Winter feeding rates for calves
Newborn calves are not great at maintaining their body temperature and have a "thermoneutral zone" between 14°C and 25°C - this means outside these temperatures they have to use extra energy to keep warm or stay cool.
When it's below 14°C calves use energy from their milk which was intended for growth, and divert it to keeping themselves warm. As the calf gets older, the temperature range they can tolerate widens - which means by 4 weeks old they are able to tolerate temperatures down to freezing point.
The traditional way of feeding 2 litres of 20/20 milk replacer twice a day just doesn't meet the nutritional needs of a newborn calf any more, and especially not during the winter months. Using a higher solids milk replacer, or pasteurised whole milk, definitely helps buffer the calf when temperatures drop - and although never a very popular suggestion, adding in a third feed can make a huge difference to growth rates and disease levels in a prolonged cold snap.
If calves are fed twice a day at 8am and 5pm then the newborn calf is going 15 hours over night when temperatures can be at their lowest. When they are short on calories they start to use protein in their bodies as an energy source - in particular albumin and globulin from the blood and both of these are needed for their immune response. So not only are these calves nutritionally stressed, but their ability to fight off infections can be affected too.
As always, milk feeding calves is a delicate balance between giving them enough milk to maximise their incredibly efficient early growth rates but without giving too much milk that you hinder early concentrate feeding. Remember that their rumen is useless at birth and takes 6-8 weeks to become functional and able to feed the calf after weaning so they need to be nibbling in those first few weeks.
Most farmers are now using calf coats on calves which definitely help core temperatures stabilise without the calf excessively dipping into the energy in its milk to keep warm - but don't forget the need for a 24/7, deep, dry straw bed which allows them to nest and insulate themselves with warm air too. Any poorly draining areas need to be addressed to stop damp spots forming which steal body heat away from the calf, increase humidity at the calf nose and allow bacteria and viruses to survive for longer, increasing the risk of spread. A 15 second knee drop test (without waterproofs!) in the calf pens is a quick way to assess how dry the beds really are!
Getting value from a preventative trim - by Craig Lawrence
The hoof horn in a dairy cow grows faster in the few weeks before calving and for about 100 days after calving, this growth then slows down until she is close to calving again. Getting a preventative trim in to all milking cows at 50-80 days in milk makes sure this increased horn growth doesn't contribute to sole bruising, or develop into a full blown sole ulcer.
Once a cow or heifer has a sole ulcer, she will have a sole ulcer risk for life so we must pre-empt that risk, pro-actively rebalance the foot and set them up for a successful lactation.
Around calving the hormones which relax the ligaments in the pelvis also relax ligaments supporting the small pedal bone in the hoof which can sink into the soft tissue next to the horn. The inflammation and damage to this soft tissue in the foot causes bruising initially, which can then progress to an ulcer and ends up as a lame cow. Once that pinching occurs, the foot will need a quick trim every 3-4 months to rebalance the hoof around the sole ulcer site and take away that pressure point.
Early identification and treatment of a simple bruise or early sole ulcer with a rebalance trim and a block can mean the lesion is healed within a few weeks, but if that ulcer develops or becomes infected the healing time can turn into months, and some of these won't heal, may need a claw amputation or end up as a cull.
The photo below shows the normal surface of the bone within the foot of a cow: it is smooth and has no roughened areas of new bone formation.
Look at what happens to the surface of the same bone when you have a chronic sole ulcer (bone on the right); the inflammation in the foot causes new sharp bits of bone to grow and this will always be a lame cow as the sensitive layer of the hoof is caught between these sharp bits of bone and the hard hoof:
Cubicle comfort and lying time play a huge role in sole ulcer prevention. Cows should be lying down for 14 hours in every 24 hour period - the rule of thumb is you can take 4 hours from her for milking/vet checks/AI etc but the other 20 hours are hers to feed and rest. A cow will get up and down on average 16 times in that 24 hour period so making sure the cubicles fit, have a comfortable surface and don't restrict her getting up or down will encourage her lying times.
