William Mellor
Member
- Location
- Peak District
Currently having serious issues with calves getting pneumonia, to the extent that it’s keeping me wake at night and stressed all the time about it and should of asked for help earlier
I’ll be straight with you, calf sheds/housing is poor, old buildings with tin roofs and not all good ventilation. Been rearing calves in these old building for the last 4 years (ever since I starting rearing some of my own dairy replacements) and last year was the first year I experienced a problem with pneumonia. There are more calves going through the sheds now than 4 years ago BUT are only in these old type building until weaning and then they are moved to a better old building with tested well to a “smoke bomb” test as it is not only larger but has an open ridge, ( where they first go after being token off their mothers being a closed ridge roof) where as 4 years ago when they went into these old poor buildings they stayed in their til they were turned out in the summer.
Many of you will comment, “ replace the buildings, it’s the building fault”, well I cannot agree with you more BUT I have already looked down this root and would need planning permission which will take months to get going where as at the moment I’m looking for a quick fix. I have got funds available to build a new shed but currently these funds are being put towards a new milking parlour which is in the planning phase and wouldn’t be able to fund both a parlour and a new calf rearing shed.
Last spring I was losing calves to scours, got the vet to take some dung samples, came back as rotavirus so started vaccinating cows at drying off and apart from a few where the calves didn’t get their mothers colostrum I’ve not had a problem. Is there anything similar I can use for pneumonia prevention? Have starting using calf jackets in hope that this will help, is there anything else I could be doing? Weather hasn’t been great and having big changes in temperature definitely not helping, one day last week it was 9 degrees, yesterday it barely got above freezing.
These old building originally had boskins in and were used for milking cows tied up, and are in use all year round as calve all year round. Would it be a good ideas to next summer not use the sheds and give them a rest period to kill the bug off?
The other problem is I’ve got a serious ringworm issue in the calves which the vet is saying is effecting their immune system. Tried everything, krestoting any wood in the sheds, painting the ringworm affected skin with anti bacterial spray, painting with sump oil, diesel, adding minerals to their concentrates, now trying a homophaci remedy that’s added to the water.
Treating pneumonia infected calves with Draxxin and Metacam and after a few days if there is no improvement treat them again with Zupremo and metacam if they still have a temperature.
Just rearing the friesian heifer calves at the moment and it’s these that are been affected with the ringworm and pneumonia, fed milk replacer at the strongest concentration until weaning around 10-12 weeks. All bull calves and beef calves are being nurse cow fed and sold at around 4-6 weeks old to a local calf dealer.
What else should I be doing, should I be expecting these loses? I am at my wits end as it is seriously depressing losing calves as I can’t see how thing are improving.
I’ll be straight with you, calf sheds/housing is poor, old buildings with tin roofs and not all good ventilation. Been rearing calves in these old building for the last 4 years (ever since I starting rearing some of my own dairy replacements) and last year was the first year I experienced a problem with pneumonia. There are more calves going through the sheds now than 4 years ago BUT are only in these old type building until weaning and then they are moved to a better old building with tested well to a “smoke bomb” test as it is not only larger but has an open ridge, ( where they first go after being token off their mothers being a closed ridge roof) where as 4 years ago when they went into these old poor buildings they stayed in their til they were turned out in the summer.
Many of you will comment, “ replace the buildings, it’s the building fault”, well I cannot agree with you more BUT I have already looked down this root and would need planning permission which will take months to get going where as at the moment I’m looking for a quick fix. I have got funds available to build a new shed but currently these funds are being put towards a new milking parlour which is in the planning phase and wouldn’t be able to fund both a parlour and a new calf rearing shed.
Last spring I was losing calves to scours, got the vet to take some dung samples, came back as rotavirus so started vaccinating cows at drying off and apart from a few where the calves didn’t get their mothers colostrum I’ve not had a problem. Is there anything similar I can use for pneumonia prevention? Have starting using calf jackets in hope that this will help, is there anything else I could be doing? Weather hasn’t been great and having big changes in temperature definitely not helping, one day last week it was 9 degrees, yesterday it barely got above freezing.
These old building originally had boskins in and were used for milking cows tied up, and are in use all year round as calve all year round. Would it be a good ideas to next summer not use the sheds and give them a rest period to kill the bug off?
The other problem is I’ve got a serious ringworm issue in the calves which the vet is saying is effecting their immune system. Tried everything, krestoting any wood in the sheds, painting the ringworm affected skin with anti bacterial spray, painting with sump oil, diesel, adding minerals to their concentrates, now trying a homophaci remedy that’s added to the water.
Treating pneumonia infected calves with Draxxin and Metacam and after a few days if there is no improvement treat them again with Zupremo and metacam if they still have a temperature.
Just rearing the friesian heifer calves at the moment and it’s these that are been affected with the ringworm and pneumonia, fed milk replacer at the strongest concentration until weaning around 10-12 weeks. All bull calves and beef calves are being nurse cow fed and sold at around 4-6 weeks old to a local calf dealer.
What else should I be doing, should I be expecting these loses? I am at my wits end as it is seriously depressing losing calves as I can’t see how thing are improving.
