Improving calf vitality - what can we do?

摘要

On dairy farms, one often sees calves with a visible lack of vitality. Poor drinkers, slow rumen development, high medicine and veterinary costs and high mortality rates are facts that are acknowledged by many dairy farmers and that apply to these kinds of problem calves. Apart from infectious diseases, zootechni-cal factors can also play a role, as do the amounts of liquid, vitamins, minerals and trace elements given to the calf. This article underlines these non-infectious causes and how to improve a calf s vitality.