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Will your calving pen protect the newborn calf from disease?

The calving area is the newborn calf’s first connection with the outside world therefore minimising its risk of contact with pathogens before the immune system has been fortified with colostrum must be a priority.

During the birthing process, the calf is exposed to an array of microbes, some of which are provided by the cow when passing through the birth canal. At birth, the calf is also exposed to the vaginal, skin, and colostrum microbiome of the dam. All of these initiate the microbial colonisation of the newborn’s gastrointestinal tract. In addition to these maternal factors, the environment where the calf is born and raised also has a significant impact on the gut microbiota of these animals.

Therefore, we should aim to provide the best possible environment for these baby calves during this crucial time. The first month of life is the most crucial time for shaping the microbiome and plays a huge role in the overall health and development of the animal.

There is good reason these pens should be the cleanest areas on the farm as a calf is born with no immunity, relying on the antibodies and other bioactive ingredients in colostrum and transition milk to protect it from disease until immunity develops.

Bacteria, viruses, and parasites, present in contaminated bedding, dirty cows, and manure, will put the calf at risk of disease, especially before those first feeds.

If the calf is born into a dirty environment, it will inevitably present a greater challenge to its health.

It is also understood that the increased presence of bacteria in the calf’s intestine may speed up gut closure, reducing the time window for gaining passive immunity.

Whether the calf spends a lot of time with the cow in the calving pen or is moved to another facility, the conditions it is exposed to during this short and critical timeframe have a massive impact on future health and development.

Top tips for managing calving pens

Establish a cleaning routine

Make it as simple as possible.

Having an easily accessible calving area that can be cleaned out quickly and effortlessly with machinery and minimal reliance on manual labour makes what should be a routine job more appealing and achievable during the busy calving season.

Cleaning out, disinfecting, and re-bedding with fresh straw to make the pen clean and comfortable for the arrival of each baby calf is essential.

Provide a deep bed of straw to make the cow comfortable before calving, and to prevent injury from slippage on concrete floors.

This will also provide a cosy environment for the baby calf and help to keep the cow clean.

Single cow pens are best

Single cow pens instead of multiple cows sharing one pen allow for the smooth operation of an ‘in and out’ system.

Another major advantage of individual pens is that they help to prevent disease from spreading from other cows to calves, for example Johnes and mycoplasma contamination via manure.

The more cows there are in a pen the more faeces there is and missed opportunities for cleaning it out.

Remove the calf promptly from the calving area

Although cow-calf bonding is limited when the newborn is removed quickly, it will protect the calf from disease.

The dam can be one of the main sources of contamination for the baby calf. Around the time of calving she is immunosuppressed and potentially excreting disease-causing pathogens that the calf can easily become exposed to through oral-faecal transfer.

These can include cryptosporidia, rotavirus and E.coli which are all common calf-related diseases reported in that first week of life.

The longer the calf is in the calving pen the more mobile it becomes as it stands and suckles, often sucking what can be dirty legs, the tail, and udder before it finds the teat.

A protocol that sees the calf removed from the pen within 30 minutes of calving is good practice.

The calving facility and the calf housing can be at different areas of the farm therefore it is good practice to have procedures in place for transferring the calf from one pen to the other in a stress-free way to protect the health and safety of both the staff and animals.

A calf wheelbarrow or trailer are options to consider for ease of transport, again ensuring these are cleaned and sanitised between uses to avoid contamination from one calf to another.

Manually feed colostrum to the calf

Ideally, milk the cow immediately post-calving to gain the highest quality colostrum possible – IgG levels decrease by 3.7% every hour after the calf is born.

Invest in a portable milker to enable the cow to be quickly milked in the calving pen.

On some farms, the cow is not milked until the next milking time in the parlour, but this time delay reduces the value of colostrum.

For example, if this system is followed, a cow that calves shortly after morning milking may have to wait all day to get her colostrum harvested and, by just six hours post-calving, there will be a loss of over 20% IgG concentration.

Milking promptly post-calving means that the calf can be fed its own mother’s colostrum quickly when IgG absorption is at its highest.

If using a portable milker, the milking bucket and pipes must be kept as sanitised as they would be in the milking parlour to prevent build-up of bacteria which could contaminate the colostrum and transfer to the naïve calf as a ‘bacterial soup’.

Record and improve

At the time of birth, record the calf’s information:

· Birthweight

· Calving difficulty – for example if assistance was needed

· Quantity of colostrum consumed

· The time colostrum was fed

· Brix score indicating colostrum quality

· The length of time the calf was left with the cow

· Passive transfer status which can be done with blood testing by a veterinarian

· Name of person responsible for calving

Knowing these details can be very helpful, especially if the calf does not perform as it should.

Pinpointing problems at the earliest opportunity can help with decisions around changing protocols if improvements are needed.

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