Associations between management practices and within-pen prevalence of calf diarrhea and respiratory disease on dairy farms using automated milk feeders

This study aimed to describe management practices that may compromise the welfare of unweaned dairy calves on 29 dairy farms in Chile, and identify factors associated with diarrhea and respiratory disease (n = 700 calves). Evaluations were divided into protocol-, facility-, and animal-based measurements. Calf diarrhea and respiratory disease data were analyzed using logistic regression models. Management practices identified as risk factors for poor calf welfare were: relying on the mother to provide colostrum (48.0% of the farms); using restrictive milk feeding (65.5%), and unpasteurized waste milk (51.7%); giving water after 30 days of age (17.2%); disbudding without analgesia (89.6%) or anesthesia (79.3%); lacking euthanasia protocols (61.5%). Factors significantly (p < 0.05) associated with increased odds of diarrhea were: cleaning the calves’ bed once a week and 2–3 times a week compared with every day, using milk replacer and untreated waste milk compared with treated waste milk (pasteurized or acidified), animals scored dirty in the calf cleanliness score compared with clean animals, and greater herd size. Factors significantly associated with increased odds of respiratory disease were: less pen space allowance (<1.8 m2), farms that did not check colostrum quality, and animals that scored dirty and moderately dirty compared with clean calves. These results suggest the need to improve specific management practices associated with reduced welfare and health in dairy calves in Chile.

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Mortality and Morbidity of Beef Calves in Free-Range Farms in Alentejo, Portugal—A Preliminary Study

Veterinary Medicine International ◽

10.1155/2019/3616284 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Rute Santos ◽

Ana Cachapa ◽

Graça P. Carvalho ◽

Carolina B. Silva ◽

Laura Hernández ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Economic Impact ◽

Respiratory Disease ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Management Practices ◽

Herd Size ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Reproductive Management ◽

Calf Diarrhea ◽

Calf Mortality ◽

Cattle Farms

Extensive cow-calf beef cattle farms play a significant role in Portuguese livestock production, but records of important production variables, such as calf mortality, are scarce. To assess herd-level calf mortality and its potential economic impact, farmers from the Alentejo region were asked to fill a questionnaire regarding herd size, feeding and reproductive management practices, calf mortality (from birth to weaning), and detection of the main morbidity causes, as well as of sudden, unexplained deaths during the previous 12 months. Farmers were also requested to quantitatively assess the economic impact of calf mortality on their annual revenue. In the majority of farms, the herd size was larger than 100 animals. The median stocking rate was 0.41 adult animals/hectare, and 70% of farmers stated their farm was self-sufficient in forage. The percent of live births that resulted in weaned calves averaged 94.3%, which led to the assumption of a 5.7% calf mortality rate from birth to weaning. In the previous 12 months, 78.8% of the farms identified at least one case of calf diarrhea, 60.7% identified at least one case of respiratory disease, and 82.1% had at least one sudden, unexplained calf death. As expected, farmers that assessed a higher impact of calf losses on their annual economic revenue were also those who reported higher incidences of calf diarrhea, respiratory disease, and sudden, unexplained deaths. One-quarter of the farmers were unable to assess the economic impact of calf mortality on the farm’s revenue. Herd size appears to have a predictive value on calf mortality in the first month of life, and from 30 days to weaning. The number of sudden, unexplained calf deaths seems to have a predictive value on overall calf mortality (from birth to weaning), suggesting that the farms’ management practices probably play an important role in calf mortality throughout the suckling period. Further studies are needed to fully understand calf mortality in Portuguese extensive rearing systems.

