Management practices and risk factors for morbidity and mortality in Minnesota dairy heifer calves

Sivula, Neal J.; Ames, Trevor R.; Marsh, William E.

doi:10.1016/0167-5877(95)01001-7

Cited by 39 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…During the rearing period, calf birth weight, person caring for calves, colostrum intake, milk feeding practices, housing, age at weaning and exposure to infectious disease are all -E-mail: jbrickell@rvc.ac.uk recognised risk factors for calf mortality (Speicher and Hepp, 1973;Sivula et al, 1996). However, the impact of these risk factors on mortality is not always consistent between studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mortality in Holstein-Friesian calves and replacement heifers, in relation to body weight and IGF-I concentration, on 19 farms in England

Brickell

McGowan

Pfeiffer

et al. 2009

Animal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The incidence of mortality and culling in Holstein-Friesian heifers from birth through first calving was determined on 19 dairy farms selected from across southern England. The outcome of 1097 calvings was determined. Size (BW, heart girth, crown-rump length and height at withers) and insulin-like growth factor-I concentration of live heifer calves were measured at a mean age of 26 6 0.7 days (n 5 506). Associations between the heifer-level variables and mortality were determined using clustered binary logistic regression. Perinatal mortality (stillbirths and mortality within the first 24 h of birth) of male and female calves was 7.9%. This figure was significantly higher in cases where calving assistance was required (19.1% v. 5.6%, P , 0.001) and in twin births (18.5% v. 7.0%, P , 0.05), and was lower in pluriparous v. primiparous dams (5.6% v. 12.1%, P , 0.01). On average, 6.8% of heifers died or were culled between 1 day and 6 months of age. Low BW at 1 month was associated with reduced subsequent survival up to 6 months. Between 6 months and first calving, a further 7.7% of heifers either died (42%) or were culled (58%); accidents and infectious disease accounted for the majority of calf deaths between 6 and 15 months, whereas infertility (16/450 animals served, 3.5%) was the main reason for culling following the start of the first breeding period. In total, 11 heifers (2.2%) were culled as freemartins; eight at birth and three around service. Overall, 14.5% of liveborn potential replacement heifers died or were culled before first calving.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mortality in Holstein-Friesian calves and replacement heifers, in relation to body weight and IGF-I concentration, on 19 farms in England

Brickell

McGowan

Pfeiffer

et al. 2009

Animal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…From birth to 2 months, 32 sq ft (3 m 2 ) of space is the minimum recommended for calves in individual pens (Hoffman & Plourd, 2003 ;Stull & Reynolds, 2008 ), and there should be 15% more pens than calves at maximum occupancy to weighed against any potential negative outcomes. Many calf milk replacers contain antibiotics and most, but not all, studies comparing medicated and nonmedicated milk replacers show some benefi t in weight gain, feed effi ciency, or health parameters (Waltner -Toews et al, 1986a,b ;Braidwood & Shenry, 1990 ;Sivula et al, 1996 ;Donovan et al, 2002 ;Berge et al, 2005Berge et al, , 2009. Minimizing or eliminating the use of antibiotics in calf feeds requires excellent colostrum management to provide enhanced immunity, enhanced disease detection, and specifi cally targeted therapeutic intervention (Berge et al, 2005(Berge et al, , 2009 ).…”

Section: Housingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Solid panels between calf pens that have extensions on the front of the pen to prevent calf -to -calf contact are advisable for calves in individual pens, but keep the front and back of pens as open as possible for improved air quality. Continuous fl ow housing systems put individual calves at high risk for disease (Sivula et al, 1996 ;Pedersen et al, 2009 ) and farms at risk for endemic enteric and respiratory disease in preweaned calves. Being able to completely empty, clean, disinfect, and rest the calf barn or large areas of individual pens at least once each year is a signifi cant opportunity to maximize calf health and performance by lowering the population of resident microorganisms within the calf environment.…”

