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Strategies to Decrease the Occurrence of Diarhhea in Calves

Infectious diseases such as calf diarrhea result from the interaction of an infectious agent (bacteria, virus, or protozoa), the calf's immune system, and the calf's envionment. By minimizing risk factors such as poor immune system function, environmental stress, and exposure to high pathogen numbers, morbidity and mortality due to calf diarrhea in beef and dairy herds may be reduced.

Risk Factors for Calfhood Diarrhea:

1) Poor Colostral Immunity

The absence of colostral protection is a major risk factor for diarrhea in calves.

Calves from first-calf heifers are especially at risk for insufficient protection, as heifers often produce poor-quality colostrum. To correct this problem, calves from heifers may be fed supplemental colostrum from cows, in addition to or instead of colostrum from their dams, or pregnant heifers may be vaccinated to boost specific antibody production in their colostrum. The latter approach is limited when compared to the former, as even a well-vaccinated heifer is unlikely to have antibodies to as many pathogens as a similarly vaccinated cow. Also, a cow that has been in the herd for a few years will have especially high titers to the pathogens that are most prevalent in the herd.

If supplementary feeding of cows' colostrum to the calves of heifers cannot be achieved in beef herds, it becomes especially important to separate the calves of heifers from the calves of cows during the first few months of life. This will prevent illness that attacks the less protected heifers' calves from spreading to the calves of cows, and it will prevent the calves of heifers from contacting pathogens that may be spread by asymptomatic calves of cows.

Even when colostrum is of good quality, the calf will not be protected if it does not receive an adequte quantity early in its life. For dairy calves, this means at least 2 liters in the first 1 or 2 hours of life, followed by another 2 liters within 12 hours of birth. The practice of automatically administering colostrum to newborns on dairy farms can insure that no calf fails to receive an adequate quantity of colostrum within a few hours of birth. Sooner is always better for the first colostrum meal, as the gut's ability to absorb protective antibodies drops steadily over time. Nursing also stimulates better absorption than feeding by tube, but if the calf will not nurse, tube feeding is far better than giving no colostrum at all. The decrease in absorption may be partially counteracted by increasing the volume of colostrum given to tube fed calves. In beef herds, colostrum consumption may be increased by giving more space to calving cows and heifers. This will decrease the liklihood of mismothering, which can result in a newborn calf nursing a cow that calved several days before and is no longer producing colostrum.

Beef calves that are not seen suckling within 4 hours of birth should be tube fed colostrum from a supply kept on the farm.

Some pathogens, for example rotavirus, are much more susceptible to colostrum in the gut lumen than to circulating antibodies. Even when colostrum quality is good, the level of protection against such pathogens will drop sharply after the first few days of life.

2) Poor Hygiene or Inappropriate Housing

The severity of outbreaks of calf diarrhea is frequently correlated to the degree to which calves are exposed to the pathogen in question; exposure to high numbers of the organism is likely to result in high morbidity and mortality, whereas exposure to low numbers may result in milder disease, inapparent infection, or succesful resistance of infection by the calf. Simple hygeine protocols can help to minimize the exposure of calves to all pathogens.

On beef farms, cows should not calve on the same pasture on which they spend the winter. They should be moved again to a clean pasture shortly after calving, as some pathogens will be shed by the dam in higher numbers around the time of calving. Overcrowding should be avoided, as it will concentrate pathogens in a smaller area. Calving areas must have adequate drainage.

Dairy cows should calve in an area that is cleaned between calvings. If this is not possible, a clean pasture or a frequently cleaned group area, preferably with an inorganic bedding material such as sand, may be used. It is beneficial to clean the perineum, udder and teats of the cow before calving to remove any contaminated feces that may be present and infect the newborn calf. After birth and colostrum feeding, exposure of dairy calves to diarrhea-causing pathogens can be minimized by moving the calves to individual calf hutches. Hutches should be sanitized, allowed to sit with the inside exposed to the sun, and moved to a different patch of ground from where the previous calf was housed before a new calf is put in them. To be effective, hutches must be separated so that calves within them cannot make physical contact with each other. Resistance to disease will be greatly increased if ventilation in calf housing areas is good and each calf has a dry, draft-free area in which to lie down.

3) Weather conditions

Calf diarrhea is more likely to occur in beef calves when weather is wet, windy and cold. This effect obviously cannot be entirely avoided, but it can be addressed by providing adequate windbreaks in pastures used for calving cows and young calves. High temperatures also increase environmental stress and decrease resistance in both beef and dairy calves. Again, this effect cannot be entirely negated, but it can be addressed by providing adequate shade and ventilation.

4) Quality of Diet

Cows and heifers in poor body condition will produce poor quality colostrum, so it is imperative that they be fed adequately during the gestation period, particularly late in gestation. After calving, beef cows must have enough good quality feed or pasture available to maintain a sufficient level of milk production to feed their calves. Dairy calves must be fed adequate amounts of whole milk or good quality milk replacer; not all milk replacers are equally nutritious and digestible. With dairy calves it is important to remember to increase the amount of milk or milk replacer fed when temperatures drop below 50 degrees Farenheit, as calves use a considerable amount of dietary energy maintaining their body temperature in cold weather.

5) Calf caretaker

On dairy farms, the calf caretaker can have a tremendous effect on the health of the calves. It is well worth the dairyman's time and effort to employ a conscientious caretaker for the calves or delegate the task to a responsible and caring family member. Studies have shown that calves cared for by women and children tend to have fewer health problems than those cared for by men. If the calf handler cares for both sick and well calves, he or she must have a good understanding of hygeine measures necessary to prevent the spread of disease from calf to calf.

6) Dystocia

Calves that have suffered from a difficult birth are less resistant to disease. Breeding cows and especially heifers to appropriately sized bulls, early intervention in delayed parturition, and forced colostrum feeding can all help minimize this effect.

7) Birth late in Calving Season

In beef herds, calves born later in the calving season are more likely to become ill with diarrhea, as contamination of the calving area accumulates over time. This effect can be minimized by moving cows out of the calving area to a clean pasture shortly after they have calved, or even moving pregnant cows to a new area at the halfway point of the calving season. Having the shortest possible calving season for the herd will also minimize the exposure of younger calves to older calves and the pathogens they may shed.

Several other measures can help to reduce the incidence of calfhood diarrhea on any farm. Introduction of new pathogens to the farm can be minimized by maintaining a “closed” herd, where no animals are purchased and brought to the farm. If animals must be purchased, they should be tested for diarrheal and other diseases first. If young stock are purchased and cannot be tested, it is safer to buy them off a farm than from a market where they will contact many other animals that may harbor disease, and undergo stress that may increase fecal shedding of pathogens already present. People can also carry pathogens onto the farm, and appropriate hygeine measures such as clean boots and clothing should be expected of any person visiting the farm Proper cleanliness is especially important for persons who travel from farm to farm such as milk haulers, renderers, or veterinarians. Spread of pathogens around the farm can be limited by controlling the populations of birds, wild animals and domestic animals, which may either harbor disease-causing organisms or simply carry them on their feet. It is particularly important to keep birds and animals out of feed storage areas.

In summary, there are three things that should be done to control calf diarrhea occurrence on any farm:

1) Ensure Adequate Colostral Protection of Young Stock

2) Manage Environment, Hygeine and Diet

3) Limit the Introduction and Spread of Pathogens on the Farm

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