Calf Scours

With calf values being low, it is even more important to sell healthy strong calves at market as quickly as possible to get the best price possible.  Also, if buyers are very happy with your calves subsequently they will be paying a premium the next time they are for sale in market.

Calf scours can be a big problem in young calves and can impact on growth rates and speed of weaning if not treated correctly.  I make no apologies for repeating what are basic management practices and facts that  effectively manage and prevent diseases in calves and young stock.

The key points for preventing calf scours are:

• Ensure each calf receives 3% of their body weight in colostrum in the first 2 hours of birth, e.g., 35kg calf gets 3 litres.  It should be noted that the transition milk from cows, i.e., milking number two onwards do not contain adequate antibodies to develop the calf’s immune system.
• Ensure calf is fed the optimal amount of milk once taken off transition milk, which is 15% of the calf’s body weight, e.g., 40kg calf should receive 6 litres of milk per day.
• Ensure excellent hygiene with all feeding equipment to reduce the risk of infection.
• Calves spend 80% of their time lying down so it is essential that they have a dry bedded area to lie on.

This calf scoring fact sheet https://tinyurl.com/mt8ptab8 helps the calf rearer score their calves to enable identification of illness quickly so that it can be treated effectively.

If you would like to discuss calf rearing further please contact Gerard Finnan on 07976 426420 or email gerardfinnan@fcgagric.com Alternatively, you can speak with your vet.