Section: Housingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With some recognized advantages, group housing puts young calves at risk for higher morbidity and mortality rates (Waltner -Toews et al, 1986c,d ). Successful management of young dairy calves in group housing requires a colostrum feeding program that consistently delivers documented results of adequate immunity, a group size that is small (Chua et al, 2002 ;Svensson & Liberg, 2006 ;Assi é et al, 2009 ), pens that provides a minimum of 28 sq ft (3 m 2 ) of space per calf (Hoffman & Plourd, 2003 ;Stull & Reynolds, 2008 ), increased milk allowance or ad -libitum feeding, established health monitoring protocols, individual calf handling equipment, a stable population of calves, and all -in, all -out management of group pens (Sivula et al, 1996 ;Pedersen et al, 2009 ).…”

Section: Vaccinating Calvesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Important, but less common, are navel infections and neonatal septicemia that can result in infection of the joints, brain, kidney, or any other body organ system. The calves at greatest risk of developing diarrhea are less than 2 weeks of age, with peak onset typically occurring between 5 and 9 days of age (Waltner -Toews et al, 1986a ;WaltnerToews et al, 1986b ;Curtis, 1988 ;Sivula, 1996 ). The fi rst episode of respiratory disease in dairy calves occurs in calves less than 3 weeks of age (Sivula et al, 1996 ;Virtala et al, 1996 ).…”

Section: Dehorning Calvesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Management of Dairy Calves from Birth to Weaning

McGuirk

2011

Dairy Production Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Calves represent the future of the dairy and, as such, management during the critical stage from birth to weaning is critical to the development, health, productivity, and profi tability of the future replacement heifers. The perinatal period is one of the most vulnerable times in the life of the calf, and attention to the details of calving and calf viability immediately after birth can prevent the losses commonly encountered in the fi rst 48 h of life. New concepts in colostrum management not only reinforce the importance of colostral immune factors on calf health but also emphasize its longer term impact on intestinal, ruminal, and metabolic development as well as the impact on endocrine status, growth, productivity, and survival. Nutritional management concepts have changed and are now appropriately focused on targeted growth with components and delivery systems that promote welfare, performance, and future production. Whether young calves are housed in individual or group pens, important principles of housing management can be applied to insure the health and welfare of preweaned calves. Routine health maintenance practices, preventive health screening, and effective treatment protocols should be strategically integrated into the management of young calves to optimize health, minimize stress, cost, and the possibility of doing harm.

show abstract

Early recognition of bovine respiratory disease in calves using automated continuous monitoring of cough sounds

Vandermeulen

Bahr

Johnston

et al. 2016

Computers and Electronics in Agriculture

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c tBovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex in calves impairs health and welfare and causes severe economic losses for the Stockperson. Early recognition of BRD should lead to earlier veterinary (antibiotic/ anti-inflammatory) treatment interventions thereby reducing the severity of the disease and associated costs. Coughing is one of the clinical manifestations of BRD. It is believed that by automatically and continuously monitoring the sounds within calf houses, and analysing the coughing frequency, early recognition of BRD in calves is possible. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to develop an automated calf cough monitor and examine its potential as an early warning system for BRD in artificially reared dairy calves. The coughing sounds of 62 calves were continuously recorded by a microphone over a three-month period. A sound analysis algorithm was developed to distinguish calf coughs from other sounds (e.g. mechanical sounds). During the sound recording period the health of the calves was assessed and scored periodically per week by a trained human observer. Calves presenting with BRD received antibiotic and/or anti-inflammatory treatment and the dates of treatment were recorded. This treatment date reference served as a comparison for the investigation of whether an increase in coughing frequency could be related to calves developing BRD. The calf cough detection algorithm achieved 50.3% sensitivity, 99.2% specificity and 87.5% precision. Four out of five periods, where coughing frequency was observed to be increased, coincided with the development of BRD in more than one calf. This period of increased coughing frequency was always observed before the calves were treated. Therefore, the calf cough monitor has the potential to identify early onset of BRD in calves.

show abstract

Management practices and risk factors for morbidity and mortality in Minnesota dairy heifer calves

Cited by 39 publications

References 6 publications

Mortality in Holstein-Friesian calves and replacement heifers, in relation to body weight and IGF-I concentration, on 19 farms in England

Mortality in Holstein-Friesian calves and replacement heifers, in relation to body weight and IGF-I concentration, on 19 farms in England

Management of Dairy Calves from Birth to Weaning

Early recognition of bovine respiratory disease in calves using automated continuous monitoring of cough sounds

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About