Importance of Youngstock
Youngstock are the future to all cattle enterprises however, we know that they are the most at-risk group in terms of on-farm morbidity and mortality.1 This is why youngstock disease prevention against both enteric and respiratory pathogens is a critical focus for MSD Animal Health.
Through immunity-led disease prevention (which combines excellent colostrum management, vaccination and hygiene management) and use of state-of-the-art technology MSD Animal Health are striving to reduce key diseases and deliver actionable insight to farmers and healthcare providers around the world.
Youngstock rearing is the second highest fixed cost on most units after feed. Husbandry in early life affects not only the health of calves, but also the way youngstock perform up to three years later.
Quite apart from the economic impact, disease problems in calves also increase labour input and adversely affect staff morale. Calf rearing involves a complex combination of processes where no two units are the same; even within a single unit some calves face different management challenges to others.
Assessing calf health and management across five core areas helps establish the current situation on farm and illustrates areas to improve efficiency of production and minimise costs:
The Calf Health Checklist and Suckler Herd Checklist provided to vets can help highlight key areas that can help improve animal health and productivity on farm.
- Set goals and measure
- Good colostrum
- Good nutrition
- Low infection pressure
- Healthy environment
By engaging with vets, farmers and key industry stakeholders, On My Farm! aims to reduce these losses.
References
1. Hyde et al. (2020) Quantitative analysis of calf mortality in Great Britain J. Dairy Sci. 103:2615–2623
2. Johnson et al. (2017) Prospective cohort study to assess rates of contagious disease in pre-weaned UK dairy heifers: management practices, passive transfer of immunity & associated calf health. Veterinary Record Open
