With the spring calving seasonjust over a month away and profits even more important in what could be a tough year for cattlemen, reviewingyour calving management plan now could be one of the most important things you do.Calf mortality is costly and letting diseases like scours gain a foothold is preventable with a well-managed program.
Dr. Kerry Barling, DVM, PhD, Senior Professional Services Veterinarian at Novartis Animal Health suggests their Healthy Heifer program, a comprehensive animal health program that covers reproductive and respiratory vaccination protocols, internal and external parasite control and best management practices like pregnancy diagnosis.He describes it as “a program that enables heifers to deliver their full genetic potential by minimizing the risk of reproductive disease challenges and enabling heifers more opportunity to build colostrum.”
The Healthy Heifer program can help insure the health of heifers that are ranch-raised or purchased with a health history, as well as heifers that have been purchased without a preweaning health history.
Explaining some of the details behind the program, Dr. Barling said one of the keys to improving calf mortality is the quality of the colostrum, or the first milk, it receives immediately after birth.“Making sure each calf receives four quarts within the first six hours of birth is important,” he said.
The colostrum delivers antibodies that help the newborn calf resist diseases such as scours, and other diseases like respiratory viral diseases such as BVD and IBR. Because heifers haven’t developed the disease resistance of older cows, Barling suggests it’s most important to vaccinate them with Scour Bos 9 eight to sixteen weeks before calving and adding a Scour Bos 4 booster at about four weeks.“It’s a program that should be used for all cows, though, a preventative measure that’s very cost-effective.It adds antibodies that protect against nine disease agents, giving cattlemen a broad range of defenses against herd health problems.”
“Research shows a calf born to a two year old heifer has six times the chance of dying due to a disease like Scours than one born to an adult animal,” he said.“It indicates a vaccination program for heifers is critical to the health of the whole herd.”
“The study also found that calves born later in the calving season were at an increased risk of contracting calf scours,” Barling said, increasing the need for a comprehensive and well-managed program like Healthy Heifer.
Barling said “Cattlemen can help prevent scours by taking a few precautionary steps in addition to vaccinating with Scout Bos 9.”He suggested breeding heifers to calving ease sires and making sure they to calve out prior to the rest of the herd.
“Give heifers plenty of space in the calving area, too, and keep it as clean as possible.Removing manure and laying down fresh bedding helps,” he said.“Also provide shelter or wind breaks in the event of bad weather and isolate any problems by immediately separating scouring calves and their mothers from the rest of the herd.”
Barling said cattlemen can help raise resistance to calf scours by making sure pregnant heifers weigh at least 85% of their mature body weight and be in BCS of 5-6 when they calve as 2 yr olds.He suggested keeping heifers’ immune systems functional by feeding a good mineral, deworming appropriately, and minimizing the effect of immunosuppressive viruses like BVD or IBR.
To obtain enrollment forms for the Healthy Heifer program, click below:
Healthy Heifer Enrollment form