Dairy Calves - News & Insights
Stay updated on the latest dairy calf management strategies. Explore expert advice on colostrum management, calf nutrition, disease prevention, and the beef-on-dairy trend to ensure a healthy, productive future for your herd.
Beef-on-dairy calves are showing fewer scours cases and repeat treatments than Holsteins, adding another layer to their value on dairy farms.
Ammonia can build in calf hutches and affect growth, but small changes in bedding and daily management can help keep levels in check.
Many calves develop pneumonia days before showing symptoms. Lung ultrasounds are helping veterinarians detect the hidden disease earlier.
Not all colostrum is equal, but simple on-farm tools can help you determine the best quality.
When tracked across calves and over time, serum total protein can provide insights into calf health, management consistency and future performance.
When it comes to colostrum, more isn’t always better.
Dr. Adam Beard shares new research evaluating short-term contact between cows and calves and its impact on early calf health and growth.
Virtually all calf starter grain formulations in the U.S. currently lean on soybean meal as their main protein source. But researchers at Kansas State University are looking at an interesting alternative – distillers grain.
Effective scours treatment depends on correcting dehydration and acidosis early. Here, Dr. Geoffrey Smith reviews physiology-based oral and IV fluid therapy strategies.
Early recognition and intervention can determine whether compromised calves recover or fall behind.
Why inconsistency in daily management quietly undermines calf health and how veterinarians can help stabilize outcomes before disease appears.
New research shows calves fed waste milk develop different immune cell and cytokine profiles than those fed salable milk, even when clinical health appears similar.
A calf jacket can make winter easier but only if you know how to manage them.
Experts say it’s time to feed colostrum according to quality not habit. When it comes to calf immunity, more volume isn’t always better.
Salmonella is challenging organism for calf operations, but the serotype Dublin is especially dangerous because of its unique hallmarks of multidrug resistance and ability to also cause severe illness in humans.
For decades, researchers have explored the influence of dam nutrition on offspring performance. Now, the dairy industry is taking a page from that book, exploring the intricacies of how and what we feed to dairy dams to improve the health and productivity of their calves, without sacrificing theirs.
New World screwworm was essentially eradicated in the U.S. in 1966, but the persistent pest has rebounded through considerable geography in the past year, prompting the closure of the U.S./Mexico border to cattle in recent months.
As we aim for improved biosecurity measures, understanding both the challenges and solutions will pave the way for better practices on calf ranches, ultimately creating a win-win situation for both calves and humans
The importance of new-life navel care cannot be overestimated, according to Ohio veterinarian Taylor Engle. He said failing to treat the navel properly can provide a pathway for bacteria directly to the livers of young calves.
Calf researchers and rearing experts from around the world will convene in Madison, Wis. on September 24-27, 2025, for the 4th annual Smart Calf Rearing Conference.
Colostrum supplies can often drop as temperatures cool and days shorten, but smart planning and management can help you beat the seasonal slump.
New research shows adding dry colostrum replacer powder directly to moderate-quality colostrum can safely boost its immune value.
Frozen colostrum is a valuable tool for calf health, but to preserve its quality and immune benefits, dairy farms should use it within eight months, store it in non-frost-free freezers and label it clearly.
Starting calves off right with good colostrum, care and timing can make all the difference when it’s time to hit the road.
Oral meloxicam, given before or after dehorning, can reduce pain and inflammation in calves, with the timing of treatment affecting the length of its anti-inflammatory benefits, according to a study.
The careful execution of calf management protocols and daily tasks that keep calves healthy can and should incrementally add up to more milk produced on the dairy, according to consulting veterinarian Scott Earnest.
Calves can suffer from heat stress the same as older animals. But even when the heat is on, they prefer to stay close to their partners in pair housing situations, according to a recent study by University of Wisconsin researchers.