Auteur/autrice : Travis Knutson

Are you considering making a new calf housing site or changing an existing one? Taking time to weigh options and put together a plan that best meets your management needs, while maximizing labor efficiency and calf performance, is crucial.

Here are some considerations as part of the plan:

Who, what and where? Start by making a list of items that will be important to your calf care-giving team. Is the goal of the change to increase efficiency, improve drainage, ease cleaning, reduce bedding needs, or another area to improve? We suggest starting with this checklist:

• How will you be delivering feed and water to the calf area?
• What type of bedding will be used and where will it be stored?
• Is the site in close enough proximity to deliver warm milk (or water) to the calves at optimal feeding temperatures?
• Is there water readily available for cleaning hutches? Will there be a designated wash area for equipment?
• How easily can the site itself be cleaned? Is disinfecting required there as well?

This is a great discussion for the calf care team to share ideas and suggest changes as well.

How many? Having enough hutches to allow for a stress-free weaning process is very important and a benchmark often used is 10 percent of the milking herd will be in hutches at any given time. For example, my neighboring 1200-cow dairy normally has about 120 calves in hutches. This number should be adjusted up or down based on how long the calves are in hutches and if your operation is raising any bull calves.

Some farms also like to have enough hutches to allow 7-10 days for cleaning, sanitation and drying between calves in an effort to reduce any opportunities for bacteria or illness.

Drainage and Cleaning. Gravel, stone and concrete are the most common options for hutch pad sites. Raising calves off the ground on a well-drained foundation helps keep calves dry and improves overall health, keeps them cleaner while reducing the amount of bedding used.

Gravel and stone pads normally have larger stones at the bottom of the pad and are topped with smaller stone or gravel. The best way to clean a gravel or stone site is to scrape the bedding material off and then let the area sit idle for 7-10 days, allowing the site to dry in the sunshine.

While requiring a significant upfront investment to create the site, concrete pads are the easiest to clean and disinfect. It is highly recommended that the pad has a 3% slope and drainage grooves to be most effective. In some areas, these pads slope to a catch basin capturing the fluid runoff for spreading on fields. Concrete can be power washed and disinfected, delivering the best option for minimizing disease outbreaks. Using a concrete base locks in one location for hutches, so before proceeding with this option, be sure that the site corresponds with any future growth plans for the business as well.

Simply setting directly on the ground or dirt creates some significant challenges to the calf care team as urine and moisture from precipitation has no way to drain away quickly and ends up collecting under and around the hutch. The challenge then becomes keeping the calf dry and healthy, using much more bedding, and in some environments, a distinct increase in fly activity around the calves.

Location. Fresh air is the most important consideration when planning the layout of plastic Calf-Tel hutches. Place hutches in an open area, away from any barns or silo bunkers that will block the wind and away from manure lagoons, feed bunks or other items, preventing any fumes from reaching the calves as well. It is also recommended that the hutch cleaning area be separate as pressure washing can scatter bacteria and dirt in the area.

Calf-Tel recommends spacing hutch rows 10 feet apart and keeping 1 foot between hutches within the row to prevent calves from touching and assure that there is enough room to access hutches to feed and bed them easily. Prior to establishing a hutch site, measure the equipment being used to deliver feed and bedding, as well as cleaning the site, to assure ample room for equipment to turn easily among the rows.

Hutches should be positioned to maximize airflow in the summer and protect against the wind in the winter. In the Dairy Calf & Heifer Association Gold Standards, it is recommended to orient hutches rows facing east to west to maximize shade. In the summer, Calf-Tel recommends positioning hutches to take advantage of natural airflow, while opening rear bedding doors, lower rear vents and ridge vents to help flush hot air out of the hutch. Some calf raisers also prop the back of the hutch a few inches off the ground for extra ventilation in hot weather as well.

In the winter, it is recommended to face hutches away from the prevailing winds. Ideally the winds would hit the side of the hutch. Depending on wind speeds in the area, some producers run a cable along the top of hutches to help hold them in place during storms or provide windbreaks, like a row of stacked straw or corn stalk bales, or windscreens as pictured below.

As the plan is formulated for your hutch site, our Calf-Tel team encourages discussion with your calf care team, veterinarian, and contractor to best determine the layout that suits your situation and assures that calves are healthy, growing and the team caring for them can work efficiently and smoothly.

Kelly Driver has been involved in the New York dairy industry all her life. In addition to raising dairy calves and replacement heifers, she is the Northeast Territory Manager for Calf-Tel. Feel free to contact her at kellydriver@hampelcorp.com with your calf questions or suggest a topic you would like covered in a future blog.

References:

Dairy Calf and Heifer Association. (2016). Gold Standards I and II.

