Approach To Group Calf Health Flashcards
what information should you gather in the pre calving period
History
Feeding (nutritionists?)
Vaccination status
how much space is required per cow in pre calving pens
7.5m^2 per cow
how much feed space does a cow need in a pre calving pen
- 7m (simultaneous)
- 3 (ad lib)
what effect does undernutrition have during pregnancy
Affects milk yield/quality
Alter mineral status — slow calving syndrome
Increases size of placenta — increases BW of calf?
what affect does over nutrition have during pregnancy
Increases BCS of cow — dystocia
Metabolic disease (ketoacidosis, LDA)
Increases BW of calf?
when should you BCS a cow before calving
6-8 weeks
feed her what she needs
don’t adjust in last 3 weeks
what records should the farmer have during the pre calving period
scanning/PD results
dry period length
what sampling can you take in pre calving period
BCS
bloods for NEFA (BHB), urea, albumin, globulin
idodine: TH/metabolism
copper
selenium
what should the BCS be at calving for a dairy cow
2.5-3
what is the importance of copper during pre calving
growth
what is the importance of selenium in pre calving
WMD
what are critcal control points pre calving (5)
- cows fed too much
- cows fed too little
- heifers to small to be bred
- mineral inbalance
- infectious disease status (abortions)
what are possible controls pre calving
Dry cow nutrition adjustment (increase/decrease energy/protein/mineral)
Delay breeding heifers
Alterations in environment
Investigate vaccination programme
what are some factors that affect dystocia in cattle
season
nutrition
calf sex
age at calving
gestation length
cow body weight
cow BCS
cow pelvic area
breed of cow/bull/calf
calf mortality
twins
calf birth weight
uterine torsion
malpresentation
how can management influence dystocia
Sire selection
Heifer growth
Management in pre-partum period
what history can be gathered during calving
Stockmanship (what happens when cow calving?)
Feeding calcium?
what size of area is needed for calving
12m^2
what should the calving profile of a dairy be
How many each month (dairy)
what should the calving profile of a beef be
target 9 weeks
long and short problems
what calving records are useful
what cow mortality should be a target at calving
5% cows, 15% heifers cow mortality at calving
what perinatal mortality should be during the first 24h
2%
what sampling can you take during calving
PM of dead calves (establish cause — dystocia or issue before calving, liver minerals)
Blood sampling fresh calved cows (Ca)
- Between 12-48 hours
what are critical control points of calving
Control facilities
Stockmanship (supervision and intervention)
Mineral balance
Dystocia — multiple reasons (inappropriate bull, cows too fat, heifers too small)
what are possible control measures at calving
Change in bull (especially for heifers)
Change in calving pen environment
Tightened calving interval (easier to watch but…)
Staff training in obstetrics
what are calves born with
Low energy store, high thermal stress
No humoral immunity
Direct opening to vascular system (umbilicus)
Massive environmental pathogen challenge
what history information can you gather during the neonatal period (4)
- colostrum management
- navel management
- stockmanship
- vaccination
what is the ideal amount of colostrum and when
4L in first 4 hours (?beef) –> this is a lot
- 10-15% of calves BW in first 6-12hrs
- Split into two feedings
from own mothers milk
clean equip
+/- pasteurization
what does good navel managment look like
10% iodine (+/- spirit) or oxytet spray
dip not spray
what observations can you make during the golden hours
What is actually happening?
Look at the calves
Clean equipment (bacteria bind IgG)
Mis-mothering
If calving a cow = good opportunity for observations
how many grams of IgG are needed and when
150-200g of IgG in first 6-12 hours of life
what records are taken during the golden hours
Medicine book/computer records (calf and cow diseases/treatment)
- <5% calves treated (morbidity)
born alive then die
Colostrum records
what sampling can you take during the golden hours
- colostrum quality from cow
- assessing colostrum passive transfer in calf
- PM of calves
how can you assess colostrum quality from cow
Visual inspection
Colostrometer (temp dependent = 20ºC)
Brix refractometer (not temp dependent)
what is the colostrometer target for good colostrum from cow
>1.050 (green) = >50g/L IgG
what indicates good colostrum in Brix refractometer
>22% = >50g/L IgG
how can you assess colostrum passive transfer in the calf
- total protein
- immunoglobulin
- RID
- GGT
- Brix
what is the cutoff of total protein that indicates passive transfer
below 5.2 – 5.5 g/dL or total serum IgG is below 10 mg/mL.
high risk <50g/L
low risk >60g/L
what % on brix would indicate FPT
below 8.4%
what are critical control points in the golden hours (24hrs)
- colostrum
- navel treatment
- environment
- susbequent milk feeding
what are possibe controls in the golden hours
Remove calf from mother 2 hours after birth and stomach tubing 4L colostrum to every calf
Calving beef herd outside towards end of calving
Changing product/method used to treat navel
what can be misleading wiht dehydrated calves and assessing FPT
dehydrated calves can have artificially high TP levels
what is a pre-ruminant
first 3 weeks
duration cannot be changed
no fermentation
what is the transition period in pre weaning
VFA production starts
weaning at 7-8 weeks in dairy
much older in beed
how much kg of conc per day needs to be consumed before weaning
need to eat 1kg/day in conc
how much CP should a milk replacer contain
25-27% CP from a milk based protein source (whey)
what is important in the pre weaning diet
fresh water daily (milk is not a water source)
access to fresh fodder
access to conc from 7 days
how should milk be fed during pre weaning
Same time each day
Same temperature
Same concentration
how much should be fed during pre weaning
15% BW/day
2L BID is not enough
what should a weaning process in dairy look like
6 weeks min
eating 1kg/day conc
gradual reduction in milk
no bloating
no disease
what are management tasks in pre weaning that are important to history
DH/castration
method used?
what are history questions in the pre weaning period
- management tasks (DH/castration), method used
- what happens with sick calves? isolated, avoid adding new calves to diseased pen
- treatment protocols
- vaccines used
- stockmanship
how much space does a calf require in pre weaning period
45 kg calf needs 2m^2
what should the environment of pre weaned calves be like
No smell of ammonia (well ventilated)
Minimal draughts
Similar age groups (no more than 5d age difference in groups)
All in all out (even if just done at pen level)
Temperature (15-25ºC neonate, 0-28ºC for 4 weeks)
Clean/dry bedding
30cm per calf feed face
Visual and tactile contact
Adjustments needed as animal grows
what records should be taken in pre weaning period
Daily live weight gain (DLWG) and range of weights
- medicine records (morbidity)
- herd register/caving records (mortality)
what is the target DLWG in dairycalves
700-900g/day minimum (ideally 1kg beef higher)
Double weight in 6 weeks
what is the target % of calves treated for diarrhea
<10%
what is the target % of calves treated for pneumonia
<10%
what is the target for mortality from birth–weaning
5%
what samples can be gathered during pre weaning
Depends on infectious disease risk/presence
- Negative on Scottish government BVD scheme
Post mortem
Scour sampling?
Pneumonia pathogen testing?
what should you be aware of if you are attempting pathogen specific management of neonatal calf disease
Attempting pathogen specific management of neonatal calf disease without attention to common risk factors is very likely to fail
Do it if the result is going to change what measure you advise on farm
Farmers attitude
what are critical control points in pre weaning period
nutrition
environment
infectious disease control (diarrhea + pneumonia)
what are possible controls in pre weaning
ncrease volume of milk fed
Open up ridge in roof to improve ventilation
Treat calves with pneumonia for 7 days rather than 3
