Identifying Low Ig Calves

Francine Hancock

Dade City, FL 33523

800-552-1027

All calves raised by our operation come from the same 1900 cow dairy. Both heifer and bull calves are raised to about six months of age and leave the farm in groups of 110 to 120 head.

When calves are 2 – 3 days old we draw a blood sample and use a refractometer to determine Immunoglobulin (Ig) levels. The resulting data has enabled us to improve colostrum management on the dairy and improve survival rates of low Ig calves. We are able to demonstrate the impact of changing time of colostrum administration, amount of colostrum, testing of colostrum, location of dry cow pasture and employee administering the colostrum on serum Ig levels in calves and death losses.

A spray painted dot on their ear tag identifies low colostrum calves. The calves receive a different protocol, which has also improved survival rate. We also use Ig level as one criterion for culling bull calves.

Our calf barn has 224 individual pens elevated about 18 inches above the ground level. The arrangement is four rows of 56 pens on a sloped concrete floor. We receive calves every day and wean about 30 calves per week. We use a system of roll up curtains and rolls of plastic sheeting to partition off sets of pens while they are power washed. The curtains and plastic keep the steam away from calves in other rows. After washing, the clean pens are sprayed with chlorohexadine and when painted with a slurry of line and water.

Manure is flushed twice daily, but pens are never washed while occupied with a calf. Manure on the pen floors is dusted with hydrated lime twice daily.

After each milk feeding, buckets are rinsed with water and dropped in a chlorohexadine solution.

Colored clothes pins are attached at the rear of each pen as needed to indicate a treatment administered to the calf. Different colors correspond to about 20 different treatments. Pins are initially positioned upright and then flipped down when treatment is administered. Positioning of clothespins communicates to all employees what treatments the calf has received in the past 5 days.

Management tips have been sponsored at the 2003 Dairy Calf and Heifer Conference by: . Special thanks to Dr. Wayne Cole, Dr. Phil Widel and Dr. Craig Jones for their support

Assistance in promoting the Management tips by Tom Quaife and Stan Erwine of Dairy Herd Management is gratefully acknowledged.

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