Calf Management

Question 1

What is the digestive physiology of a calf?

Answer 1

monogastric (rumen isn’t mature/functioning yet)

Question 2

Diverts feed to the abomasum

Answer 2

reticular groove

Question 3

Calfs experience cold stress at what temperatures?

Answer 3

< 60 degrees F

Question 4

Activates the calf’s immune system; provides localized gut immunity

Answer 4

IgG proteins

Question 5

Quality colostrum contains how much IgG/L?

Answer 5

> 50g

Question 6

Major health issue in calves

Answer 6

scours/diarrhea

Question 7

How should colostrum be when fed to calves?

Answer 7

warm when fed (close to body temp.)

Question 8

A majority of diseases in dairy cattle are caused by what bacteria species?

Answer 8

Clostrudial spp.

Question 9

What are some pros and cons of feeding milk replacer versus whole milk?

Answer 9

• milk replacer provides consistent nutrients whereas whole milk nutrients fluctuate
• milk replacer is a dried powder while whole milk has to be pasteurized which requires more equipment
• milk replacer can be expensive, but prices fluctuate so it depends on the economics at the time

Question 10

In what scenario is ad-lib milk feeding common?

Answer 10

in group housing

Question 11

What are some pros and cons of restricted feeding vs ad-lib?

Answer 11

• restricted= less milk, more developed rumen
• ad-lib= more milk, less developed rumen
• with restricted feeding, there’s less growth compared to ad-lib feeding (which may be ideal for young calves as they don’t need to grow too fast)

Question 12

What are some pros and cons of bottle feeding vs feeding using buckets?

Answer 12

• bottles promote the natural suckling reflex whereas bucket feeding requires training and there’s a risk of bloat
• it’s easier to manually clean buckets than bottles
• the volume of milk fed is limited with bottle feeding (multiple feedings required) whereas it’s easier to adjust or manipulate milk volume

Question 13

What calf-feeding practice is common in pasture-based systems?

Answer 13

group milk feeding

Question 14

What are some pros and cons of feeding calves pellets vs hay/pasture?

Answer 14

• pellets promote greater fermentation and allow for better rumen development
• grasses decrease feed costs while grains can be expensive
• pellets have more VFA’ s in the form of digestible sugars while hay/pasture provides fiber (less abnormal papillae growth)

Question 15

Where is textured feed commonly found in the world? Hay/pasture?

Answer 15

Americas- pelleted
Europe- hay/forage

Question 16

What are 4 methods of dehorning?

Answer 16

• hot iron
• chemical
• tube
• genetics (select for polled)

Question 17

Why aren’t all dairy cows polled?

Answer 17

Dairy cows have been bred for milk production and not the polled gene as polled cows tend to have lower production

Question 18

What are some pros & cons of individual housing vs group housing?

Answer 18

• individual housing quarantines calves makes it easier to do individual health checks and feeding is consistent
• individual housing -> increased stress during weaning
• group housing allows for better socialization, however, diseases can spread more easily and it’s difficult to isolate sick calves

Question 19

What are 2 possible solutions to the individual vs group housing debate with calves?

Answer 19

1. pair housing
2. smaller group housing

Question 20

What are some pros and cons of indoor housing vs outdoor housing?

Answer 20

• indoors: protects from weather; can keep cows cool or warm
  -however, there are limited numbers of stalls, & ventilation can be an issue
• outdoors: less expensive, flexible in numbers however there’s more labor & minimal shelter to protect from harsh weather

Question 21

When are calves typically weaned?

Answer 21

at ages 42-63 days old
(up to 8 weeks old)