dealing with wolves it is a safety issue as well, Roberti adds. As producers stay up all night checking on and protecting their cattle. Fitzpatrick agrees, summarizing the stressful steps she takes to check cattle, noting she now avoids certain tasks due to the increased risks to herself and her dogs.

Documenting the events in Sierra County, Roen says he hopes their experiences can be used as a road map for others. He plans to share plans, forms and training materials with ranchers facing similar threats.

“We created different plans and trainings we will allow everybody to plagiarize,” he says.

Your Next Read:
Wolves Are Not Going Away: Ranchers Push for Practical Management Tools

The Cost of Coexistence With Wolves

Preparing for Winter Calving and Breeding Success

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 12:33:29 GMT

As winter calving approaches, veterinarians and producers alike begin the ritual of assembling calving kits, checking facilities and brushing up on best practices. To help refine these preparations, Dr. Adrian Barragan, associate research professor and Extension veterinarian at Penn State University, recently shared practical, research-grounded guidance on dystocia management, postpartum risks and strategies to set cows up for breeding success on an episode of “ The Beef Podcast Show .”

His message centered on one theme: Timing and monitoring matter more than anything else.

Early, Accurate Monitoring for Calving Success

Barragan emphasizes calving involves two patients: the dam and the calf. Monitoring needs to reflect the needs of both.

“One thing that is key when it comes to the calving season is having proper monitoring of calving progress. That is what is going to determine if the calf is going to survive and how bad it’s going to be afterwards for the dam,” Barragan says. “The earlier we can identify that the cow needs assistance the better. However, if we intervene too soon, that can also have negative effects on the dams.”

Cows must be allowed to complete dilation before assistance begins. Pulling a calf before full dilation can create severe trauma to the reproductive tract, setting the dam up for a cascade of postpartum complications.

Because beef cows aren’t watched as closely as dairy cows, Barragan recommends beef operations adjust management to close the monitoring gap. Simple steps like maintaining smaller calving pens near the home site, bringing close-up cows into more observable groups and checking them at least every three hours can dramatically improve outcomes.

Once labor begins, marked by the appearance of the amniotic sac or hooves though the vulva, progress should be seen every 15 or 20 minutes. If within 30 to 60 minutes you see no progress with the animal, it’s time to move her into a chute to see what’s going on.

Postpartum Priorities

Compared with dairy herds, postpartum disease in beef cattle is rare.

“We have retained placentas, and we have metritis. However, the incidence is very very low,” Barragan says. Nationally, retained placenta and metritis together occur in only about 0.3% of beef cows.

Even so, cows identified as high risk should be monitored 24 to 48 hours postpartum, even if they appear fine immediately after delivery. During that time, animal care professionals should confirm:

The placenta is expelled within 24 hours
The cow is standing, eating and drinking normally
No early signs of downer cow syndrome appear
The calf is nursing and remains vigorous

Calves also require careful management, especially if the dam is having issues.

“I always recommend to not keep the calf with the cow, because the cow … might step on the calf and injure that animal,” Barragan advises. “You have to protect the calf. If the calf isn’t going to survive, then what’s the point of having that cow?”

Managing the Calving to Conception Transition

Once calving is wrapped up, producers quickly turn toward breeding, but Barragan stresses that cows need a true voluntary waiting period before entering any breeding program. This allows time for uterine involution, for metabolic balance to return and for the reproductive system to restart cycling. Moving cows into breeding groups too early can delay conception or cause them to fall further behind.

If a cow is coming out of a difficult calving, they might take longer to resume normal estrous cycles; these animals are often late or repeat breeders. But also be aware of any larger scale breeding issues within the herd.

“It’s one thing if one cow isn’t getting bred, but if your whole herd is taking several cycles to get bred, that’s a clue that we need to evaluate what’s going on and do some deeper diving,” Barragan says.

Even in herds with low postpartum disease rates, Barragan reminds producers to watch for cows that simply don’t bounce back. Poor appetite, sluggish behavio, or delayed return to normal mothering behaviors can signal underlying issues that could affect fertility weeks later. Early, supportive treatments including fluids, electrolytes or additional monitoring can shorten that recovery window and improve breeding performance.

