Cleaner Pastures: The Sandhills Calving System dramatically minimizes scours incidence and maximizes calf health

摘要

Mart McNutt knows what progress is in combating neonatal calf scours. The Tryon, NE, rancher has hacked calf death loss due to scours in his 800 - to 900-head, March-calving, cow herd from a 1995-1999 average of 8-10% to zero in 2000-2004. In fact, the last calves he treated for scours in the system were four head back in 2000. What's more, treatment expenses incurred during his past four calving seasons have averaged 128.83 dollar/year. That's just 4% of the 3,114.18 dollar/year his herd had averaged over the 1995-1999 calving seasons. McNutt estimates his change in calving management provides 40,000 dollar to 50,000 dollar/year in added revenue by virtue of more weaned calves, better calf performance and reduced treatment expenses. What's the secret? Healthier calves? Cleaner environment? Reduced disease load? Actually, it's a combination of all those factors, says Dave Smith, DVM. Neonatal calf scours is a multifactori-al disease, says the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Extension veterinarian. The ideal scenario for an outbreak is to have susceptible hosts (naive calves) existing in an environment (infected communal calving area) that's conducive to the proliferation of (and continued exposure of the host to) the disease agent, be it E. coli, Salmonella, rotavirus, cryptosporidia, etc.