Calf Management 1 Table of Contents Basic Calf Care Skill Inventory Calf Raiser Skill Inventory Basic Calf Care Skills 1 Identify a navel dip solution 2 Determine the gender of a calf 3 Soak a navel with dip 4 Evaluate navel condition at 24 hours 5 Restrain a newborn calf for feeding or tagging 6 Insert an identification tag in calf s ear 7 Feed a calf with a bottle 8 Feed a calf with an esophageal feeder 9 Give an intramuscular or subcutaneous injection 10 Give intranasal vaccine 11 Prepare stored colostrum for feeding a newborn calf 12 Mix milk replacer 13 Measure temperature of liquids fed to calves 14 Cleaning mixing and feeding equipment 15 Feed milk or milk replacer 16 Observe for scours 17 Measure body temperature of a calf 18 Observe for pneumonia... continued
Calf Management Skills 2 Calf Raiser Skills 1 Determine colostrum quality 2 Preserve colostrum for later feeding 3 Use colostrum supplements properly 4a Select and monitor milk replacer mixing procedures 4b Decide how much milk replacer to feed 4c Select and monitor wash-up temperatures, chemicals and procedures for milk feeding equipment 5 Diagnose scours 6 Treat scours 7 Diagnose respiratory illness 8 Treat respiratory illness 9 Diagnose navel infections 10 Treat navel infections 11 Feed water 12 Manage water buckets 13 Feed starter grain 14 Manage grain buckets 15 Store vaccines 16 Prepare vaccines 17 Give vaccines 18 Insert plastic ear tags 19 Maintain calf record system 20 Dock tails 21 Dehorn Calf Management Facts Newsletter Penn State University s Newborn Dairy Calf
Calf Management 3 Basic Calf Care Skill Inventory 1 Identify a navel dip 2 Determine the gender 3 solution of a calf Soak a navel with dip 4 Evaluate navel condition at 24 hours 5 Restrain a newborn calf for feeding or tagging 6 Insert an identification tag in a calf s ear 7 Feed a calf with a bottle. 8 Feed a calf with an esophageal feeder 9 Give an intramuscular injection 10 Give intranasal vaccine 11 Prepare stored colostrum for feeding to a newborn calf 12 Mix milk replacer 13 Measure temperature of liquids fed to calves 14 Clean mixing and feeding equipment 15 Feed milk or milk replacer 16 Observe for scours 17 Measure body temperature of a calf 18 Observe for respiratory illness
Calf Management 4 Calf Raiser Skill Inventory 1 Determine colostrum quality 2 Preserve colostrum for later feedings 3 Use colostrum supplements properly 4a Select and monitor milk replacer mixing procedures 4b Decide how much milk replacer to feed 4c Select and monitor milk feeding equipment wash-up procedures 5 Diagnose scours 6 Treat scours 7 Diagnose respiratory illness 8 Treat respiratory illness 9 Diagnose navel infections 10 Treat navel infections 11 Feed water 12 Manage water buckets 13 Feed starter grain 14 Manage grain buckets 15 Store vaccines 16 Prepare vaccines 17 Administer vaccines 18 Insert plastic ear tags 19 Maintain calf record system 20 Dock tails 21 Dehorn
Calf Management 5 Basic Calf Care Skill 1: Identify a navel dip solution Go To Skill Sheet For good calf health we must keep bacteria from entering the umbilical cord on a newborn calf. We dip the cord and the entire navel area. For dipping to work properly this dip should be a 7 percent iodine alcohol solution (tincture of iodine). Other common on-farm iodine solutions are not effective for keeping bacteria out of the umbilical cord of a newborn calf. For more information, see: QCN14: Navel Disinfection The navel and umbilical cord stump of every newborn calf should be dipped in a 7% solution of iodine in alcohol - known as tincture of iodine.
