Boost colostrum quality to protect calves from scours

Farms are still losing too many calves to scours - the main cause of death in calves under two months of age.¹

MSD Animal Health’s 2020 national youngstock survey revealed 81% of more than 300 farmers said they had experienced scours in their calves during the last 12 months and 50% of farms had suffered mortalities. Calf deaths due to scours had been seen by more than 65% of dairy farms.

The cost of treating scour is estimated at £57.94 per calf affected², but this figure doesn’t include the longer-term financial impact associated with a depression in growth rates and lifetime  productivity.

It’s important to appreciate that treatment with antibiotics is rarely effective against most causes of infectious scours.

Taking steps to prevent youngstock illness is critical to the long-term productivity of the animal and your business.

Immunity-led disease prevention

The key to better scours control lies in immunity-led disease prevention supported by good management and hygiene.

And thanks to the newly launched Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, farmers have every incentive to improve animal health now that government grant funding is available for initial veterinary advice.

Dry cows can be given a vaccine to boost dam colostrum quality pre-calving - and then by feeding enough of this fortified milk to newborn calves, control of infectious calf scour can be improved.

Calves are most at risk during the first one to four weeks of life and need a source of protection - through passive transfer of antibodies in the colostrum - to help keep them healthy. On many farms, normal colostrum may not provide enough antibodies.

However, vaccination of the calf’s mother with Bovilis® Rotavec® Corona between 12 and three weeks before calving boosts colostrum quality, allowing you to feed high levels of antibodies against rotavirus, coronavirus and E. coli F5 (K99) in early life.

To ensure the passive transfer of antibodies from the dam to calves, four litres of colostrum - or at least 10% of a calf’s body weight - containing at least 50g/litre of IgG antibodies should be fed within the first four hours of birth.

This should be followed by two litres within 12 hours of birth. For calves left on the cow, getting four litres of colostrum requires approximately 20 minutes of continuous suckling.