Broadwater, Neil. (2010, December 6). Top five considerations for superior calf housing. Retrieved from https://hoards.com/article-1800-top-five-considera…

Sowder, Brandon. (2018, August 7). Five best practices for laying out calf hutches. Retrieved from https://www.progressivedairy.com/topics/calves-hei…

Fall weather is certainly here and the cooler temperatures often require the calf feeder to wear a jacket, but do you ever wonder how these cooler temperatures impact our calves? A calf is below its “thermal neutral zone” when the environmental temperature drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning she is now spending extra energy to stay warm rather than using those calories for growth. (Leadley)

Newborn calves have only 3-4% body fat, which is not much to spare when trying to stay warm in the colder weather. Lower temperatures can be dangerous and even life threatening to calves under three weeks of age because they consume less starter. If a calf is not getting enough energy, starvation occurs, shutting down body systems to preserve energy. The first system that shuts down is the immune system. (Breuer) Assuring that calves get enough calories to grow and remain healthy means that feeding and management practices often require some adjustments in colder weather.

Here are some tips to help calves succeed:

1. Make sure calves are towel dried after birth and placed in a warming box with a heat lamp or a heated room until their hair coat is dry. A fluffy, dry hair coat acts as an insulating layer between the calf’s skin and the outside temperatures.

2. After the calf is dry, be sure to fit it with a clean calf jacket for the first three weeks of life. When using a jacket, it is recommended to adjust the straps weekly and also doing a health evaluation of body condition score and respiration rates of the calf while adjusting the straps. (Lee) Calf-Tel calf jackets contain 200 grams of Thinsulate insulation and are perfect for use in cold conditions.

3. Get more calories into the calf. Some calf raisers do this by adding a third feeding (example: 6am, 1 pm, and 7pm feedings). (Breuer) Another option is to switch to a milk replacer that has a higher fat content or add an additional fat supplement to a pre-existing milk replacer. Be sure to follow the label directions when using these products. Regardless of which option used, the goal is to get more calories into the calf. A standard milk replacer diet of 20:20 milk replacer powder in 2 quarts of water will simply NOT provide enough energy for warmth and growth in cold weather. (Breuer) Calves being fed a full 4-quart Calf-Tel bottle of milk or replacer at least twice daily will be much less likely to experience cold stress because of the amount of nutrition they are receiving daily.

4. Feed warm water shortly after each milk feeding, ideally within 15-30 minutes. The water should be delivered above 102 degrees so the calf is not expending energy to warm up the water in their stomach. It is a good practice to dump any leftover water after the calf lays down, so it doesn’t freeze.

5. Encourage calves to eat more calf starter or grain by providing fresh, clean feed daily in buckets at a height they can easily reach. Starter is another good way to provide a fat and energy source to calves during cold weather. The heat of rumination will also help to keep the calf warm. (Lee)

6. Provide the calf enough dry straw to be able to nest down in. They should not be laying on top of their bedding and it is ideal when their legs are not visible in the straw. Newborn calves will lie down more than 90 percent of the time and it is important to insulate them from the concrete or moist, cold ground below them. One way to test this is to crawl into the pen or hutch and kneel there for a full minute. If your knees are wet when you stand, the insulating value of your bedding is low. (Leadley)

7. Fresh air is important, even in cold weather. The air exchange is important to remove any gasses or moisture from the air, but it is important that the air movement is not creating a draft on newborn and young calves. Calf-Tel hutches are specifically designed with ridge vents to keep fresh air moving and prevent condensation from building up inside the hutch, resulting in a much healthier environment for young calves.

To get a real idea of the calf’s environment, remove your jacket and spend 30-45 minutes with them. Are you cold, damp or looking for a drink of warm water and a snack? Please talk with your veterinarian and farm management team and make the necessary adjustments to accomplish the goal of healthy, growing, comfortable calves – no matter what the thermometer indicates.

Kelly Driver has been involved in the New York dairy industry all her life. In addition to raising dairy calves and replacement heifers, she is the Northeast Territory Manager for Calf-Tel. Feel free to contact her at kellydriver@hampelcorp.com with your calf questions or suggest a topic you would like covered in a future blog.

Sources:

• Breuer, Dr. Ryan, DVM. (Internet). Cold Weather Calf Care. Retrieved from https://www.extension.iastate.edu/dairyteam/files/…
• Leadley, Dr. Sam, Ph.D. (Internet). Fall Weather and Newborn Calves: Part 1. Retrieved from http://atticacows.com/library/newsletters/CESeptem…
• Lee, Karen. (2013, December 2). 10 tips for raising calves in cold weather. Progressive Dairyman Extra.

We have all likely experienced those calves that are slow to take their first breath, slow to nurse, or have some swelling in their tongue or face after a difficult birth. These newborns require extra time and attention over the early weeks of life to make sure they overcome the added stress of a difficult birth. In dairy cattle, it has been estimated that 75 percent of newborn calf mortality occurs within an hour of birth, (Smith) but proper care of calves experiencing a difficult birth can certainly help reduce this number.

