Proactive Calfhood Disease Management

This week's tip is brought to you by Alpharma Animal Health.

• 56% removed from dam at birth
• 45% nurse the dam
• 7.8% pre-weaned mortality
• 56.5% of pre-weaned mortality due to scours
• 22.5% of pre-weaned mortality due to BRD
• 1.8% post-weaned mortality
• 46.5% of post-weaned mortality due to BRD

What are Scours?
Scours are the result of an enteric disease condition caused by:

• Bacteria: E. coli, clostridium, salmonella, etc.
• Viruses: Rotavirus, Coronoa-virus
• Protozoa: Coccidiosis, Cryptosporidium
• Non-Infectious: Ex. Water quality

It is important to recognize the timing of clinical disease (Example: Coccidiosis):

• Clinical disease appears approximately 3 weeks post-inoculation (infection)
• Date of infection
• Disease incubation
• Date of clinical outbreak

Medication delivery options include:

• Inclusion in manufactured milk replacer
• Add-pack
• Water-soluble products

Growers also need to:

• Understand that calf health is a balance between the level of infection, a calf's immune system ability, and medication program being delivered.
• Recognize a high plain of nutrition as crucial to the health of young calves.
• Develop a system that makes sense for your operation (involve you veterinarian).
  

Here are some Proactive Calfhood Disease Management Tips you may want to add to your operation:

1. Review first day of life protocols (Colostrum Management, Maternity Pen Management, etc.)
2. Feed calves enough high quality groceries. The immune system needs 25-30% of the daily energy offered so you are not just feeding for gain, you are feeding for optimum health.
3. All in, all out principles, if using calf hutches.
4. Reduce stress placed on calves during the weaning and transition period. Utilize an anticoccidial like Deccox® or Bovatec® throughout your whole milk or milk replacer feeding program to "Bridge the Gap" for optimum coccidiosis control and compliment your starter program. Calves do not often consume enough medicated starter during the first month of life, which means they do not consume enough anticoccidial for maximum protection. Before calves display clinical signs of the disease, (minimum three weeks post-exposure) damage to the intestinal lining has been done - which means reduced performance and sub-optimum health.

To listen to the complete May Webinar and previous DCHA Webinars, click here.