7 Tips for More Effective Vaccination Programs in Calves

Ask 10 dairy producers what they believe is an effective vaccination program for calves, and you’ll likely get 10 unique answers. That’s OK, because there is no effective one-size-fits-all strategy. The best approach is the one that works for your specific herd and farm. Here are seven tips from bovine veterinarians that can help you plan an effective vaccination program in calves.

1. Understand what a vaccination program can and can’t deliver.
Vaccines help decrease or prevent disease incidence, but they aren’t a substitute for good nutrition, adequate ventilation, effective sanitation and other health management procedures needed for good calf health, says Grant Dewell, Extension veterinarian, Iowa State University.

“Young pre-weaned calves usually require little in the way of vaccines,” he says. “In fact, a period of suppression or refractoriness to immunization may exist for two to three weeks after birth in calves that have received adequate transfer of antibodies from colostrum.”

Dr. Dewell's complete vaccination recommendations are available online in the Extension publication Beef and Dairy Cattle Vaccination Programs.

The transfer of passive immunity (TPI) via colostrum is of primary importance for the health of the newborn calf and can’t be over-emphasized, adds Sandra Godden, DVM, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. 

She cites research indicating at least 14% of U.S. dairy calves fail to achieve transfer of passive immunity. “There is still a large opportunity to improve upon this in the average herd,” she says.

2. Healthy calves respond best to vaccination.
If step No. 1 is accomplished then step two can be more readily achieved, says Eric Moore, DVM and North America director of technical services for Norbrook Laboratories.

He says if you find that your calves aren’t responding well to vaccination investigate why. It’s usually the result of stress—either from the environment, a disease or nutritional imbalance or some combination of the three.

“Something could have happened even in utero that contributed to the problem, often a nutritional imbalance,” Moore says. “Trace minerals such as copper, zinc and selenium are key components that support the immune system. When those things are out of balance and we stress a calf by giving it a vaccine, it's not that the vaccine failed it’s that the calf was unable to respond.”

3. Consider vaccination timing.
There are several timing considerations for vaccination. One that producers often overlook is giving the calf’s immune system adequate time to adapt to it.

 “Vaccinating the calf one day and then challenging it the next day with disease won’t work,” Moore says. “Some vaccines work faster than others, but the main takeaway is they all need a certain amount of time before they are effective.”

4. Check the label to see whether the vaccine is a one-dose or two-dose product.
One of the most common mistakes Thach Winslow sees, particularly when using killed vaccines, is the producer fails to administer the second dose.

“When you look at the vaccine label, it will say whether it needs to be repeated within a specific timeframe,” says Winslow, DVM and senior technical consultant for Elanco. “If the animal isn’t properly boosted, the vaccine will be unable to do its job as well as it should.”

5. Use only those vaccinations that address health issues your calves are likely to face.
Too many or too few vaccinations can exact a toll on calf health, notes Amelia Woolums, DVM and professor at Mississippi State University, in an article she wrote in 2021 for the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, Vaccinating Protocols for Dairy Calves.

“Because vaccination demands protein, energy, vitamins and minerals for expansion of the immune response, it exerts a metabolic cost. Large numbers of vaccines given in a short period of time may be more costly, metabolically speaking, than some of the vaccines in the protocols are worth,” she writes. “Keep in mind that it is possible to vaccinate too much. More is not always better. Fewer, more properly timed vaccines may be more effective than more vaccination.”

6. Keep good records.
It’s easy to forget what vaccines you used and when, not to mention all the other details that go along with that. Good records can help you determine whether the protocols used are decreasing the incidence of disease and helping achieve the calf health, growth and productivity you want and need.

7. Partner with your veterinarian.
Your veterinarian can help you develop calf vaccination protocols, educate employees on their use and make sure products perform the job as needed, ultimately, improving vaccination outcomes.

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