34% Passive Transfer Failure

Yes, 34 percent passive transfer failure among 882 calves from 49 farms in the state of Washington. 

This study, completed in 2010, reported wide variation among farms. Of the 18 calves that were sampled on each of the 49 farms, 2 farms had no calves below 5.2g/dL blood serum total protein. In contrast 7 farms had 13 or more calves out of the 18 calves sampled (>70%) with passive transfer failure.

Only 36 percent of the farms had 20 percent or fewer calves with passive transfer failure. The industry standard for profitable calf survival and health is 90% above 5.0g/dL and 75% at 5.5g/dL and greater.

Colostrum management practices associated with high rates of passive transfer failure in this Washington State study were:

• Who collected the colostrum - passive transfer failure was 3.7 times greater if a regular milker collected the colostrum compared to other personnel.
• Evaluating colostrum quality - passive transfer failure was 2.3 times greater if the colostrum was NOT evaluated for antibody concentration.
• Adding supplements to the colostrum - passive transfer failure was 8.9 times greater if a supplement was added to the colostrum.

 No data were reported regarding the species and quantity of bacteria present in the colostrum   

Reference:  WSU Vet Med Newsletter    

Managing Milk Replacer Feeding to Encourage Starter Intake

 

Weaning intensively-fed calves takes more managment skills than when feeding survival levels of milk or milk replacer. Calves need to increase their intake of calf starter grain enough to support maintenance and growth needs before milk is withdrawn if a smooth transition to the grain-water ration is going to take place.

 

This principle was tested in another feeding trial with dairy calves.  [Ballou, M.A. and Others, " Breed and plane of milk-replacer nutrition influences the performance of per-and postweaned dairy calves." Professional Animal Scientist 29:116-123 (2013).

Both Holstein and Jersey calves were used in the trial. Control calves were compared to intensive fed calves. 

 

Control calves were fed 1 pound of powder per day of 21-21 milk replacer. High-feed calves were fed: Holsteins 2.5 pounds of 29-21 powder per day and Jerseys  1.5 pounds of 29-26 powder per day.

 

The weaning program?

 

"On day 42 of the study period, the calves were only fed their MR once daily in the a.m. to encourage starter consumption. When calves were consuming at least 900 g as fed of calf starter for 2 consecutive days, the calf was completely weaned off MR." (p117)

 

The 1#MR/day Holstein calves on day 42 were eating about 1# of starter daily. This in contrast to the 2.5#MR/day calves the were eating only 1/3 as much. 

 

The 1#MR/day calves got cut back to 1/2 a pound a day on day 42. But, the 2.5#/day calves still received 1.25# of MR in their one feeding starting on day 42.

 

The calves that were cut back to 1/2#/day increased their starter intake 77% in the next 7 days. The calves cut back to 1.25#/day increased their starter intake from 1/3 pound to just under a pound in the same 7 days (150% increase). My experience managing my own intensively-fed calves was similar; perhaps even a greater rate of increase because I only fed 1#MR/day during the weaning period.

 

Remember that calves were supposed to reach 2 pounds of starter intake daily before they were weaned. This means that a calf care person had to monitor feed intakes. 

 

The 1#MR/day calves were weaned at 52 days.

The 2.5#MR/day calves were weaned 56 days regardless of their starter intake.

 

The intensive fed calves never got up to 2 pounds of starter before they were weaned - the trial ended at 56 days. They floundered around for 2 weeks on their grain:water ration until their feed intakes recovered to pre-weaning levels. Another profit opportunity lost.

 

My lessons from this trial?

• Start cutting back on milk sooner than 42 days - maybe around 35 days. That will give more days to come up on grain before milk is stopped.
• Regardless of how high the maximum feeding rate goes (8, 10 or 12 quarts of MR or milk daily) cut back to only 4 quarts of milk or 1#MR per day rather than 1/2 of maximum. Calves will come up more quickly on grain.
• Manage for growth rather than convenience. Keep calves on milk until they reach the farm's threshold of grain intake even if this is not convenient.
• If calving rates force calves out of their pre-weaned housing early try to come up with some way to continue the once-a-day milk feeding until their grain intakes come up.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forage for Weaned Calves

 

In a recent article, "Inspection Time: How to do an effective calf walkthrough," by Steve Hayes published in Progressive Dairyman (May 1, 2013, vol 27, No. 7, pp78-79) there was a really good note about managing forages for weaned calves.

 

"Do not change forage consumption for the first week in group pens. If no forage was offered to calves on milk, then no forage should be offered in the first week in the pen. Forage can be successfully introduced after one week."

 

Great advice.  I would add my recommendation that when the forage is introduced for the first time in these pens I like to see only enough fed the first week that they can clean up in a short time each day. For example, enough hay or haylage to last for an hour (assumes enough space so all the calves have access to the forage at the same time).

 

SeeTransition calf feeding management  for additional tips for managing adding forages to the ration.

 Caution: Research Findings may not be Valid!