Calf Management 6 Basic Calf Care Skill 2: Determine the gender of a calf Go To Skill Sheet On most dairy farms female (heifer) calves are raised. Male (bull) calves are sold. In order to properly separate calves the caretaker must be able to identify calf gender. Click here to see a video clip demonstrating this skill
Calf Management 7 Basic Calf Care Skill 3: Soak a navel with dip Go To Skill Sheet Click here to see a video clip demonstrating this skill Rinsing and soaking the umbilical cord and navel area of a newborn calf is essential for preserving good health. Rinsing the cord washes away dirt and pathogens. Soaking the cord and navel area exposes them to both iodine (kills pathogens) and alcohol (dries up cord). For more information, see: LCF26: Newborn Health Starts At LCF32: Dipping Navels / Desinfeccion Umbilical LCF67: Disinfecting Navels and Calf Mortality QCN14: Navel disinfection CE15: Newborn Navel Care
Calf Management 8 Basic Calf Care Skill 4: Evaluate navel condition at 24 hours Go To Skill Sheet If the navel dipping is effective the umbilical cord will shrivel up promptly. This closes it off as a route for pathogens to enter the body. If for any reason the umbilical cord has not lost its wet appearance and is still soft to the touch it needs to be coated with tincture of iodine again at 24 to 36 hours. Click here to see a video clip demonstrating this skill
Calf Management 9 Basic Calf Care Skill 5: Restrain a newborn calf for feeding or tagging Go To Skill Sheet Click here to see a video clip demonstrating this skill Correct restraint decreases the chances of injury for both the calf and the caretaker. Also, they both experience less stress. Both feeding and tagging may be done properly when the calf is carefully restrained. For more information, see: CE39: Calf care and husbandry
Calf Management 10 Basic Calf Care Skill 6: Insert an identification tag in calf s ear Go To Skill Sheet Effective calf management depends on correct identification of each calf. Feeding calves often varies depending on age and size of calf. Disease diagnosis and treatment depends on accurate calf identification. Proper placement of a metal ear tag is an important step in maintaining a calf s identity. Click here to see a video clip demonstrating this skill
Calf Management 11 Basic Calf Care Skill 7: Feed a calf with a bottle Go To Skill Sheet Click here to see a video clip demonstrating this skill Nearly all calves are fed either colostrum, milk or milk replacer at least once with a nursing bottle. Knowledge of what is normal and abnormal suckling behavior for calves is essential for preserving good calf health. Learning what to observe when bottle feeding is an important part of good animal husbandry. For more information, see: LCF01: How Much to Feed a 100# Calf LCF08: Calves That Just Don t Suck LCF11: Clean, Wholesome Colostrum LCF17: Feeding Preweaned Calves: Colostrum LCF18: Feeding Preweaned Calves: Milk Replacer QCN01: Colostrum Feeding - To nurse or not to nurse QCN02: Colostrum Feeding - How much colostrum to feed? QCN03: Colostrum Feeding - A primer on colostrum Ig QCN06: Methods of feeding liquid to calves QCN11: Timing of colostrum feeding QCN28: Can I feed calves once a day? QCN38: The 18 pound rule of colostrum feeding QCN52: Colostrum protein as a source of nutrition for the newborn calf QCN57: The need to feed colostrum QCN74: Colostrum & growth of calves CE40: Bottle feeding
Calf Management 47 Calf Management Facts 01 How Much to Feed a 100# Calf 02 8 Reasons Why Antibiotics Fail 03 8 Reasons Why Vaccines Fail 04 Blueprint for 4-6 Month Old Heifers 05 Transitioning Calves After Weaning 06 Calf Blankets 07 Calves and Water 08 Calves that Just Don t Suck 09 Cleaning Versus Bacterial Control 10 Collecting Clean Colostrum 11 Clean, Wholesome Colostrum 12 Colostrum Management Checklist 13 Why Feed Colostrum? 14 Colostrum Supplements 15 Test Your Own Starter Grain Quality 16 Production Profit Starts with Colostrum Management 17 Feeding Preweaned Calves: Colostrum... continued
