PNEUMONIA in dairy heifer calves
during the first three months of life
has been found to reduce first
lactation milk yield by 2.2% and
increase age at first calving by two
weeks. The yield loss has been
calculated at £39 per head on a 7,000
litre first lactation at 25p/litre. At
£1.65 per day, two weeks of
additional rearing time costs £23.
The cost of an average pneumonia
case has been calculated to be £43
per calf. Together, these amount to
£105 per case.
According to Pfizer veterinary
surgeon Matt Williams, speaking at
the Dairy Event and Livestock Show,
the main elements of heifer rearing
programmes that promote strong
immune systems and minimal
pneumonia incidence are:
- every new-born calf receives three
litres of good quality colostrum,
ideally from its own mother, within
the first six hours from birth; - calves live in a low moisture, clean
air, no-draught environment, made
possible by efficient drainage
throughout the inside of the building
and around the immediate external
area, good ventilation, and plentiful
fresh dry bedding; - minimal stress arising from
weaning, disbudding, over-stocking,
transport, mixing into new groups,
etc., and avoid imposing several
stress factors at the same time; - sound nutrition and fresh clean
water available 100% of the time;
o vaccination against the three main
viral instigators of respiratory disease
-RSV, Pi3 and IBR – and the BVD
virus, which causes immunity
suppression and to which 95% of
UK dairy herds have been exposed; - good stockmanship, with constant
awareness and active observation for
the early signs of respiratory
infection – not just coughing, but
increased breathing rate and less
aggressive feeding than usual.
“At this time when dairy
replacements are in short supply, a
herd’s next generation is a particularly
valuable asset that warrants tender
loving care and attention to detail
from the moment each calf is born,”
Mr Williams said.