In the most recent issue of the Journal of Dairy Science you can find an article, "Effect of feeding maternal colostrum or plasma-derived or colostrum-derived colostrum replacer on passive transfer of immunity, health, and performance of preweaned heifer calves." JDS 96:3247-3256

 

Hey, just what we need. A comparison of three sources of immunity for our newborn calves. 

 

Tucked into the description of treatments is this short sentence:

"...a decision was made to standarize the volume of solution fed to all calves to eliminate volume fed as a confounder (Jones et al., 2004) and because mass of IgG fed is more important than concentration (Stott and Fellah, 1983)." 

 

Thus, rather than following the manufacturers' mixing directions to use either 1.3 or 1.5 quarts of water the colostrum replacer products were prepared to result in 4 quarts of solution. This way all calves would be fed 4 quarts of either maternal colostrum or 4 quarts of colostrum replacer.

 

I went back and read both of the articles cited in that sentence. Jones and others in their study fed the colostrum replacer mixed with volumes recommended by the manufacturer - so, I cannot see how that citation supports mixing up the colostrum replacer to equal 4 quarts when the manufacturers recommend using between 1.3 and 1.5 quarts of water.

 

Stott and Fellah's article reports a strong positive linear relationship between concentration of antibodies and the rate of absorption - so, I cannot see how the citation supports mixing up the colostrum replacer to equal 4 quarts when the manufacturers recommend using between 1.3 and 1.5 quarts of water. This procedure creates a solution that has a low concentration of antibodies.

 

In my humble opinion this study was badly biased in favor of maternal colostrum by setting up the two colostrum replacers for impaired antibody absorption.

 

Moral of the story: the devil is in the details - if you can, ask about how the research was done before you accept the findings as valid.  

Coliform Growth Demonstration

 

Have you seen the coliform growth demonstration? It uses coffee grounds to represent the bacteria. Increasing amounts of grounds are placed in 7 self-sealing plastic bags. Each bag represents 20 minutes of bacterial growth in cow colostrum at 39C (102F).

 

Directions for making both a small (1 quart bags) and a large (4 quart bags) demonstration kit can be found at this location  Coliform Demo Instructions

I use it with both individuals and groups to get across the message about the rapid growth potential of coliform bacteria in warm colostrum.

Drinking Activity of Calves on ad lib Feeding

 

 Interesting facts on standing and drinking.

See below. In this trial the ad lib calves (N=9) drank 54% of their total day's food between 6am and 8am and 44% between 4:00pm and 6:00pm. In an additional trial with ad lib feeding of acidified milk replacer these calves (N=22) had a similar drinking pattern with highly concentrated feeding behaviors. Was this drinking behavior stimulated by worker activity in the barn feeding the control calves? Does anyone know of similar information on drinking behavior of calves fed 24/7 ad lib?

Ad lib group
Time	Minutes	Minutes	Percent time
	Standing	Interval	Standing
600-800	50	120	0.42
800-1200	74	240	0.31
1200-1600	72	240	0.30
1600-1800	36	120	0.30
1800-0600	83	720	0.12
	315	1440	0.22
Control group  fed at 600 and 1600
Time	Minutes	Minutes	Percent time
	Standing	Interval	Standing
600-800	63	120	0.53
800-1200	73	240	0.30
1200-1600	104	240	0.43
1600-1800	26	120	0.22
1800-0600	75	720	0.10
	341	1440	0.24

Fewer DOA Calves

 

I had the opportunity to sit in on one of Dr. Sheila McGuirk's seminars while attending the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association meetings in Lancanster, PA last month. She divided her talk into these parts:

• Reducing mortality in the first 24-hours of life
• Navel care of calves
• Put colostrum testing into action
• Train calf care providers to use the esophageal feeder
• Nutrition
• Health screening
• Be safe, smart and strategic with calf vaccinations
•  

On the very first topic she started by saying that , "... most calves that die within the first 24 hours are alive at birth and simple strategies  that do not rely on drugs or oxygen delivery may prevent death. Of foremost importance to improved survival in the first 24 hours is unassisted vaginal delivery of calves."

 

One of the critical elements of successful normal vaginal deliveries is timing. Give the dam adequate time to dilate and prepare to deliver the calf. With many farms moving to the "just in time" use of calving pens she suggests giving time for dams moved into calving pens (usually with feet showing) of 10 to 20 minutes for 2 and greater lactation dams and 30 to 40 minutes for 1st lactation dams.   

 

Dr. McGuirk pointed out that on larger farms many DOA deliveries can be traced back to shift changes. The departing shift in their desire not to leave a dam in mid-delivery will assist in a delivery that could have been a normal unassisted birth.  Or, the departing and arriving staff do not effectively communicate facts about a dam that is in labor. 

 

She reminded us that protocol drift is a reality of life. Training and re-training on obstetric techniques should be scheduled with the herd veterinarian on some regular interval (6 months, yearly). She emphasized that the training be for all shifts including workers that fill in on weekends, holidays and vacations. 

 

"Remember to do the training in the first language of the workers," she said. Pictures, diagrams and flow charts will make the training more effective.