Calf Scours in the Latter Half of Calving

We field a lot more calls about calf scours in late August and September than we do in the earlier stages of calving. When we visit calf rearing facilities that are having problems at this later stage, one of the notable issues is the accumulated deposition of infectious scours in pens. In the case of Rotavirus, it is possible to infect 10,000 calves from just 1 gram of faeces! So, when a calf pen become thick with scour, the sheer volume of viral (and bacterial) load may be enough to overwhelm good colostrum antibody immunity in what are otherwise healthy calves.

It doesn’t matter how much disinfectant is sprayed around a very heavily contaminated pen, the reality is you cannot sterilise it. Placing new calves in a heavily contaminated pen will always have a negative outcome.

Where possible avoid housing new or young calves in heavily contaminated pens. Either completely clean them out (disinfect and replace bedding) or get them outside. Straw bale outside shelters may need to be moved frequently so calves do not camp for extended periods in poo. Scours vaccines do work, but they work best when the whole herd has been vaccinated which ensures the calf pens stay cleaner for longer (partial herd or just doing late calvers is a compromise).

Remember to use Metacam to speed recovery and appetite, supply free access Optiguard as a gut protectant, and use Vet Centre Rehydrate electrolytes (we believe our formulation is the best on the market). Discuss whether antibiotic use is appropriate with your vet.

Finally ensure your hay/racks are placed high and are full to dissuade calves eating contaminated sawdust or wood chips on the ground and getting infected. Calves which are sick should never be place on OAD feeds.

Rehydrate – Calf Electrolyte

Rehydrate is an electrolyte mix that our practice formulated. Its ingredient list is far superior to that offered by many other commercial preparations but at a fraction of the cost.

• It has great palatability

• It corrects metabolic acidosis in dehydrated calves

• The formulation ensures speedier absorption of fluid fraction of solution