Posted by Administrator on November 01 2011 16:12

Welcome!

This is the first edition of the Veterinary Medical Center Dairy and Dairy Calf News. This one-page newsletter will be published monthly. Our goal is to bring you timely information that will help your operation succeed. If you have any questions or comments on any item you see in the newsletter, please give us a call. We are proud to be your animal health service and product supplier.

Quick Guide to Preventing Failure of Passive Transfer in Calves

We get many calls regarding calf health, ranging from 90% incidence of calf scours to calves that do not get clinically ill but have lower than expected weight gain. The first step to evaluating any calf health or performance issue is to review the colostrum program. Failure of passive transfer means that the calves did not absorb enough immunoglobins from the colostrum. It doesn’t mean that they didn’t get any, just that there is room for improvement. Calves with marginal levels of colostrum absorption have lower weaning weights even if they don’t have higher levels of diarrhea and pneumonia.

Here are the four colostrum issues that we evaluate:

1. Quantity: A 100-pound calf needs 4 quarts of colostrum.

2. Timing: There are two options for feeding 4 quarts of colostrum. Option one is to feed 4 quarts within 2 hours of birth. Most farms will tube feed this colostrum. Option two is to split the volume into two 2-quart feedings. The first feeding has to be within 2 hours of birth and the second feeding needs to be 8-10 hours later. By 12 hours of age, the calf’s intestine is starting to lose the ability to absorb colostrum. The ability is completely gone by 24 hours of age. It is also important to milk the cow ASAP after she calves. The longer it takes to milk the cow after calving, the lower the quality of the colostrum.

3. Quality: The level of immunoglobins in the colostrum varies from cow to cow and from season to season. First calf heifer colostrum may be better than cow colostrum in some cases. There is a new tool (Brix Refractometer) that can be used on farm to evaluate colostrum quality. The Brix Refractometer is cost effective, accurate, and easy to use.

4. Bacteria Level: Research proves that high levels of bacteria in the colostrum inhibit proper absorption. Culturing the colostrum to quantify the total bacteria count will determine if cleanliness of colostrum harvest and feeding equipment needs to be evaluated.

Please contact your VMC veterinarian or PLS salesperson for more information.

Ask Us About...

Oregon State Extension has put together an instruction sheet on dehorning calves with paste between 12-48 hours of age. Calves at this age are easy to handle and quickly recover from the discomfort of dehorning. Laminated instruction sheets are available in English and Spanish.

Did You Know?

Many cows with retained placenta and/or metritis have subclinical hypocalcemia (low blood calcium). When a cow has a retained placenta or metritis, treat her with oral calcium. There are many forms of oral calcium available with varying dosing intervals. Ask your veterinarian which calcium product is right for your farm.