Preparation, Patience and Precision

Good calving outcomes hinge on practical, attentive management. Monitoring cows often enough to catch the start of labor, resisting the urge to intervene too early and giving extra time and space to cows recovering from hard calvings all play central roles. The first 24 to 48 hours after birth remains a critical window. Careful attention to the dam’s appetite, behavior and placenta expulsion, and to the calf’s strength and nursing, creates a solid foundation for the next breeding season.

Healthy cows are the true engine of reproductive success. Whether a producer relies on bulls, AI or simple synchronization, none of these tools can overcome poor recovery, delayed cycling or undetected postpartum issues. The best outcomes come from knowing which cows need more support, allowing them time to heal and making intentional decisions. Patience and observation can lead to improved fertility, tightened calving windows and a herd that is set up well for the next cycle.

Don’t Let Winter’s Cold Open the Door to BRD

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 13:30:14 GMT

Winter weather isn’t just tough on producers — it’s tough on cattle, too.

“There are reasons why we see more BRD challenges in cold and damp conditions,” says Nathan Meyer, DVM, Ph.D., Boehringer Ingelheim (BI). “It really comes down to stress. When animals are stressed, they’re less able to fight off infections as effectively as they would under more ideal conditions.”

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains the costliest disease impacting U.S. beef cattle. The brisk winter months are the perfect time to reevaluate management practices to improve animal health, comfort and BRD control.

Prioritize Husbandry During Winter

Good animal husbandry is a crucial component of cold stress management.

“Muddy, cold and wet conditions can really draw heat out of an animal,” Meyer. says. “Not only does mud make it harder for cattle to stay warm, but it also increases their nutrient needs, because it takes more energy just to move around, eat and drink.”

When cattle are putting a lot of energy toward staying warm, they become more susceptible to disease challenges. Windbreaks, plenty of quality bedding and clean, dry areas can minimize the impact of the damp and cold temperatures.

Maintaining appropriate stocking density can also reduce the risk of disease spread. BRD is a communicable disease, and is easily transmitted from animal to animal. Giving animals the room they need slows down fast-spreading illness and keeps animals more comfortable.

Support Cattle Through Nutrition

Providing a balanced diet that meets or exceeds nutritional requirements is critical during extremely cold conditions. Nutritional support keeps animals warm, and also supports their overall health and immune function.

For every degree below an animal’s lower critical temperature (LCT) — the lowest temperature they can comfortably experience — their energy requirements increase by 1%. Depending upon body condition score and thickness of winter coat, cattle may have an LCT around 18 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Providing extra feed and ample bedding during a storm or cold snap will set cattle up to better handle the added stress.

Access to sufficient quantities of clean water is one critical nutritional component to keep in mind.

“Keep an eye on recharge rates, and break ice when necessary,” Meyer says. “Testing water periodically is also important to ensure there are no high levels of minerals or harmful bacteria.”

The importance of monitoring both water quantity and quality cannot be underestimated, as deficiencies in either can compromise cattle health.

Detect BRD Early for Best Treatment Outcomes

Even with the best prevention and husbandry measures in place, BRD can sometimes bypass defenses. When it does, early detection and treatment intervention is essential to minimizing long-term lung damage and production setbacks.

To minimize long-term lung damage and the production setbacks of BRD, look for early signs of illness in your cattle: depression, low appetite, abnormal respiration and high body temperature.

(Boehringer Ingelheim)

“I’m a fan of the DART acronym when it comes to identifying early signs of sick cattle,” Meyer. explains. “Depression, low Appetite, abnormal Respiration and high body Temperature are key indicators caretakers should watch for.”

Correctly identifying sick cattle within a group can require a trained and experienced eye. He encourages managers to provide routine training for employees, to help them recognize signs of illness and evaluate whether BRD treatment is needed.

“The sooner we can intervene against BRD, the more likely we are to have successful treatment,” Meyer says.