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Pre-Weaned Calf Rearing on Northern Irish Dairy Farms: Part 1. A Description of Calf Management and Housing Design

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11071954 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 1954

Author(s):

Aaron J Brown ◽

Gillian Scoley ◽

Niamh O’Connell ◽

Jamie Robertson ◽

Amanda Browne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Key Management ◽

Management Practices ◽

Animal Health ◽

Dairy Farms ◽

Healthcare Management ◽

Limiting Factor ◽

Housing Design ◽

Hygiene Management ◽

Calf Performance ◽

And Performance

The first few months of life are of great importance to the longevity and lifetime performance of dairy cows. The nutrition, environment and healthcare management of heifer calves must be sufficient to minimise exposure to stress and disease and enable them to perform to their genetic potential. Lack of reporting of farm management practices in Northern Ireland (NI) makes it difficult to understand where issues impacting health, welfare and performance may occur in the rearing process. The objective of this study was to investigate housing design and management practices of calves on 66 dairy farms across NI over a 3-month period and also identify areas that may cause high risk of poor health and performance in dairy calves. An initial survey was used to detail housing and management practices, with two subsequent visits to each farm used to collect animal and housing-based measurements linked to hygiene management, animal health and performance. Large variations in key elements such as weaning criteria and method, calf grouping method used, nutritional feed plane, and routine hygiene management were identified. The specification of housing, in particular ventilation and stocking density, was highlighted as a potential limiting factor for calf health and performance. Lack of measurement of nutritional inputs, hygiene management practices and calf performance was observed. This poses a risk to farmers’ ability to ensure the effectiveness of key management strategies and recognise poor calf performance and health.

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Regional management practices and prevalence of bovine respiratory disease in California's preweaned dairy calves

Journal of Dairy Science ◽

10.3168/jds.2018-14775 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 102 (8) ◽

pp. 7583-7596 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

B.M. Karle ◽

G.U. Maier ◽

W.J. Love ◽

S.A. Dubrovsky ◽

D.R. Williams ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Disease ◽

Management Practices ◽

Bovine Respiratory Disease ◽

Dairy Calves ◽

Regional Management

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Effect of Parenteral Vaccination of Newborn Holstein Calves against Viral Agents Involved in Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD)

Acta Scientiae Veterinariae ◽

10.22456/1679-9216.103174 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 ◽

Author(s):

Viviani Gomes ◽

Diego Daniel Gonzalez ◽

Karina Medici Madureira ◽

Marina Valeria Mozgovoj ◽

Camila Costa Baccili ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Response ◽

Respiratory Disease ◽

Management Practices ◽

Immune Defense ◽

Maternal Antibodies ◽

Control Group ◽

Humoral Immune ◽

Unvaccinated Control ◽

Holstein Calves ◽

Newborn Calves

Background: Newborn calves are born immunosuppressed, hypogammaglobulinemic, immunologically immature, and therefore more vulnerable to many infectious diseases. During pregnancy, the fetal-placental environment is regulated by Th2-type cytokines that neutralize Th1 responses, an important factor for immune defense against viral agents. The ingestion and absorption of colostral immunoglobulins enhance the immunity of the neonate. However, the presence of maternal antibodies might negatively affect the success of parental vaccination in the first two months of life. This study aimed to evaluate the effecacy of parenteral vaccination in newborn calves with high titers of maternal antibodies against respiratory viruses.Materials, Methods & Results: Twenty-eight Holstein calves were allocated to the vaccinated group (VAC, n = 18) or an unvaccinated control group (NVAC, n = 10). The initial vaccination with 5 mL of a commercial vaccine occurred around the 14th day of life (D14) and the booster at D35. Respiratory and diarrhea symptoms were evaluated at D12, D14, D16, D20, D31, D36, D45, D53, and D60. Blood samples were taken for leukogram, haptoglobin, and seroneutralization of BVDV, BoHV-1, BRSV, and BPI3V, at the time of vaccination at D14 (T1), at booster (D35, T2), and 21 days after the booster (D56, T3). Despite the increased prevalence of BRD during the period of the study, no calves from either group exhibited respiratory disease at D12 or D14. In subsequent assessments, the frequency of BRD increased over time in the VAC group until it reached a maximum prevalence of 38.9% (7/18) at D31. In the NVAC group, the maximum prevalence observed was 40% at D45 and D60. A comparison of the frequencies for BRD cases showed a statistical trend at D36 (P = 0.07), with a higher prevalence for the NVAC group (30%) in relation to the VAC group (5.6%). For the NVAC group, a greater number of total leukocytes was observed at T3 (P = 0.038) and granulocytes (trend) at T2 (P = 0.066). Time analysis demonstrated a decrease in haptoglobin concentration in both groups (NVAC, P = 0.005 and VAC, P = 0.006), with a reduction in the values at T1 and T3 (NVAC = 0.005 and VAC = 0.024). Antibody titers were similar between groups for BVDV, BoHV-1, and BRSV. Higher titers for BPI3V were observed for the VAC group at D56 (P = 0.045).Discussion: The early-onset BRD was present in both groups between 30 and 60 days of age, based on the higher prevalence observed. These data reinforce the importance of early immunization programmes before infection. Factors such as management practices and facilities may have also contributed to the higher prevalence of BRD. The increased number of leukocytes and neutrophils at T2 (D35) and T3 (D56) in the NVAC group points to a stronger inflammatory response to various types of potential challenges. The inflammatory leukocyte profile explains the higher haptoglobin values observed in the NVAC group at T2 (D35). The similarity of titers of antibodies against BVDV, BoHV-1, and BRSV between groups may indicate that vaccinating the calves at 14 days of age did not induce a humoral immune response to these viruses, likely due to interference from the maternal antibodies. Early vaccination prevented a drop in specific viral antibodies and promoted partial protection for vaccinated calves around 14 days of age, with a decrease in the intensity of the inflammatory response at the peak of the disease and a higher concentration of antibodies against BPI3V after the booster.

