Kindergarteners and Calves:
An Unlikely Association

Anyone who has been around a group of kindergarteners knows that sniffles and coughing are commonplace. While there may not be a way to prevent this, for weaned calves facing the same "kindergarten effect," preconditioning can help reduce morbidity.

Reducing these health challenges at such a critical growth period when commingling is frequent was the driver behind Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc.'s (BIVI's), preconditioning program, the Range Ready® Quality Feeder Calf Program, which offers buyers assurance that calves have been given the right vaccinations when they need them.

Travis Van Anne, a professional services veterinarian with BIVI, says that developing healthy calves begins the day they are born, not just in the preconditioning phase.

Do your part from Day 1: colostrum. All calves should receive colostrum within six hours of birth. After six hours of life, the calf's ability to absorb antibodies from colostrum diminishes. Once a calf is born, colostrum production is replaced by milk production, so there is a narrow window in which a calf has opportunity to consume necessary colostrum. Feedyard cattle are 300% more likely to get sick when adequate colostrum is not consumed.1 On the ranch, these calves are five to nine times more likely to be treated. Monitor new cow-calf pairs and, if colostrum quantity consumption is in question, administer additional colostrum.

Timing is everything. A first vaccination between 60 and 90 days of age creates immunological memory cells within the calf's immune system. When the vaccination is given at weaning, memory cells will increase the chances of a good response and better protection for the calf.

What is your weaning window? Because maternal immune protection has waned by the time calves are weaned at 4 to 7 months of age, they may be very susceptible to disease. There is an opportunity to build immunity with a well-designed preweaning vaccination program and/or a good postweaning on-farm preconditioning program.

Deworm your calves. Utilize proper internal and external parasite control to assure that the parasitism does not interfere with the calf's ability to optimally respond to their vaccinations.

Handle with care. Pleasant and not-so-pleasant handling experiences are remembered. Use calm and quiet movements. Also, avoid processing cattle in hot weather.

Introduction to feed, water and people. Acclimating calves prior to sale reduces stress on calves and buyers. Van Anne recommends introducing calves to feed, water and people to reduce stress during handling. This can start early on, too, before weaning. For example, calves may quickly learn from cows what a feed truck is.

Van Anne says calves that have gone through a good preconditioning program get off to a better start in the feedlot. These calves experience less mortality, morbidity and less treatment costs.

"A good goal at the feedlot is to have a less than 15% pull rate for sickness," Van Anne says. "Removing individuals from pens for special attention costs significant dollars for treatment and lost growth."

Van Anne encourages producers to work with their veterinarian to develop a preconditioning program that works for their operation. Additional resources on preconditioning protocols can be found at www.rangeready.com.

For more information, please visit us.boehringer-ingelheim.com and follow BIVI on Twitter at twitter.com/boehringerus.

1Waldner, C.L., et al. Can Vet J. 2009 Mar; 50(3):275-81.

[Click here to go to the top of the page.]