Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T06:29:25.317Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Calf management practices and associations with herd-level morbidity and mortality on beef cow-calf operations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 October 2015

C. F. Murray ,
L. J. Fick ,
E. A. Pajor ,
H. W. Barkema ,
M. D. Jelinski  and
M. C. Windeyer
C. F. Murray
Affiliation:
Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, T2N 4N1 Alberta, Canada
L. J. Fick
Affiliation:
Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, T2N 4N1 Alberta, Canada
E. A. Pajor
Affiliation:
Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, T2N 4N1 Alberta, Canada
H. W. Barkema
Affiliation:
Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, T2N 4N1 Alberta, Canada
M. D. Jelinski
Affiliation:
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, S7N 5B4 Saskatchewan, Canada
M. C. Windeyer*
Affiliation:
Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, T2N 4N1 Alberta, Canada
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate calf management practices on beef cow-calf operations and determine associations with herd-level morbidity and mortality of pre-weaned calves. A 40-question survey about management practices, morbidity and mortality was administered to cow-calf producers by distributing paper surveys and by circulating an online link through various media. A total of 267 producers completed the survey. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression models. Average herd-level treatment risk for pre-weaning calf diarrhea (PCD) and bovine respiratory disease (BRD) were 4.9% and 3.0%, respectively. Average herd-level mortality within the first 24 h of life (stillbirth), from 1 to 7 days and 7 days to weaning were 2.3%, 1.1%, and 1.4%, respectively. Operations that never intervened at parturition had 4.7% higher PCD than those that occasionally did. On operations using small elastrator bands for castration, PCD was 1.9% higher than those using other methods. For every increase of 100 cows in herd size, BRD decreased by 1.1%. The association between BRD and PCD varied by when calving season began. Operations that used off-farm, frozen colostrum had a 1.1% increase in stillbirths. Operations that verified a calf had suckled had 0.7% lower mortality from 1 to 7 days of age. Those that intervened when colostrum was abnormal or that used small elastrator bands for castration had 1.9% and 1.4% higher mortality during the 1st week of life, respectively, compared with other operations. Mortality from 7 days to weaning was lower by 0.7% when calving season started in April compared with January or February and was higher by 1.0% for each additional week of calving season. Operations that intervened with colostrum consumption for assisted calvings had lower mortality from 7 days to weaning by 0.8% compared with those that did not. For every 1.0% increase in BRD, mortality from 7 days to weaning increased by 1.0%. Stillbirths and mortality from 7 days to weaning decreased non-linearly with herd size. Factors related to calving season, herd size, interventions at calving, colostrum management and castration impacted herd-level morbidity and mortality. However, effect size was generally small and causation cannot be determined with a cross-sectional study design. This study identifies several common health management practices associated with calfhood morbidity and mortality that should be further investigated to establish evidence-based management strategies to improve the health and survival of beef calves.