Calf Management Skills 48 Calf Management Facts - continued 18 Feeding Preweaned Calves: Milk Replacer 19 Feeding Preweaned Calves: Starter Grain 20 Feeding Preweaned Calves: Water 21 Filling Buckets or Feeding Water? 22 Good Growth in Cold Weather 23 Good Growth in Cold Weather 2 24 Grazing for Heifers: A Possibility? 25 Grazing for Heifers, Making It Work 26 Newborn Health Starts at 27 Healthy Calves: Doing a Few Things Very Well 28 Is Your Wash Water Hot Enough? Cold Weather Tips 29 Hot Weather and Post-Weaning Slump 30 Monitoring Calf Care: What To Do When Goals Are Not Met 31 More is Better: Ways To Get More Energy into Calves in Cold Weather 32 Dipping Navels 33 Care 34 Care 2 35 Scours from a Parasite 36 Storing Colostrum 37 Starter Grain Intake and Milk Feeding 38 Successful Passive Transfer... continued
Calf Management Skills 49 Calf Management Facts - continued 39 Transition Calf Feeding: Management Checklist 40 Transition Calf Housing Checklist 41 Using CMT to Check Colostrum Quality 42 Vaccinating Calves in Hot Weather 43 Washing Milk Containers Checklist 44 Washing Milk Containers / Lavando los Recipientes de la Leche 45 Water: An Essential Element For Growth 46 Calf Weaning Checklist 47 Weaning Calves: Four Management Strategies 48 Basics for Feeding More than One Pound of Milk Replacer a Day 49 Milk Feeding in an Intensive Feeding Program 50 Grain Feeding in an Intensive Feeding Program 51 Estimated Gains Feeding 20-20 Milk Replacer 52 Coliform Bacteria Growth Demonstration 53 Comparison Of Conventional and Intensive Calf Feeding Programs 54 HAACP Application: Managing Calf Diseases 55 Increasing Resistance to Pathogens 56 Intensive Preweaned Calf Feeding Program 57 Keeping Colostrum Clean 58 Monitoring Calf Care 59 Care... continued
Calf Management Skills 50 Calf Management Facts - continued 60 Preventing, Diagnosing and Treating Calfhood Diseases 61 Preweaned Calf Health Checklist 62 Reducing Exposure to Pathogens 63 Estimated Gains Feeding 100 Pound Calves 64 Tube Feeding Colostrum 65 Colostrum Composition 66 Relationship between Refractometer Readings and Plasma IgG Levels 67 Disinfecting Navels and Calf Mortality 68 Consequences of Feeding Free-Choice Water to Pre-Weaned Replacement Heifer Calves 69 Prevent Pneumonia in Young Calves
Calf Management 50 Newsletter 01 Cold weather and newborn calves 02 Measuring and mixing milk replacer 03 Decontaminating feeding equipment 04 Heifer colostrum an overlooked resource 05 Mama s white bread recipe 06 Water a vital element for calf growth 07 Beginning to eat starter grain 08 Aim for fewer pathogens at calving 09 Scours in two-week old calves 10 Quality of starter grain 11 Feed bunk space for heifers 12 Vaccination does not equal immunization 13 Cold weather and energy for calves 14 Biosecurity when the veterinarian works with calves 15 Newborn navel care 16 Accelerated growth: An elusive goal 17 Mastitis and flies 18 Coccidiosis and the three-week old calf 19 Using Electrolytes 20 Wholesome colostrum 21 Habits: good and bad 22 Maternal immune cells in colostrum... continued
Calf Management Skills 51 Newsletter - continued 23 Good colostrum management 24 Improving heifer handling (Part 1) 25 Improving heifer handling (Part 2) 26 The right water temperature 27 Colostrum - the four quart myth (Part 1 of 2) 28 Colostrum - the four quart myth (Part 2 of 2) 29 Value of colostrum feeding - fact and speculation 30 Are we achieving our goals? (Part 1: Measuring and Recording) 31 Are we achieving our goals? (Part 2: Summarizing and Analyzing) 32 Heat stress and calves 33 Abomasal ulcers 34 Scours: Make a list and check it twice 35 Coccidiosis and young calves 36 Coccidiostats and Murphy s Law 37 Scours are NOT normal 38 Pooling colostrum 39 Calf care and husbandry 40 Bottle feeding 41 The 'only' way to feed calves 42 Little slipups add up
