Calves are born susceptible to disease. They have to receive colostrum from their dams in order to have early protection from pathogens. Colostrum is the first milk that the cow produces at calving.

I grew up in the cow-calf sector, and the topic of calf health is very near and dear to my heart. We want to give calves the best chance possible to thrive and of course, survive, through the really ...

Many beef and dairy calves will be born in the next three months. As spring calving season approaches, University of Missouri Extension experts stress the importance of properly caring for newborn ...

The target of all good dairies should be to minimise mortality, and providing calves with enough good-quality colostrum as quickly as possible after calving is a vital first step to achieve this. The ...

Being ready and prepared before the start of calving season can make life much easier for cow-calf producers and potentially save a calf. By the time calving season starts, you need everything on hand ...

Dear Daktari, I read with a lot of keenness the article you wrote on welcoming a young calf. Last year, I lost my calf a few days after birth and my vet said the cause of death was a lack of enough ...

Calves should get the colostrum from their own mother if possible but stored first milking colostrum can be used as well, especially when dealing with nervous cows or heifers. Frozen colostrum can ...

All colostrum is not created equal and calves do not absorb colostrum at the same rate. This is an old subject, but one that continually rises to the top in calf management. In all situations where ...

Although there is much to focus on during weaning, a successful weaning is impacted by the nursing phase. In an ideal ...

Moorepark researchers estimate that calf mortality ranges from 3% to 15% on Irish dairy farms. They say that the target for good calf rearing should be less than 3% mortality. Calves are born without ...