Keywords

beef cattlecalvingcolostrummorbiditymortality
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 10 , Supplement 3 , March 2016 , pp. 468 - 477
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Acres, SD, Saunders, JR and Rodostits, OM 1977. Acute undifferentiated neonatal diarrhea of beef calves: the prevalence of E. coli, reo-like (rota) virus and other enteropathogens in cow-calf herds. The Canadian Veterinary Journal 18, 113–121.Google ScholarPubMed
Boyer, DG and Kuczynska, E 2010. Prevalence and concentration of Cryptosporidium oocysts in beef cattle paddock soils and forage. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease 7, 893–900.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carlberg, J and Hogan, R 2013. Factors affecting cattle prices at Alberta auction marts. Research Report for Integrated Traceability Solutions Ltd. Global. Okotoks, AB, Canada.Google Scholar
Coetzee, JF, Nutsch, AL, Barbur, LA and Bradburn, RM 2010. A survey of castration methods and associated livestock management practices performed by bovine veterinarians in the United States. BMC Veterinary Research 6, 12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dhuyvetter, KC, Bryant, AM and Blasi, DA 2005. Case study: preconditioning beef calves: are expected premiums sufficient to justify the practice? The Professional Animal Scientist 21, 502–514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dutil, L, Fecteau, G, Bouchard, E, DuTremblay, D and Pare, J 1999. A questionnaire on the health, management, and performance of cow-calf herds in Québec. The Canadian Veterinary Journal 40, 649–656.Google ScholarPubMed
Filteau, V, Bouchard, É, Fecteau, G, Dutil, L and DuTremblay, D 2003. Health status and risk factors associated with failure of passive transfer of immunity in newborn beef calves in Quebec. The Canadian Veterinary Journal 44, 907–913.Google ScholarPubMed
Gasbarre, LC, Stout, WL and Leighton, EA 2001. Gastrointestinal nematodes of cattle in the northeastern US: results of a producer survey. Veterinary Parasitology 101, 29–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Godden, S 2008. Colostrum management for dairy calves. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice 24, 19–39.Google ScholarPubMed
Gundelach, Y, Essmeyer, K, Teltscher, MK and Hoedemaker, M 2009. Risk factors for perinatal mortality in dairy cattle: cow and foetal factors, calving process. Theriogenology 71, 901–909.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guy, MA, McFadden, TB, Cockrell, DC and Besser, TE 1994. Regulation of colostrum formation in beef and dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 77, 3002–3007.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hanzlicek, GA, Renter, DR, White, BJ, Wagner, BA, Dargatz, DA, Sanderson, MW, Scott, HM and Larson, RE 2013. Management practices associated with the rate of respiratory tract disease among preweaned beef calves in cow-calf operations in the United States. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 242, 1271–1278.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hawkins, JA 1993. Economic benefits of parasite control in cattle. Veterinary Parasitology 46, 159–173.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huxley, J and Whay, H 2006. Current attitudes of cattle practitioners to pain and the use of analgesics in cattle. Veterinary Record 159, 662–668.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Larson, RL and Tyler, JW 2005. Reducing calf losses in beef herds. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice 21, 569–584.Google ScholarPubMed
Laven, R, Huxley, J, Whay, H and Stafford, K 2009. Results of a survey of attitudes of dairy veterinarians in New Zealand regarding painful procedures and conditions in cattle. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 57, 215–220.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lombard, JE, Garry, FB, Tomlinson, SM and Garber, LP 2007. Impacts of dystocia on health and survival of dairy calves. Journal of Dairy Science 90, 1751–1760.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mee, JF 2004. Managing the dairy cow at calving time. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice 20, 521–546.Google ScholarPubMed
Molony, V, Kent, JE and Robertson, IS 1995. Assessment of acute and chronic pain after different methods of castration of calves. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 46, 33–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moya, D, González, LA, Janzen, E, Caulkett, NA, Fierheller, E and Schwartzkopf-Genswein, KS 2014. Effects of castration method and frequency of intramuscular injections of ketoprofen on behavioral and physiological indicators of pain in beef cattle. Journal of Animal Science 92, 1686–1697.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murray, CF and Leslie, KE 2013. Newborn calf vitality: risk factors, characteristics, assessment, resulting outcomes and strategies for improvement. The Veterinary Journal 198, 322–328.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nagy, DW 2009. Resuscitation and critical care of neonatal calves. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice 25, 1–11.Google ScholarPubMed
Olson, D, Papasian, C and Ritter, R 1980. The effects of cold stress on neonatal calves. II. Absorption of colostral immunoglobulins. Canadian Journal of Comparative Medicine 44, 19–23.Google ScholarPubMed
Patterson, DJ, Bellows, RA, Burfening, PJ and Carr, JB 1987. Occurrence of neonatal and postnatal mortality in range beef cattle. I. Calf loss incidence from birth to weaning, backward and breech presentations and effects of calf loss on subsequent pregnancy rate of dams. Theriogenology 28, 557–571.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Quigley, JD, Fike, DL, Egerton, MN, Drewry, JJ and Arthington, JD 1998. Effects of a colostrum replacement product derived from serum on immunoglobulin G absorption by calves. Journal of Dairy Science 81, 1936–1939.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Radostits, OM and Acres, SD 1980. The prevention and control of epidemics of acute undifferentiated diarrhea of beef calves in western Canada. The Canadian Veterinary Journal 21, 243–249.Google Scholar
Rhoades, JR, Duffy, G and Koutsoumanis, K 2009. Prevalence and concentration of verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in the beef production chain: a review. Food Microbiology 26, 357–376.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robertson, IS, Kent, JE and Molony, V 1994. Effect of different methods of castration on behaviour and plasma cortisol in calves of three ages. Research in Veterinary Science 56, 8–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robison, J, Stott, G and DeNise, S 1988. Effects of passive immunity on growth and survival in the dairy heifer. Journal of Dairy Science 71, 1283–1287.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sanderson, MW and Dargatz, DA 2000. Risk factors for high herd level calf morbidity risk from birth to weaning in beef herds in the USA. Preventative Veterinary Medicine 44, 97–106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schumann, FJ, Townsend, HG and Naylor, JM 1990. Risk factors for mortality from diarrhea in beef calves in Alberta. Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research 54, 366–372.Google ScholarPubMed
Smith, RA 1998. Impact of disease on feedlot performance: a review. Journal of Animal Science 76, 272–274.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Snowder, GD, Dale Van Vleck, L, Cundiff, LV and Bennett, GL 2005. Influence of breed, heterozygosity, and disease incidence on estimates of variance components of respiratory disease in preweaned beef calves. Journal of Animal Science 83, 1247–1261.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Statistics Canada 2012. Census of agriculture, Statistics Canada. Retrieved August 17, 2015, from http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/ Google Scholar
Swan, H, Godden, S, Bey, R, Wells, S, Fetrow, J and Chester-Jones, H 2007. Passive transfer of immunoglobulin G and preweaning health in Holstein calves fed a commercial colostrum replacer. Journal of Dairy Science 90, 3857–3866.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Donkersgoed, J, Ribble, C, Boyer, L and Townsend, H 1993. Epidemiological study of enzootic pneumonia in dairy calves in Saskatchewan. Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research 57, 247–254.Google ScholarPubMed
Waldner, C 2001. Monitoring beef cattle productivity as a measure of environmental health. Environmental Research 86, 94–106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waldner, C, Jelinski, MD and McIntyre-Zimmer, K 2013. Survey of western Canadian beef producers regarding calf-hood diseases, management practices, and veterinary service usage. The Canadian Veterinary Journal 54, 559–564.Google ScholarPubMed
Waltner-Toews, D, Martin, S and Meek, A 1986. Dairy calf management, morbidity and mortality in Ontario Holstein herds. III. Association of management with morbidity. Preventative Veterinary Medicine 4, 137–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Windeyer, MC, Leslie, KE, Godden, SM, Hodgins, DC, Lissemore, KD and Leblanc, SJ 2014. Factors associated with morbidity, mortality, and growth of dairy heifer calves up to 3 months of age. Preventative Veterinary Medicine 113, 231–240.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: File

Murray supplementary material

Tables S1-S3

Download Murray supplementary material(File)
File 21 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Murray supplementary material

Figure S1

Download Murray supplementary material(Image)
Image 1.8 MB