Download Sauk Prairie Veterinary Clinic, SC

Sauk Prairie Veterinary Clinic
Herd the Moos
October 2012
$5.31 to raise a calf up to weaning.
New Dexamethasone
Getting that calf off to a good healthy
Slaughter Withdrawal
start is very important especially if one
Dexamethasone has been detected in
can reduce weaning by 7 days because
cattle at slaughter and although the bottle
the calf has already doubled its weight.
does not state a slaughter withdrawal,
The goal should be to double the calf’s
zero tolerance is allowed. Therefore,
birth weight by 56 days (average 1.6
FARAD has listed the slaughter
pounds/day). Calves that double their
withdrawal on Dexamethasone as 6
birth weight are usually 4-5 inches taller
days whether it is given IM
by weaning.
(intramuscular) or IV (intravenous) at a
level of 0.1 mg/kg. Higher doses given
IV or multiple doses result in a 10 day
slaughter withdrawal.
Accurate records need to be
maintained in order to know when
injections have been given to determine
slaughter withdrawal times. If you don’t
have records in place, please give us a
call and we can help you set up
treatment records that will work for your
herd and keep you from getting a drug
residue violation!
Gallon and 3 Quart Colostrum
Feeders Now Available
We now have both 3 quart and gallon
oral calf feeders for improved colostrum
intake and the prevention of failure of
passive transfer. We can take blood
samples and let you know how well your
herd is doing on protecting its calves
from disease with your current
colostrum management program. Many
herds are not feeding enough colostrum,
feeding poor colostrum, or even dirty
colostrum. Calves need about 1 gallon
of colostrum and total serum proteins of
5.5 to 6.0 or better can be obtained.
These calves tend to have less
diarrhea and pneumonia and therefore
grow better. The average cost per day is
Calves Need A Winter
Feeding Program
Once the temperature drops below 55
degrees calves need more nutrients to
maintain a healthy growth rate.
Age
Whole Milk
Volume
0-3 days
2 quarts twice daily
3-10 days
3 quarts twice daily
10-49 days
4 quarts twice daily
49-56 days
4 quarts once a day
56-63 days
No milk
By decreasing milk to once a day
from day 49-56 the calves will increase
their starter intake. Once calves are
eating 5 pounds of starter daily, forages
can be introduced.
Other approaches to winter feeding
*Third feeding (individual calf)
*Increase total solids (up to 18% by
slow increase)
*Add nutritional supplement
In addition to adequate feed, calves
also require deep bedding that they can
lie down in. It should cover their legs
when they are nestled in so that they can
keep themselves warm.
Calves must be kept free from drafts
in whatever housing they have.
J-5 Mastitis Vaccine
Has New Look & Name
J-5 will now be called Enviracor J-5
where it was previously known as
Escherichia coli Bacterin—J-5 strain.
J-5 is used as part of a comprehensive
dry cow management program that can
improve overall milk quality in your
herd.
Another Holstein Infertility
Gene Discovered
Researchers in Denmark have
discovered that a deletion in a gene of
Holstein-Friesians is contributing to
decreased fertility in the breed. They
have found that the defect is located on
the FANCI (Fanconi anemia
complementation-group I) gene. The
defect, called Brachyspina Syndrome
(BS), can manifest itself in more than
one way. Some of these BS calves are
born alive but are deformed and grow
poorly. These BS calves are rare with 1
BS calf per 10,000 calvings.
These cases can be traced back to
one particular sire, Sweet Haven
Tradition. Tradition, an Elevation son,
was used extensively by many herds in
the 1990's. During their research the
scientists discovered that the carrier rate
(having one of the recessive genes for
BS) in the Holstein-Friesian breed was
7.4%.
When the researchers looked at the
return to estrus rates at days 56, 90, and
270 after insemination; they found a 7%
increase in the number of cows that
returned to estrus when the dam and sire
were both carriers of the BS trait. The
research suggests that more than half of
the calves that receive both recessive BS
traits die prior to birth. Most of these
losses occur prior to 90 days after
conception. The researchers point out
that with carrier rates of 7.4%, and the
early embryonic losses, the rate of BS
calves should be 1 BS calf per 1,500
calvings. However, the rate has
remained close to 1 BS calf per 10,000
calvings.
They offer two explanations for the
difference in observed versus predicted
rates. First, farmers and AI
organizations have placed a greater
emphasis on reducing inbreeding so
carrier bulls are used rarely on carrier
cows. Second, the measurement used to
determine abortions (return to estrus)
only looks at cows that were inseminated
and are still in the herd at calving time.
It ignores the cows that were culled
before calving and many of these cows
may have been cows that did not get
pregnant or aborted.
These scientists are continuing the
search for similar gene deletions that can
affect fertility. So now we have the
previous haplotypes that are lethal in
Holsteins (3 of them) and now the
FANCI gene that expresses itself as
deformed calves (BS) or early
embryonic deaths/abortions. With
increased availability of DNA/gene
testing and decoding we will find more
genes linked to fertility which can help
us start to reverse the long term decrease
in fertility in Holsteins.
Do You Have A
Fire Prevention Plan?
It is always great to plan and review
what you would do in case of a fire.
This should be not only in your own
homes but for your cattle facilities as
well. Does your hired help know where
fire extinguishes are and how to use
them? Do you have plenty of hose
available to use quickly in case a fire
should start before the fire department
can arrive?
With the dryer weather conditions the
chances of fires increase. Be careful
with the location of burn barrels as well.