Calves are Most Vulnerable Animals on Dairy

Attention to critical periods in calf's development can help get them started right.

Calves can be more stressed by changes and inconsistencies than any other animal on the dairy, according to Al Kertz, PhD, a dairy nutrition consultant who owns Andhil LLC, St. Louis, Mo. Kertz says that how a calf starts its life, whether healthy or diseased, will be indicative of whether it is an asset or liability in the herd during its lifetime.

There is increasing evidence that calves never really get over a good start or a bad start, he explains. He cites these three critical periods in calf development:

1. At or near the time of calving.

2. The first two weeks of life.

3. The weaning/transition period.

There are certain health issues you need to focus on during these critical periods, according to Kertz. For example, scours is the main cause of death in calves prior to weaning. After weaning, the main death cause is respiratory disease. Nutrition should be a key management focus in each of the three critical periods of calf development to help ensure healthy calves from the start, according to Kertz.

He provides these suggestions to help improve management of dairy calves through the three critical life stages.

Cow Environment

• Ensure the cow is kept in good condition and healthy prior to calving 
•  Keep the cows environment clean and sanitary. The calving area should be clean, well ventilated and not crowded.
• Calves should promptly be put into a clean and dry stall or hutch.

Colostrum Management

• Timing—Colostrum should be consistently administered around the clock at birth or as soon as possible after birth. The calf is born as a non-ruminant and also has no antibody protection. It is totally dependent on absorbing the antibody proteins from colostrum. The calf's ability to absorb antibody proteins decreases by 25 percent within four hours. By 12 hours it's down to 50 percent.
• Quality;Try to select the bestquality colostrum through the use of a colostrometer that approximately measures antibody protein concentrations.
• Quantity Provide at least 4 quarts of colostrum the first feeding and 2 more quarts within the first 24 hours.

Colostrum Contamination

Recent surveys in Minnesota and Pennsylvania found that between 35 to 40 percent of the colostrum
sampled exceeded the minimum total bacteria counts and coliform counts that should be present, according to Kertz. “In these cases, you're actually inoculating the calf with bacteria when you feed them colostrum, he says. This is really a troubling element that we've not looked at too closely in the past, says Kertz. That means the cows udder was probably dirty or the equipment used to milk the cow was dirty or the feeding equipment used to feed the calf was dirty.

Another part of contaminated colostrum is how it is handled after it comes from the cow and goes into the bucket.

•  How long is it after a cow is milked out that the colostrum is actually fed to that calf?
• Does it sit around for two to four hours?
• And then what's the ambienttemperature? Temperature would be more a factor in summer than winter, says Kertz.

Calf Nutrition

Because calves do not have a functioning rumen at first, nutrition initially comes almost exclusively from liquid feeding programs, Kertz explains. “The liquid becomes almost a full source of nutrition.” The specific liquid feeding program you utilize depends upon what your goals and objectives are, according to Kertz. It s important to work with your consultants, including your veterinarian and nutritionist, to develop calf nutrition protocols that will help you meet your goals and objectives.

Water

Water is an essential part of good nutrition management, according to Kertz. If water is not available calves are not going to eat as much as they should. Kertz provides these general recommendations about water management:

• Ensure clean water is available allthe time.
• Calves need water amounting to the equivalent of about four times starter intake. If water is
  limited so will intake be limited.
• Keep water and starter buckets separated from one another to prevent contamination back and
  forth of feed and water.

Weaning/Transition

Kertz says the “big event” in a calf ’s life is weaning. “That relates back to what occurs two weeks before
it is fully weaned and what happens two weeks after it is weaned,” he explains.

“Here’s where some people reallyfall down,” says Kertz. “They have a good program up to this point and if they’re not careful they can give away that progress and actually impair the calf for life.”

A primary consideration, according to Kertz, is having a good starter intake. “During the first two weeks, a calf isn’t going to eat much starter, but it is still important that you begin to feed small amounts. This
encourages the calf to nuzzle around, pick it up and eat some.” He suggests that you start by feeding the calf a quarter pound of starter per day. The feed should be fresh every day. What is not consumed  should be disposed of or fed to heifers.

“It’s critical how you progressively increase the amount of starter you feed to the calf,” Kertz says. A calf should be consuming an average of about 1 pound of starter per day the week prior to beginning weaning, he explains. Calves should be consuming 4 or 6 pounds of starter the two weeks after they
are weaned. Proper management of the weaning/transition period is crucial for helping calves to gain
weight efficiently and to maintain immunity by preventing stress. One important aspect of this management is to try not to create too many changes for the calf at one time, Kertz emphasizes.