On some farms heifers can be a real risk group for sole ulcers forming too - especially if they haven't met a cubicle before and they spend too much time on their feet in those early few weeks of lactation.
How many heifers had sole ulcers on your farm last year?
Lame cow trims will always be a priority, but don't forget the value in scheduling in an early lactation preventative trim before she's gone lame. The trim is quicker, we get much better cure rates and stop that bruise becoming a long term pinch point in the foot.
For any trimming enquiries please get in touch: Craig Lawrence 07779 017878
The downer ewe at lambing time
With lambing time approaching here's a timely reminder to be on the lookout for twin lamb disease and low blood calcium.
Twin lamb disease and low blood calcium are common problems in ewes around lambing and distinguishing between the two can be difficult; ewes suffering from one are likely to be at risk of suffering from the other.
Twin Lamb Disease:
Twin lamb or pregnancy toxaemia is most common in older ewes carrying multiple lambs. It is caused by the ewe not being able to eat enough during late pregnancy as the lambs limit how much food she can get in her rumen; she ends up using her body fats as an energy source which creates toxic by-products.
Signs include:
• Isolating herself from the rest of the flock
• Going off feed
• Dull and depressed
• Apparent blindness and star gazing
• Tremors/weakness/recumbency
• Death
Treatment:
Treatment should include drenching with an energy source such as “Ewe Boost”, administration of sub-cut calcium and importantly an anti-inflammatory injection. If signs are severe IV glucose or aborting the lambs may be required to save the ewe.
Prevention:
Prevention involves making sure ewes are fed appropriately for the number of lambs they are carrying; body condition scoring, ensuring sufficient trough space, good quality forages and avoiding rapid diet changes can all help.
Low blood calcium: "hypocalcaemia"
Unlike cattle this is more likely to occur during late pregnancy in ewes though is possible in early lactation. Again older ewes are more at risk as their ability to metabolise calcium appropriately is reduced. Carrying multiple lambs and twin lamb disease also increases the likelihood. It can also be triggered by stressful events such as moving/housing or a change in diet.
Signs include:
• Depression/weakness/recumbency as with twin lamb but will progress differently…
• Rumen stops contracting and they bloat and regurgitate – you see green fluid running from the nose/mouth
• Coma and death within 24-48 hours
Treatment:
Treatment involves giving 60-80ml WARMED calcium under the skin over several sites (the response to IV calcium is much more rapid but needs to be done carefully and should be carried out by a vet). Oral calcium supplements such as “Ewe Boost” should again be considered.
Often twin lamb and hypocalcaemia can be hard to distinguish so if you're not sure, treat for both conditions.
Ewe-Go Drench contains both an energy precursor (glycerol and propylene glycol) and calcium, some which is in the form of calcium chloride which is rapidly absorbed from the gut. It comes as a 1 litre flexi pack so you can attach your normal dosing gun for easy administration - each affected ewe will need 100ml by mouth.
Calcibel
Blue Calciject had been widely used to treat low blood calcium in sheep around lambing but has been out of production now for a couple of years.
Calcibel is our alternative for treating low calcium in sheep so get in touch if you need to get stocked up for lambing time.
Iodine Shortages - an update
You may have heard there is a shortage of iodine for dipping navels this year - and a price rise for the iodine that is available as the main production site in Chile has shut down.
Dipping calf and lamb navels with 10% iodine at birth is essential for disinfecting and closing the route in for bacteria via their navel. But don't forget, bacteria can also invade via their tonsils and gut so a clean environment and a belly full of good quality colostrum in those first few hours is essential. We would recommend making sure navels are dipped/sprayed at birth and again a few hours later until the navel is dry and crispy.
Any pain or swelling at the base of the navel near the body in the first few weeks of life is a sign there is an infection brewing which will need treating with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.
HFV have secured a good supply of 10% iodine that is being delivered this week, as well as stocking Vetericyn Super7 Plus which is an iodine-free alternative. Get in touch if you want to stock up.
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Amy: 07507 656747 amy@haywoodfarmvets.com
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