Managing your calf’s good health Managing your calf’s good health

Managing your calf’s good health

We support farmers in their important efforts to raise healthy, thriving calves. There’s no more essential factor for a successful calf-rearing programme, as healthy calves minimise the workload, lower the veterinary bill and ease farmers’ stress.

Managing respiratory health in young calves

This is crucial to ensure they reach their future potential. When the respiratory system is challenged, a calf’s mucus production increases, to help it to clear its airways.

Minimise the risk of respiratory problems by providing optimal environmental conditions to increase the immunity of your calves. For help, review the protocol to maximise respiratory health, downloadable below.

Preventing neonatal calf diarrhoea or scours is key to reducing mortality

More than half of all neonatal calf deaths are related to diarrhoea. Nutritional factors such as poor quality calf milk replacers and poor colostrum management contribute to the incidence of neonatal calf diarrhoea. The dehydration resulting from scours, caused by organisms such as cryptosporidium parvum, can also be fatal to a calf.

Dehydration resulting from diarrhoea is the cause of 55% of all calf deaths in their first stage of life.
Georgina Thomas, Young Animal Feed Manager

Take action to rehydrate

OsmoFit

OsmoFit is a dietetic water-soluble calf rehydration product. It is able to stabilise the water and electrolyte balance of the extracellular fluid pool in cases of diarrhoea by providing the required salts and sugars in the right amounts and in the correct ratio.

Product details

Downloads

Rehydration Feeding Protocol
pdf (66kB)
OsmoFit hydration control
(3MB)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a calf who suffered from multiple lung problems still suitable as a replacement heifer?

Unfortunately not, because the damage caused by lung problems is irreversible, will not heal and has a negative impact on resilience and production in later stages. The best recommendation we can make is to sell a calf who has experienced many lung problems.

Do you recommend mixing oral electrolyte solutions (ORS) into milk for calves that are sick with diarrhoea?

Milk absorbs too much of the elevated levels of salt and sugar contained in electrolyte solutions, increasing the risk of diarrhoea. If you choose to use an electrolyte solution like OsmoFit, check the advised dosing rate before mixing into water, and provide it inbetween milk feedings.

Contact Us

Our Youngstock team consists of:

Georgina Thomas - Young Animal Feed Manager

Dr. Laura Tennant - Young Animal Feed Technical Advisor

Contact Us

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Learn more about keeping your calves healthy

Visit the LifeStart website for additional information on a variety of calf health topics and products.

Go to LifeStart