Care & Management of Calves

Dr. Qazi Muhammad Awais

Dr. Muhammad Uzair Ashraf
 Care & Management of Calves
 Good management starts at birth when calves
are born in a clean area.
 About 5% of calves die at, or shortly after,

birth.
 Mortality is higher for calves

born to heifers than for

those born to cows.
 Calves should be removed

from the cow at birth and

placed in a clean dry area
 Care & Management of Calves
 Calves should be given at least four litres of good-quality
colostrum during their first twelve hours of life. This can be
given through a bottle or through a stomach tube if the calf
will not suckle.
 Calves should be fed 15% of their body weight in milk each
day, with the volume adjusted as the calf grows.
 Feed calves milk twice a day for the first four weeks of life,
then once a day.
 Bacteria numbers in warm colostrum and milk double every
30 minutes—poor storage will lead to more sick and dying
calves.
Calf Pens
 Care & Management of Calves
 Colostrum contains a much higher content of energy,
protein, vitamins, and minerals but lower lactose (sugar)
than normal milk .
 Colostrum provides an excellent source of nutrition, and
the lower sugar content is less to cause scours (diarrhea
in livestock). But, of more importance is the level of
antibodies in the colostrum.
 Calves are born with no resistance to diseases and must
acquire this resistance by absorbing antibodies from the
colostrum. The calf can only absorb these antibodies
within the first few hours.
 Care & Management of Calves
 Rumen development in calves is promoted by feeding some
high-quality forage with high-quality concentrates.
 Calves can be weaned once they are eating 900 grams of
concentrates per day.
 Scours is the most common disease problem in calves under
five weeks old.
 Calves can become infected when fed contaminated milk or
colostrum or when placed in a dirty environment.
 Scouring calves should be immediately rehydrated with oral
electrolyte solutions to keep them on their feet, and may be
given antibiotics depending on veterinary advice.
 Care & Management of Calves
 The amount of antibodies that can be absorbed
lessens as the hours increase between birth and the
feeding of the colostrum.
 Therefore, calves should be fed colostrum as soon as

possible after birth to obtain maximum absorption.

 Antibodies in the milk are in competition with bacteria

such as E. coli for absorption sites on the gut wall.

 Care & Management of Calves
 If E. coli, the bacteria found in manure, reach the
intestinal wall before colostrum antibodies, the calf
could easily get scours. On the other hand, if
colostrum antibodies reach the intestinal wall first, the
absorption of E. coli, and presumably other bacteria, is
decreased.
 This is a case of first come, first served; that is, do we

serve colostrum before the scours producing bacteria

are established or do we allow the bacteria to get
established first.
 Care & Management of Calves
 Don't assume that a calf will suckle. Even when left on
their own with their dam after birth, 25 percent of the
calves do not nurse within 8 hours, and 10 to 25
percent do not get adequate colostrum.
 The udder conformation of the dam will also affect

how soon the calf suckles and whether the calf gets an
adequate supply of colostrum. Approximately 30kg
calf should be given 3 to 4 quarts and a 15kg calf
should receive at least 1 to 2 quarts of the first
produced colostrum.
 Care & Management of Calves
 HYGIENE
 Cleaning And Sanitizing Utensils
 Milk, feed, and water buckets are breeding grounds

for organisms that cause calf diseases.

 Any utensil used for feeding calves, especially those

used for milk, must be kept clean to prevent problems.

 Milk utensils should be carefully cleaned after each

feeding.
 Care & Management of Calves
 WATER
 Too often, water is neglected for young calves.
 Fresh water should be provided daily throughout the

year. Moreover, water should be available at all times

during hot weather.
 During freezing weather, water should also be offered

on a daily basis.
 Care & Management of Calves
 Concentrate feeding
 Rumen development is stimulated by the physical

scratching of roughage and the products of rumen

fermentation.
 Calves should be encouraged to eat solid feed at an

early age by offering high-quality concentrates (grain

and or calf pellets) and good-quality hay during the
first week of life.
 Care & Management of Calves
 It is easy to monitor consumption when
calves are raised in individual pens, but more
difficult in group facilities.
 Calves should be grouped on size and age to

avoid bullying and uneven consumption.

 Care & Management of Calves
 Forage feeding
 The rumen must be functioning to efficiently

digest forages. Young calves cannot extract

sufficient nutrients from hay and straw alone
to grow well.
 Calves fed very poor quality forages and

insufficient concentrate are thin yet have

large abdomens reflecting accumulation of
poorly digestible feed.
 Care & Management of Calves
 Personalized, Tender Loving Care Several sources
claim, and farmers usually agree, that calves do better
when cared for by a person who is willing to take the
extra time and give the individualized attention that
makes the difference in calf care.
 This type of attention should be given to the baby

calves regardless of who cares for them.