Calves with Sam

Avoiding Passive Transfer Failure

The April 2017 calf management newsletter title is "Avoiding Passive Transfer Failure." To access the newsletter click HERE.

Key points include:

• Don’t guess; use hard numbers. Use a minimum of blood samples from 12 calves; more samples give a better estimate of passive transfer rates.
• Once the failure rate is established get hard numbers for critical control points: calf age at first feeding, quality and quantity of colostrum fed.
• Write protocols, train calf care workers to follow protocols, monitor protocol compliance.
• Test, test, test. Keep sampling blood until the passive transfer failure rate drops to the farm’s goal.

Read about one farm's success story:

This was in 2010. The first round of blood serum total protein results were: (for more on blood serum total protein see www.calffacts.com and select “Testing for Passive Transfer of Immunity”)

At 6.0 (5)                                24%     (number of calves tested)

Between 5.5-5.9 (5)                24%

Between 5.2-5.4 (1)                  5%

Between 4.5-5.1 (2)                29%

Between 4.0-4.4 (4)                28%

It took several years of persistent emphasis on colostrum collection, handling and feeding to achieve better passive transfer of immunity. These are the most recent (2017) results (same dairy as in 2010):

At 6.0 and higher (22)                        65%

Between 5.5 – 5.9 (10)           29%

Between 5.2 – 5.4 (2)               6%

Less than 5.2 (0)                       0%

One hundred percent at 5.2 and above – YES! WooHoo! Success is Sweet!