Ask a farmer what coccidiosis is, and he or she will inherently mention ‘blood scour’. Are they right?
Yes and no.
Coccidia are species-specific, single-celled organisms of the protozoan family. An infected host (e.g. lamb/calf) will shed billions of coccida oocysts in their environment. These oocysts are extremely resilient and can persist across seasons. As a result, it is almost inevitable that commercially farmed animals will be exposed to coccidia.
Clostridial disease management is a common topic in sheep farming with most of the UK’s flock vaccinated before lambing for prevention through passive transfer, but it is not given much thought by calf rearers.
There are multiple clostridial diseases that can affect cattle, however, the most common type of toxic intestine infections in young calves are caused by Clostridium perfringens. These differ from other scour-causing pathogens (E. coli, crypto, cocci) in that calves rarely show any signs of ill thrift and may not even scour before the toxins enter the blood steam followed by inflammation, shock and cardiac arrest.
Two thousand years ago Hippocrates stated that “All disease begins in the gut”. Science research has now recognized that gut health is paramount to calf health.
Calf diarrhea is still a big challenge on so many UK dairy farms; unfortunately, it is often also a gateway disease to other issues, increasing the risk of pneumonia by eight times. Precision Microbes believes “all health begins in the gut” so, we are revolutionizing the gut health market with a unique probiotic and postbiotic liquid.
Life without TB no doubt would make farming a happier, more profitable experience for many of us. Saying this some have adapted within their areas and founded their businesses due to the disease, but we still need to aim to reduce the total number herds under restriction.
Diarrhoea in the young calf is a commonly occurring challenge on many farms. Recent research by MSD Animal Health, completed as part of their Youngstock Survey, indicated that 90% of dairy farms had experienced scour in calves in the previous 12 months and that over 65% had experienced mortality due to scour. Diarrhoea is reported as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in early life, which can result in significant economic losses and potential welfare challenges.
A team approach involving calf rearers, vets and nutritionists are central to the successful management of scours. Sharing ideas in order to develop a common approach, with clear protocols, can really support consistent management on the farm.
Salmonella infection can have serious economic consequences on farm, presenting itself in a multitude of different ways and also posing a zoonotic risk to humans.
There are several different groups of Salmonella, only two of which we can vaccinate for (Salmonella Dublin and Salmonella Typhimurium). We often see issues with Salmonella infections in youngstock and taking the time to assess the risks on your own farm can help identify if improvements can be made to reduce the spread of the disease.
Farmers are looking to produce strong, healthy, profitable animals, we know most of the development happens in the pre-weaning stage, this is an important stage that will set them up for the future.
Building strong immunity, maintaining good growth rates, high health and decreasing disease exposure are all the factors that go towards improving calf survival and rearing a calf that will be more productive in the herd. Calves thrive on routine, if there are too many changes and not enough consistency are your calves trying to tell you something?
Heat stress in the dry cow pen can have significant implications on both cow and unborn calf performance. Heat stressed cows have decreased dry matter intakes, increased metabolic stress, poor transition and decreased milk production and immune response. A factor which can often become over- looked is the impact heat stress can have on the calf in utero, which can impact its future on your farm.
Disbudding and castrating are painful procedures for calves. Recent research shows that calves experience a negative emotional response for up to 22 hours after for some time. However, these behavioural and physiological responses can be reduced greatly or avoided.
Unfortunately, far too many farms are still losing too many calves to scours. Indeed, a 2017 study highlighted that in calves under two months of age, scour is the main cause of death.
What’s more, according to MSD Animal Health’s latest national youngstock survey (spring 2020), 81% of more than 300 farmers surveyed said they had experienced scour in their calves during the last 12 months and 50% of farms had suffered mortalities. On dairy farms, calf deaths due to scour had been seen by more than 65% of units.