What is Dystocia in Calves?

Dystocia is defined as difficult or delayed calving and some factors can include calf size, pelvic size of the dam, calf presentation, uterine torsion or inadequate cervical dilation. The most common cause is a calf that is too large for the dam’s pelvic size, as we can see in heifers trying to deliver large bull calves. It is important to note that the inappropriate timing of human assistance or excessive force during delivery can also cause added stress or trauma to the calf.

The 3 Steps to Begin Care for Calves with Dystocia

There are three key elements to caring for calves that have just experienced a difficult delivery:

1. Breathing
2. Feeding colostrum
3. Keeping them warm

Breathing

The first key to life outside the uterus is taking that first breath and inflating the lungs to get the blood oxygenated. After a difficult birth, the first assistance that should be offered is to set the newborn upright on its sternum immediately, and clear their nose and mouth of any fluid carefully with either clean hands or a bulb syringe. Sometimes, placing a finger or piece of clean straw in the nose to create a tickle can cause the calf to draw a deep breath and expand the lungs. Never hang a calf upside down or spin it around, these procedures increase the pressure in the chest cavity and make it even harder for the lungs to fully inflate. (Arnold)

If a calf is slow to have active, steady breathing in the first 30 seconds of life, it is imperative to continue cleaning the airway. It is a cow’s instinct to lick the calf almost immediately after birth, but rubbing the dystocia calf vigorously with a towel can also help stimulate its heart and lungs. Newborn calves will normally lift their own head within three minutes, sit up within five minutes, and stand within an hour. (Smith)

Make sure that all members of your maternity team clearly understand normal cow and calf behaviors after delivery and not just how to deliver the calf that is not presenting normally for delivery.

One of the most important measures to help a newborn calf inflate its lungs is to set it up on its sternum, as pictured in this photo. Rubbing the calf with a clean towel can also help stimulate their breathing. The author stopped the toweling and took this photo after this calf started to breathe regularly and hold her head up.

Feeding Colostrum

Second, the most important piece of the calf survival equation is colostrum. Calves should receive four quarts of high-quality colostrum within the first six hours after birth. Calves that have been wedged in the pelvic canal for a time may be born with a swollen head or tongue. If this condition clearly prevents suckling, it is imperative that colostrum be delivered via esophageal tube feeder.

Compromised calves “tend to have lower oxygen delivery to tissues and will absorb immunoglobulins over a longer period of time; so, it is worth providing an extra colostrum feeding to assure the calf has the best chance of good colostral immunoglobulin transfer,” notes the Bovine Veterinarian website.

If the calf is willing to suckle, take the time to work at getting them to drink from a nursing bottle. This may require coming back to them several times in the first four to six hours, but the effort allows for more stimulation of the calf, along with the chance to rub them again with a towel and encourage them to stand. (Leadley)

Colostrum contains immunoglobulins that establish the calf’s immune system, along with sugars and vitamins vital to their early nutrition. Delaying the delivery of colostrum to dystocia calves can result in a failure of passive transfer, increasing the likelihood of sickness and infectious diseases in the days ahead.

Keeping Them Warm

And finally, calves that deliver normally will maintain their body temperature by shivering and mobilizing energy from fat tissue in their body, while their activities of learning to stand, walk and nurse a bottle will also generate body heat for them. Dystocia calves may not have adequate oxygenation to mobilize their fat, are less active and will struggle to stay warm.

These calves should be monitored closely and placed in a warm, dry space until they are active and suckling on their own. Once the calf is dry, placing them in a Calf-Tel calf jacket containing 200 grams of Thinsulate can also help keep them warm. Many inexpensive calf jackets on the market are filled with polyfil, a product that doesn’t offer real insulating value to the calf.

Other Signs of Dystocia to Look Out For

Besides those already mentioned, other signs that can indicate calf distress during delivery can include hemorrhages or red spots in the eye, cyanotic or blue mucous membranes, irregular breathing, or meconium staining at birth. This yellowish-brown staining results from oxygen deprivation while still in the amniotic sac, which causes colon contractions and pushes the meconium, or first “manure”, out of the calf. These calves will have a challenge to stand, nurse and absorb immunoglobulins. (Smith)

Longterm Care Needs for Calves with Dystocia

It is recommended to monitor dystocia calves closely for two to three weeks. Farms use different methods to identify them, including using colored duct tape on the hutch or pen or even attaching a mailbox flag to their housing. Other methods have included a colored leg band fastened to the fence of the hutch, marking the calf with a certain color of all-weather livestock marker. Another farm I visited kept difficult birth calves in their own special area, closest to the calf barn office, so they could be monitored more closely multiple times each day.

