Noninfectious causes are best defined as flaws in management which appear as nutritional shortcomings, inadequate environment, insufficient attention to the newborn calf, or a combination of these. The most commonly encountered noninfectious problems include: (a) Inadequate nutrition of the pregnant dam, particularly during the last third of gestation. Both the quality and quantity of colostrum are adversly affected by shortchanging the pregnant dam in energy and protein. Deficiencies in vitamins A and E have been associated with greater incidence of calf scours.
(b) Inadequate environment for the newborn calf. Muddy lots, crowding, contaminated lots, calving heifers and cows together, wintering and calving in the same area, storms, heavy snow or rainfall, etc. are stressful to the newborn calf and may increase the chance for easy exposure to infectious agents. The wet and chilled newborn calf experiences a drainage of its body heat, may be severly stressed, and all too often lacks the vigor to nurse sufficient colostrum early in life.
(c) Insufficient attention to the newborn calf, particularly during difficult birth or adverse weather conditions. The calf is born without scours-fighting antibodies. The calf will acquire these antibodies only by nursing colostrums early in life. Any effort to prevent scours by vaccinating cows is wasted unless the calf nurses colostrum, preferably before it is two to four hours old. As the calf grows older, it loses its ability to absorb colostral antibodies by the hour. Colostrum given to calves 24-36 hours old is practically useless; antibodies are seldom absorbed this late in life.
Source: Texas A&M Ag Extension