Dayna Locitzer, DVM
Columbia Veterinary Services
Hudson, NY  

 

It is important to treat your heifer calves like they are princesses because they will become queens. They will become the heart of your farm and the principal drivers of farm income. While it can be complicated to hone in your systems for raising healthy heifers, there are key concepts to guide each stage of heifer development from birth to weaning. The stages that are important to differentiate are: the first 24 hours of life, under two weeks old, two weeks to pre-weaning, and weaning. Each of these periods have unique characteristics that require special attention that, if you are aware of, you can tailor your infrastructure to accommodate.  

The first 24 hours after birth may be the most important period of a calf’s life. This is when their body is most porous, which serves a vital function but also poses a high risk. When a calf is first born, it is the only time that their intestinal tract will absorb large particles. This is because they must absorb antibodies from colostrum which provide them with an immune system before they are able to build their own. As the hours go by, the calf’s gut becomes less porous. 

Knowledge of this feature of a calf’s gastrointestinal tract is important for two reasons. First, it is imperative that calves get colostrum as soon as possible. A good rule of thumb is 4 L. of colostrum within 4 hours of life. If they do not receive colostrum in the appropriate time frame, their immune system will have no protection against outside pathogens.  

The second reason this is important is because not only can colostrum be absorbed, but bacteria and viruses can as well. This puts the calf at risk of contracting severe disease at an early age. In fact, if the calf swallows something other than colostrum, the gut will start to close up faster as a protection mechanism. This means it is vital to keep the maternity pen clean in order to prevent the calf from getting a mouthful of manure instead of colostrum. Keeping the maternity pen clean is also important because the umbilical cord is also very porous and is an efficient avenue for bacteria to get into the bloodstream in those first 24 hours. Calf navels should be dipped with a strong iodine solution at least every 8 hours for the first 24 hours to help prevent bacterial infection and sepsis via the umbilical cord.  

Ok, they have made it past day one, now what? While day one might be the most important, they are still considered neonates until two weeks old and there are important things to keep in mind during that time. During their first two weeks, calves should get increasingly more milk as they grow. Calves should be getting AT LEAST 10% of their body weight in milk every day. Neonates are particularly susceptible to certain diseases, including pneumonia and diarrhea. Providing young calves with more milk has been proven to help combat disease pressure better than any antibiotic.  

Stay tuned for the next issue where I will cover housing, feed, and weaning. All of these are essential elements of preventative care for your heifers and will help build a successful future for your farm.  


Dr. Dayna Locitzer has worked as a consultant and hosted educational events for the Vermont dairy community in collaboration with UVM Extension’s Dairy Herd Management Technical Assistance Program, which is funded by the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center. This article is the first in a two-part series about raising healthy calves.  

Funding for this article was made possible by a grant/cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.