Health Watch

Colostrum: More than meets the eye

Recent research suggests that other parts of colostrum – specifically, growth factors and hormones – may play an essential role in growth and development of the newborn. ... Full story.

Guidelines for whole-herd BVD testing

Cutting out BVD testing may produce short-term financial savings, but could have devastating, long-term consequences. The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council offers guidelines for whole-herd BVD control programs. ... Full story.

Stepping over dollars to pick up dimes

We all do it. We ignore the low-hanging fruit that will give us a better return and we go after the things that are riskier and often give us barely any return. We set ourselves up to fail when we ignore common sense practices that we know are good for the bottom line. Dairy calf expert Sam Leadley, PhD, Attica Veterinary Associates, sees that all too often on dairy farms where calf care is concerned. ... Full story.

Advice for dealing with Mycoplasma

Why is Mycoplasma bovis so difficult to manage and what can I do to protect my calves? Here is some advice. ... Full story.

Control heifer mastitis

You may have a heifer mastitis problem on your farm if greater than 15 percent of heifers have clinical mastitis around calving or greater than 15 percent of all heifers have a first test-day SCC greater than 150,000 cells/mL. ... Full story.

Why do bad things happen to good calf raisers?

You may be doing "everything” right, yet calves still get sick and some die. A calf management specialist examines why these negative outcomes occur and what you can do to lower the rate of “bad” things. ... Full story.

Elevate calf hutches for better ventilation

A Washington State University trial on calf hutch ventilation showed that elevating one side of the hutch decreased internal hutch temperature and increased ventilation. ... Full story.

Johne’s disease vaccination shown to have economic value

A new Cornell University research study shows that vaccinating for Johne’s disease could someday be an economically feasible means of controlling a serious dairy herd health threat. ... Full story.

Causes of calf pneumonia

Calves from one day to five months of age are particularly susceptible to pneumonia. Learning what causes the three main types of lung infections can help you prevent and treat them. ... Full story.

Pneumonia in dairy calves

Pneumonia is one of the most common diseases we see in dairy calves from birth to weaning. ... Full story.

A dozen tips for healthy calves

We’ve known for years how to get dairy calves off to a good start — feed them an adequate volume of good quality colostrum shortly after birth. ... Full story.

Mycoplasma mastitis: Detection and testing

Mycoplasma mastitis is highly contagious. Rapid identification reduces the spread of infection among the lactating herd. ... Full story.