Results of an online questionnaire to survey calf management practices on dairy cattle breeding farms in Austria and to estimate differences in disease incidences depending on farm structure and management practices

Abstract

BackgroundCalf disease may result in great economic losses. To implement prevention strategies it is important to gain information on management and to point out risk factors. The objective of this internet based survey was to describe calf management practices on registered dairy breeding farms in Austria and to estimate differences in calf disease incidences depending on farm structure and management practices.ResultsA total of 1287 questionnaires were finally analysed (response rate 12.2 %). Herd characteristics and regional distribution of farms indicated that this survey gives a good overview on calf management practices on registered dairy farms in Austria. The median number of cows per farm was 20 (interquartile range 13–30). Significant differences regarding farm characteristics and calf management between small and large farms (≤20 vs >20 cows) were present. Only 2.8 % of farmers tested first colostrum quality by use of a hydrometer. Storing frozen colostrum was more prevalent on large farms (80.8 vs 64.2 %). On 85.1 % of the farms, whole milk, including waste milk, was fed to the calves. Milk replacer and waste milk were more often used on large farms. In accordance with similar studies from other countries, calf diarrhoea was indicated as the most prevalent disease. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that herd size was associated with calf diarrhoea and calf respiratory tract disease, with higher risk of disease on large farms. Furthermore, feeding waste milk to the calves was associated with increasing calf diarrhoea incidence on farm. In the final model with calf respiratory tract disease as outcome, respondents from organic farms reported less often a respiratory tract disease incidence of over 10 % compared with conventional farms [odds ratio (OR) 0.40, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.21–0.75] and farmers that housed calves individually or in groups after birth significantly reported more often to have an incidence of respiratory tract disease >10 % compared with farms where all calves were housed individually (OR 2.28, 95 % CI 1.16–4.48).ConclusionThe results obtained in this study provide an overview on calf management on dairy breeding farms in Austria and may help to further point out areas to be improved on farm.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13028-015-0134-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Functional Properties (Acid and Bile Tolerance) and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Newborn Calves for the Design of a Probiotic Product

“…One of the main causes of mortality in newborn calves of dairy farms is neonatal diarrhea, which causes severe economic losses [1][2][3][4]. As a novel alternative in this field, the use of probiotics as feed additives or complements is being proposed for the prevention of intestinal infections by restoring the balance of the microbiome.…”

Management Practices Affecting Calves Welfare on Farms in Slovenia

“…Calving management and care of the newborn are important for the calves' health (Klein-Jöbstl et al, 2015). The most important factor for preventing illness and mortality of newborn calves is feeding colostrum of good quality, at proper time and in proper volume (Godden, 2008).…”

“…Surveys on calf rearing found that farmers use management practices that place calf health at risk and negatively influence calf welfare. These include infrequent use of calving pen and surveillance of calvings, inadequate colostrum supply, not checking colostrum quality and feeding waste milk to the calves (Vasseur et al, 2010a;Klein-Jöbstl et al, 2015). Calf management has been evaluated in several countries in Europe and in North America with larger cattle herds (Vasseur et al, 2010a;Seppä-Lassila et al, 2016;Santman-Berends et al, 2014).…”

“…Calf management practices on small sized farms may be different than in countries where large farms predominate. Differences in calf management between small and large farms were found in Austria (Klein-Jöbstl et al, 2015).…”

Production of Fermented Milk with Autochthonous Lactobacilli for Newborn Calves and Resistance to the Dairy Farm Conditions

“…Our research group has been working in the design of a probiotic product with autochthonous lactobacilli for calves. Some authors have described that young animals prefer liquid feed [19] then we decided to go further in the design of liquid fermented milk to fit with these preferences. A common procedure in dairy farms is the administration of raw milk to new born calves, being a cause of frequent diarrhoea [20].…”