Calves with Sam

The Friend that Just Will

Not Go Away: PNEUMONIA

 

This time of year we see:

• Wide swings in temperature from one day to the next
• Low temperatures that challenge calves - especially those less than 4 weeks old
• Too often not enough energy being fed to meet both the environmentally-determined maintenance needs and to allow calves to grow at least 1 pound a day.
•  Irregular feeding of water or even no water fed at all to preweaned calves.
• Calf barns being closed up to "keep the calves from being cold" 

For a great summary on pneumonia go this link:

http://www.dairyherd.com/e-newsletters/dairy-daily/Pneumonia-in-dairy-calves-145156445.html

 

Veterinarian Fred Gingrich of Country Roads Veterinary Services in Ashland Ohio say that to reduce treatment rates for pneumonia a calf enterprise needs to check its performance on:

1. Colostrum management
2. Ventilation
3. Vaccination
4. Nutrition

Enjoy and keep warm!