Calf Management 52 01 Colostrum feeding - to nurse or not to nurse 02 Colostrum feeding - How much colostrum to feed? 03 Colostrum feeding - A primer on colostrum Ig 04 Water, water, everywhere... 05 Bacteria in the rumen 06 Methods of feeding liquid to calves 07 Computer or mob feeders for calves 08 Can I use waste milk for my calves? 09 When is a calf ready to wean? 10 Calf starter quality 11 Timing of colostrum feeding 12 Cryptosporidium and Cryptosporidosis 13 Freezing and thawing colostrum 14 Navel disinfection 15 Ig absorption and respiratory acidosis 16 Stress at weaning 17 Coccidiosis - A technical review 18 Using colostral supplements 19 Does hay develop the rumen? 20 Ingredients for rumen development 21 Feeding scouring calves 22 Using the colostrometer to measure colostrum quality... continued
Calf Management Skills 53 - continued 23 Soy proteins in milk replacers 24 The needle vs. the shovel 25 Reducing fly populations in calf hutches 26 What is the Bovine Alliance on Management & Nutrition? 27 How calf starter intake drives rumen development 28 Can I feed calves once a day? 29 Supplemental fat in liquid diets 30 Basics of calf housing 31 Microbial protein synthesis in the rumen 32 Coccidiostats in calf starters 33 Measures of milk replacer quality 34 Intestinal mucins 35 Risks of using waste milk 36 Vitamin E in colostrum 37 New trends in milk replacer management 38 The 18 pound rule of colostrum feeding 39 Using the refractometer 40 Cost of milk vs. milk replacer 41 Antibiotics in milk replacers 42 What are scours? 43 Electrolytes for scouring calves 44 Fat levels in milk replacers 45 Vitamin A in milk replacer 46 Delays in colostrum feeding - effects on bacterial load 47 Palatability of calf starters 48 Rumen motility 49 Red blood cell protein in calf milk replacers... continued
Calf Management Skills 54 - continued 50 Colostral leukocytes 51 Colostrum from Johnes positive cows 52 Colostrum protein as a source of nutrition for the newborn calf 53 Milk replacer ingredients and labels 54 Insulin in colostrum 55 Blood BHBA in calves 56 Benefits of calf hutches for housing young dairy calves 57 The need to feed colostrum 58 Predicting calf starter intake in Holstein calves 59 Environmental effects on calf feeding - basic concepts 60 Transfer of immunoglobulins to the intestine 61 Effect of nutrient intake on growth in beef calves 62 Refractometers, FPT and age of calves 63 What is rumen abrasive value? 64 Does housing method influence calf behavior? 65 Dietary cation-anion balance in dairy calves 66 Chemical treatment of colostrum 67 An update on colostral IgG 68 Predicting water intake in young calves 69 Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle 70 Glutamine and soy proteins in milk replacers 71 NRC energy requirements for calves fed milk or milk replacer 72 NRC energy requirements for calves fed milk or milk replacer plus starter 73 Colostrum & Antibiotic residue testing 74 Colostrum & growth of calves 75 Egg protein in calf milk replacers 76 Ig and biological safety 77 Methods of feeding water... continued
Calf Management Skills 55 - continued 78 Prestarters and rumen development 79 A story about Pepe 80 Clostridium in calves 81 Colostrum supplements vs. colostrum replacers 82 Housing and behavior revisited 83 Using the esophageal feeder to administer colostrum 84 Accelerated feeding #1 - current feeding programs 85 Accelerated feeding #2 - limitations of current programs 86 Egg in milk replacers - an update 87 Calf feeding programs and control of brucellosis and tuberculosis 88 Feeding calves for health - Introduction 89 Evaluating the use of antibiotic alternatives 90 Iron binding antimicrobial proteins 91 Probiotics in calf feeding programs 92 Antibodies & passive transfer - Introduction 93 NAHMS Dairy 2002 study
Calf Management 56 Penn State University s Newborn Dairy Calf The Digestive System Anatomy Preruminant Digestion Rumen Development Colostrum Quality Quantity Timing Storage and Handling Feeding Method Evaluating Colostrum Management Nutrient Requirements Liquid Feeds Milk Replacers Whole Milk Waste Milk Fresh Colostrum Fermented Colostrum Feeding Amount Weak or Sick Calves Esophageal Feeder Electrolyte Supplement Dry Feed and Weaning