Colored bands are an easy-to-see indicator often used on plastic Calf-Tel housing to indicate a special needs calf for extra observation.

Whatever the method used to identify these vulnerable calves, work with the herd veterinarian to develop a strategy and protocols for their care. A well-trained, caring and attentive team can make a big difference in getting dystocia calves off to the best start possible.

About the Author

Kelly Driver has been involved in the New York dairy industry all her life. In addition to raising dairy calves and replacement heifers, she is the Northeast Territory Manager for Calf-Tel. Feel free to contact her at kellydriver@hampelcorp.com with your calf questions or suggest a topic you would like covered in a future blog.

Sources

Arnold, Dr. Michelle. (2015, January 14). Emergency calf management after dystocia. Drovers. Retrieved from https://www.drovers.com/article/emergency-calf-man…

Bovine Veterinarian. (2013, January 1). How to manage dystocia calves. Retrieved from https://www.bovinevetonline.com/article/how-manage…

Leadley, Dr. Sam. (Internet). Dystocia (hard delivery) calf care. Retrieved from http://www.atticacows.com/library/newsletters/Dyst… Smith, Dr. Geof. (2018, June 14). Manage newborn calves after dystocia. Ag Update. Retrieved from https://www.agupdate.com/manage-newborn-calves-aft

Here’s a question for you…did you water ALL your calves this morning?

We are in the midst of the summer heat and it’s important to assure that calves have plenty of water to drink. Calves that are less than two weeks old may choose to drink only a few sips of water, while older calves will drink double their normal intake when temperatures are in the upper 80s or higher and the water is available.

I see it too often, it’s hot and the calves less than two weeks old don’t have any water in front of them. The most common explanation is that they are small and get their water from the milk or milk replacer they are consuming. But, the calf’s suckling reflex is stimulating that milk to be sent through the esophageal groove to the abomasum, which leaves the rumen in need of water for its development.

When calves are drinking water, it goes to the rumen where it mixes with calf grain to stimulate the development of the rumen lining. According to Sam Leadley’s Calving Ease newsletter, “Water: The Magic Growth Promoter,” USDA surveys report on average U.S. dairies begin to feed water to newborn calves at 17 days of age.

Are we maximizing growth rates with that practice? The short answer is no. Research shows that when water is offered beginning at Day 1, there are measurable differences in body weight at 5 months of age and hip height and body length at 10 weeks, as compared to waiting until Day 17 (Wickramasinghe).

On the flip side of newborns, it is also important to deliver extra water to calves as the amount of milk is being decreased leading up to weaning. Their water consumption will double in this time period and I often see water delivered fresh to calves in individual hutches or pens at least twice daily to keep encouraging intakes.

Besides water, what can be done to help calves through these hot temperatures?

• Keep the air moving by situating calf housing to capitalize on prevailing wind direction. Turning hutches to face east and opening all vents in the summer can help. You might also consider installing additional back vents on older hutches to help assure fresh air at the calf’s nose level when resting.

• Indoor calf facilities may benefit from additional fans, especially between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Research has shown average daily gains improved by 23% for calves cooled by fans (Hill et al). Calf-Tel pens now come with a variety of side and back options to allow extra ventilation for calves housed indoor.
• Keep water pails clean. This is even more important in hot weather and calf managers use a variety of schedules for this, ranging from daily, weekly or bi-weekly depending on the labor available. One way that I see commonly is that a set portion of the pails are cleaned on certain days each week. This is also an easier task if there is an easy way to transport both the pails and clean water to and from the calf housing area.
• Keep the calf starter grain fresh to encourage consumption.
• Some producers are finding that bedding with sand works well in the warmer months. As with all other bedding material, it should be clean and dry.
• Try to organize the day so that any vaccinations, pen moves or transportation or other stressors to calves happen in the morning when temperatures are still moderate.
• Don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated in the summer heat. After all, it is Drink-Your-Water-Wednesday! And that applies to everyone.

References:

• Jones, C. and Heinrichs, J. (2013, June 14). Heat stress in dairy calves. Penn State Extension. Retrieved from https://extension.psu.edu/heat-stress-in-dairy-cal….
• Leadley, S. (2019, July). Water: the magic growth promoter. Calving Ease. Retrieved from http://atticacows.com/library/newsletters/CEJuly20….
• Wickramasinghe, H.K.J.P., et al. (2019). Drinking water intake of newborn dairy calves and its effects on feed intake, growth performance, health status, and nutrient digestibility. Journal of Dairy Science, 102: 377-387.
• Kelly Driver has been involved in the New York dairy industry all her life. In addition to raising dairy calves and replacement heifers, she is the Northeast Territory Manager for Calf-Tel. Feel free to contact her at kellydriver@hampelcorp.com with your calf questions or suggest a topic you would like covered in a future blog.