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Assessment of Influential Factors for Scours Associated with Cryptosporidium sp., Rotavirus and Coronavirus in Calves from Argentinean Dairy Farms

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11092652 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 2652

Author(s):

Emiliano Bertoni ◽

Adrián A. Barragán ◽

Marina Bok ◽

Celina Vega ◽

Marcela Martínez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Dairy Farms ◽

Herd Size ◽

Influential Factors ◽

Dairy Calves ◽

Farm Size ◽

Common Disease ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Fecal Samples ◽

Logistic Regression Models

Scours is the most common disease in dairy calves, and it is a multifactorial syndrome complex. Cryptosporidium sp. (C. sp.), rotavirus group A (RVA), and bovine coronavirus (BCoV) are the three main pathogens associated with scours. The objective of this study was to identify potential factors associated with scours, C. sp., RVA, and BCoV infections in preweaned dairy calves from Lerma Valley in Salta Province, Argentina. A total of 488 preweaned calves from 19 dairy farms located in the Lerma Valley were enrolled in this observational study. One fecal sample was collected from each calf between one week and two months of age for assessment of C. sp., RVA, and BCoV infection status. Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts and RVA and BCoV antigens in fecal samples were assessed using microscopic observation and indirect enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (iELISA), respectively. A voluntary questionnaire was developed and used to collect data regarding management practices from the participants’ farms. The data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression models. Scours incidence was 35.4%, and a greater proportion of calves younger than 20 days were affected. Of the fecal samples, 18% and 9.5% tested were positives for C. sp. and RVA, respectively, while BCoV was detected only in two calves. Furthermore, 84.2% and 63.1% of the farms tested positive for Cryptosporidium sp. and RVA, respectively. In addition, the following variables were associated with higher odds of having scours: (1) herd size (>300 milking cows; OR = 1.7), (2) calf age (<20 days of age; OR = 2.2), (3) RVA and C. sp. test (positive test; RVA OR = 2.6; C. sp. OR = 3), calf feeding practices (feeding milk replacer; OR = 1.81), and newborn calf management practices (calf moved from maternity pen <6 h after calving; OR = 1.7). Concerning RVA infection, calves less than 20 days of age (OR = 2.6) had a higher chance of testing positive for RVA, while calves that remained in the calving pen for less than 6 h after calving had a lower chance (OR = 0.3). On the other hand, for C. sp. infection, large farm size (>300 milking cows; OR = 1.2) and young calf age (<20 days of age; OR = 4.4) indicated a higher chance of testing positive for C. sp., while calves belonging to farms that fed frozen colostrum (OR = 0.2) had a lower chance of becoming infected with C. sp. The result of this study indicated that scours is a prevalent disease in farms of the Lerma Valley, Salta, Argentina, and that RVA and C. sp. infections, along with specific farm management practices, might be important contributing factors that could increase the chance of NCS in dairy farms.

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