He notes that not all antibiotics are created equal, and that producers should collaborate with their veterinarians to select products tailored to their herds’ needs. Meyer recommends choosing a fast-acting, long-lasting antibiotic with broad pathogen coverage to effectively combat BRD infections.

“Working with your veterinarian to establish a health plan is vital,” Meyer summarizes. “They bring valuable insights from working with multiple operations, and have access to the latest research to help tailor effective strategies for your herd.”

When Is the Best Time for Lice Control Application?

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 18:04:48 GMT

Lice are a common problem that can cause economic losses, reduce weight gain and lead to a general unhealthy appearance.

“When I hear the word ‘lice,’ two pictures always come to mind; one is me as a kid, lined up with my friends on a cold Idaho morning, waiting for the school nurse to tell us we couldn’t share hats anymore,” says Kirk Ramsey, DVM and Neogen professional services veterinarian. “The other is my cows in winter, rubbing themselves raw against the feed wagon while I beg them to move so I can finish chores in the snow.”

Different scenes, same reminder: As long as mammals have existed, so have lice.

“The reality is that when it comes to lice, ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,’” Ramsey says.

Application Timing and Best Practices

Timing lice control is what makes prevention difficult. One of the most common wintertime complaints cattle veterinarians receive is asking why cattle still have lice even though they were treated the last time they were worked.

“Most spring calving herds do all their herd work in the fall. This means cattle are vaccinated, checked for pregnancy, wormed, and often lice prevention is applied in October or November,” Ramsey explains. “The problem with that logic is that, in many parts of the country, very few lice will be present at that time, and it may be a month or two until the weather deteriorates enough for lice to really be a problem. To reduce risk and create control measures, understanding the life cycle of lice and targeting application times are paramount.”

To achieve seasonlong control, Ramsey says you have to break the life cycle. If treatment is completed too early in the fall, it’s possible only adult lice will be eliminated, not the eggs they laid.

“Producers will not have that seasonlong effect because the life cycle was not broken,” Ramsey says. “Where you will really find success is using a product labeled for lice that has an insect growth regulator (IGR) to help break the life cycle of the louse.”

Selecting a formula that includes an IGR, such as diflubenzuron — which disrupts nymph maturity — minimizes handling time and labor costs.

He adds, “It’s key to note here that most products include an adulticide, which treats adults, but the adulticide will not affect nymphs or eggs.”

When selecting an insecticide, be sure to consider its active ingredients and mode of action.

“It is important to also consider that insecticide resistance may be present in ectoparasite populations in various geographic locations, so a chemical control strategy that rotates between classes of insecticides is recommended,” Ramsey says.

Breaking the Life Cycle of Lice

The key to breaking the life cycle is to first understand how lice develop. First, you have eggs — also referred to as nits — which develop into nymphs within 10 to 20 days, which then transform into adults.

Adults live from two to six weeks, with the female laying 30 to 60 eggs in their lifetime. It may not seem like that massive of a number, but it is a decent number when you’re considering that this is just from one female, and you are never just going to have only one in an infestation.

Signs of Lice

Clinical signs of lice in cattle can include intense itching, patchy and flaky skin, hair loss, lethargy, decreased gain and weight loss.

“Cattle can also get to the point of anemia, when they become very ill looking, and their hair coat will look very poor,” Ramsey explains. “One study from the University of Nebraska, as well as other studies, indicates heavy lice populations may reduce weight gain by as much as 0.21 lb. per day.”

Types of Lice

Ramsey explains there are two types of lice: the sucking louse and the chewing louse.

“In its simplest form, chewing lice feed off skin debris and hair, to some extent, which causes itching,” he explains. “Sucking lice feed on blood, causing anemia and pathogen transmission. The sucking louse can be a biological vector for diseases like Anaplasmosis or Theileria.”

Lice can be present on the skin surface at the base of the hair; they also have a predilection for the face, neck, shoulders, back and tailhead of the animal.

To learn more about lice prevention and control, visit your local veterinarian or visit Neogen.com .