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Calf & Heifer Health
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Setting calves up for a long-term, successful immune system

Setting up a calf’s immune system from the beginning impacts both her short-term and long-term health. This includes vaccinating dry cows, ensuring passive transfer and developing vaccination and immunostimulant protocols that align with the farm’s heifer-raising goals.
January 24, 2023
Elena Montemagni

Managing dairy calves is truly an art form. The first few weeks of a calf’s life are imperative to how productive that calf will be as an adult, from increased milk during its first lactation to achieving its full genetic potential. This is especially important for replacement heifer calves. As breeding decisions are carefully made and only the best cows are bred for replacement heifers, it is key to ensure those calves are as healthy as can be during the first weeks of life. These first few weeks of life largely shape that future cow's career and your profitability. 


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Leave the needle in the haystack: Rehydrate with an oral electrolyte

Scours causes 60% of pre-weaned calf deaths. Knowing how to correctly rehydrate a dehydrated calf and which product is necessary in each situation is essential to minimizing calf mortality.
January 11, 2023
Nathan Upah

There are many clichés to represent the need for the right tool to do the job. Perhaps the best one that both relates to the subject at hand, as well as in a practical application, is “don’t bring a water pistol to fight a fire.” Oral rehydration electrolyte solutions (ORES) have garnered a reputation as being the water pistol in the fight to correct dehydration.


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Calf gut health and IgY antibodies

While IgGs might be the star of the show in colostrum, supplementing with IgYs could aid in lining the gut, adding an extra layer of defense through the first weeks of a calf’s life.
January 9, 2023
Roger L. Saltman and Shawn Jones

When we look at calf health statistics for the U.S. dairy industry, it’s clear we have room for improvement. Data from the USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) has calculated the national morbidity rate for female dairy calves at 34% and mortality at 5%, with digestive disease or scours as the leading cause of both sickness and death.


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Supporting a dairy calf’s microbiome for a strong immune system

Early life management affects a calf’s health and productivity not only short term but throughout its entire life. To help ensure success, farms should focus on nutrition, microbiome, immunity and gut integrity.
January 6, 2023
Jill Soderstrom

Calf nutrition and care are paramount to the future success of a dairy operation. However, we often take a straightforward approach – only for growth and development – but do not realize the larger impact it can have on the calves' genetic potential and their ability to be optimal calves that will later become productive milk cows.


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Getting calves to drink water is a yearlong pursuit

A calf’s body is 70% water, and water intake is closely tied to rumen development and starter intake. To encourage intake, producers should provide clean water frequently. Providing warm water or water with electrolytes in a bottle may also encourage additional intake.
December 29, 2022
Tana Dennis

Calf hydration isn’t just for hot weather. A year-round plan for feeding water and electrolytes can help calves stay healthy and productive through all seasons and temperatures. Water is key to hydration and for calves, has major effects on starter intake, rumen development and overall health.


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Protect calves with a solid BRD identification plan

Learning how to properly identify symptoms of BRD, performing routine checks during feeding, keeping detailed records, and monitoring the type and duration of antibiotic therapy can aid in the protection of youngstock from BRD.
December 28, 2022
Geof Smith

With the arrival of cold weather comes the increased threat of bovine respiratory disease (BRD), or calfhood pneumonia, that often comes with it. Having a plan to prevent, diagnose and treat this common yet serious disease is key to help protect your dairy’s future.


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Colostrum for calves with diarrhea? Exploring the potential of colostrum as an additional therapy

Calves with diarrhea could benefit from colostrum supplementation. Recent research shows that eight feedings over four days could reduce the disease to 2.75 days.
December 27, 2022
David Renaud and Michael A. Steele

There is no doubting that colostrum management is essential in early life to achieve transfer of passive immunity. In fact, if calves achieve passive immunity, they will have a lower risk of developing diarrhea.


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Colostrum can help control BRD: Build immunity early in replacement heifers

Controlling BRD is essential for raising healthy calves, but to do so producers and employees need to do a few key things: Know the signs of BRD, provide good-quality colostrum and vaccinate against it.
December 14, 2022
David L. Prentice

If bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a challenge on your dairy, you’re not alone. BRD remains the number two killer of pre-weaned calves and is the primary cause of death in weaned calves.


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Mycotoxins: Not just a dairy cow issue

While some might think mycotoxins don’t affect calves, they can be present in calf starter. Concentrations must stay below 300 parts per billion in calf feed; otherwise, it is toxic.
December 10, 2022
Ellan Dufour

If the wide array of mycotoxins present in our dairy feed can have such an extreme impact on cow health and production, then we can assume they can also impact the growth, performance and health of calves and heifers.


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Record calf and heifer info to boost success

Recording calf and heifer health events, growth, genetics and reasons for culling and utilizing this data can improve long-term calf and heifer management.
December 9, 2022
Robert Fourdraine

Typically, the majority of data recorded on a dairy are events and performance data related to the animals in the milking herd.


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