Dairy Calves - News & Insights
Stay updated on the latest dairy calf management strategies. Explore expert advice on colostrum management, calf nutrition, disease prevention, and the beef-on-dairy trend to ensure a healthy, productive future for your herd.
Transporting calves long distances at young ages is a growing practice for U.S. dairies. They do it to seek ideal rearing conditions and maximize their animal capacity and labor force. A detailed and well-executed plan can make the process relatively seamless.
Experts say it’s time to feed colostrum according to quality not habit. When it comes to calf immunity, more volume isn’t always better.
Salmonella is challenging organism for calf operations, but the serotype Dublin is especially dangerous because of its unique hallmarks of multidrug resistance and ability to also cause severe illness in humans.
What if you had a crystal ball to help you choose the best nutrition program to achieve the optimal outcomes for your calves? With a new tool called CalfSim, much of that vision is now possible.
For decades, researchers have explored the influence of dam nutrition on offspring performance. Now, the dairy industry is taking a page from that book, exploring the intricacies of how and what we feed to dairy dams to improve the health and productivity of their calves, without sacrificing theirs.
New World screwworm was essentially eradicated in the U.S. in 1966, but the persistent pest has rebounded through considerable geography in the past year, prompting the closure of the U.S./Mexico border to cattle in recent months.
As we aim for improved biosecurity measures, understanding both the challenges and solutions will pave the way for better practices on calf ranches, ultimately creating a win-win situation for both calves and humans
The importance of new-life navel care cannot be overestimated, according to Ohio veterinarian Taylor Engle. He said failing to treat the navel properly can provide a pathway for bacteria directly to the livers of young calves.
Full Circle Jerseys is strategically transitioning its 5,000-cow herd from straight Jerseys to Holstein x Jersey crossbreds.
Calf researchers and rearing experts from around the world will convene in Madison, Wis. on September 24-27, 2025, for the 4th annual Smart Calf Rearing Conference.
Dairy heifers and calves continue to fetch high prices, with Holstein springers reaching up to $4,000 and beef-cross calves topping $1,650 in recent auctions across the U.S.
Colostrum supplies can often drop as temperatures cool and days shorten, but smart planning and management can help you beat the seasonal slump.
Most commercial milk replacers have been formulated to contain 18-20% fat for decades. But that may be changing, based on new research shared by Dr. Marcos Marcondes from the W. H. Miner Institute, West Chazy, NY.
New research shows adding dry colostrum replacer powder directly to moderate-quality colostrum can safely boost its immune value.
Frozen colostrum is a valuable tool for calf health, but to preserve its quality and immune benefits, dairy farms should use it within eight months, store it in non-frost-free freezers and label it clearly.
After reaching historically high levels, springing Holstein heifer prices have softened somewhat in the past month.
Starting calves off right with good colostrum, care and timing can make all the difference when it’s time to hit the road.
Oral meloxicam, given before or after dehorning, can reduce pain and inflammation in calves, with the timing of treatment affecting the length of its anti-inflammatory benefits, according to a study.
The careful execution of calf management protocols and daily tasks that keep calves healthy can and should incrementally add up to more milk produced on the dairy, according to consulting veterinarian Scott Earnest.
Calves can suffer from heat stress the same as older animals. But even when the heat is on, they prefer to stay close to their partners in pair housing situations, according to a recent study by University of Wisconsin researchers.
Dairy replacement heifers and beef-cross calves are fetching record-breaking prices this spring, with Holstein springers hitting $4,200 and beef-cross calves surpassing $1,600.
Protecting the future performance of the herd starts with cooling the cows who are carrying it.
What a cow eats and how she’s cared for before calving can shape her calf’s health, resilience and productivity for years to come.
As research continues to point to the numerous benefits of social housing for young calves, housing manufacturers are responding with more systems to make pair and group housing more practical, comfortable, and efficient.
Human nutrition increasingly embraces fermentation as a natural and non-medicated means of promoting digestive health and supporting the gut microbiome. Now, some dairies are doing the same, by feeding kefir to their calves.
It’s history in the making in U.S. dairy animal trade right now, as springer values stay knocking on the door of $4,000 per head, and calf prices continue to soar.
More colostrum would be welcome on virtually every dairy farm, especially if it also had higher quality. A team of Cornell University researchers explored whether a dose of oxytocin could help fresh cows deliver either, or both.
Can pasteurized whole milk be enhanced with added milk replacer powder? If so, is it possible to add too much of a good thing?
Feeding dairy-beef cross steers a low-starch, forage-based diet early in life may be the secret to fewer liver abscesses, healthier rumens, and heavier carcasses without sacrificing performance.
Researchers continue to seek methods of monitoring animal health and welfare to anticipate health setbacks and improve the animals’ lives. The latest tool to do so: saliva.