Lecture 20: Dairy Calf Nutrition (Exam 2) Flashcards
What can effect the health of a newborn calf
- Naive immune system
- Born into contaminated envi
- Thermo regulation is difficult & hypoglycemia/starvation
- Have a lack of muscle tone so they cant shiver
What are ways to control disease in newborns
- Adeq colostrum
- Clean envi
- Protection again rapid heat loss
- Caretakers should have clean hands
What immed care is done for newborns
- Dry the calf
- Dip the navel in iodine
- Separate them from cow
- Hand feed high quality colostrum
When should colostrum be given
- Ideally w/in 4 hours
- Their ability to absorb starts to fall immediately
- By 6 H absorption has decreased by 30%
- 8H = 50%
- 24 H = No absorption
What is colostrum
- The first milk produced by cow
- The first milking is high quality (can have a total of 6 milkings and decrease after the first milking)
What is the components of colostrum
- IgG - the largest antibody component
- IgA - locally produced in mammary glands
- Lactoferrin
- Other peptides & enzymes produced by mammary epithelial cells
Why is colostrum important
- Contains immunoglobulins ( IgG needs to be @ least 50 mg/mL to be considered for high quality)
- High levels of vitamin A & minerals
What is the total plasma protein level after a adeq colostrum meal
Rises above 5.5 g/dL
How should colostrum be fed to calves
- Hand feed
- Feed full amount w/in first 4 Hs
- Feed half to 2/3 within first two hours & the remainder by no later than 12 Hs
- Feed full amount by esophageal feeder ASAP
- Beef calves can nurse
What can occur if calves fail to attain adeq colostral antibody levels
- Suffer more serious disease
- More likely to die
What is the critical level of serum IgG for calves
Needs to be > than 8 g/L
What are indications that there is going to be colostrum failure
- Cow leaking colostrum
- Premature birth
- Calves born to a heifer
- Rearing in groups of 7 or more can be a risk factor of death
Why don’t we use colostrum from heifers
The quality of there colostrum is lower
What determines the volume of colostrum produced
- Adequate nutrition
- Heifers produce less vol w/ lower IgG concentrations than cows
- High vol doesn’t equal high quality
What does high quality colostrum look like
Has a thick & creamy appearance
What happens to the antibody content in high producing cows
They tend to produce dilute colostrum
What should the colostral IgG concentration be
> 60 g/L
What colostrum subs are there
- Frozen colostrum
- Commercial products that have
@ least 80 g of IgG
How should calves be housed
- Hutches
- Coverall calf barn
- As the get older they can be put into small groups
- Don’t use metal
How much should calves be fed of milk
- @ least 10% of BW daily
- 15 to 20% of BW achieves greater growth rates
- Calves suck on a cow 7 to 10 times daily
- Usually two feeding a day
What is different about a calves digestive system
- Have the esophageal groove that allows milk to by pass the rumen for digestion in the abomasum
- Btw/ the esophagus & reticulo omasal orifice
When does the rumen dev its rumen
When the calf eats grain (especially impt) & hay
What important about rennin
- Milk clots form in the abomasum (Casein & fat)
- Rennin (an enzyme) will bind to casein in milk
- The clot will then be digested slowly over 12 to 18 H
What is important about whey
- Made of water, mineral, lactose, & other proteins
- Goes to the SI
