Abstract #141
Section: Production, Management and the Environment
Session: Production, Management, and the Environment I
Format: Oral
Day/Time: Monday 10:45 AM–11:00 AM
Location: Panzacola F-4
Session: Production, Management, and the Environment I
Format: Oral
Day/Time: Monday 10:45 AM–11:00 AM
Location: Panzacola F-4
# 141
Evaluation of colostrum quality and passive transfer status of dairy heifer calves on US dairy operations.
Chelsey B. Shivley*1,2, Natalie J. Urie1,2, Deborah M. Haines3,4, Jason E. Lombard2, Manuel F. Chamorro3, 1Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 2USDA:APHIS:VS:Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health, Fort Collins, Colorado, 3Research and Technical Services, The Saskatoon Colostrum Company, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, 4Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Key Words: dairy heifer calf, colostrum quality, passive transfer
Evaluation of colostrum quality and passive transfer status of dairy heifer calves on US dairy operations.
Chelsey B. Shivley*1,2, Natalie J. Urie1,2, Deborah M. Haines3,4, Jason E. Lombard2, Manuel F. Chamorro3, 1Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 2USDA:APHIS:VS:Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health, Fort Collins, Colorado, 3Research and Technical Services, The Saskatoon Colostrum Company, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, 4Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Passive transfer of immunity is essential for the short- and long-term health of dairy calves. The objective of this study was to evaluate colostrum quality and the passive-transfer status of US dairy heifer calves. This study was conducted as part of the calf component of the National Animal Health Monitoring System’s Dairy 2014 study, which included 92 dairy operations in 13 states. Dairy 2014’s calf component is a yearlong longitudinal study focused on dairy heifer calves from birth to weaning; data were collected on 851 calves. The results from the interim analysis are based on approximately 25% of the total number of calves expected to be enrolled in the study. The mean colostrum IgG level was 74.9 g/L (SE 1.2), with 66.3% of samples having IgG levels above 50 g/L. The mean serum IgG level was 22.2 g/L (SE 0.4), and 71.2% of calves had serum IgG levels above 15 g/L. The highest percentage of calves (60%) received colostrum from their dam. Pasteurized colostrum was fed to 9.6% of calves. On average, colostrum was fed within 3.4 h following birth. The mean volume of colostrum fed at first feeding was 3.0 L, and the mean volume of colostrum fed in the first 24 h of life was 4.5 L. The highest percentage of calves (63.7%) were fed colostrum by bottle, while 31.3% were fed colostrum by esophageal feeder. Backward elimination model selection in Proc Mixed was used to determine which colostrum management factors were most important for determining serum IgG levels. The model using initial results included grams of total colostrum fed at the first feeding, the number of hours following birth that calves received their first colostrum feeding, and the calves’ birth weight. Serum IgG increased with more grams of total colostrum fed at first feeding; serum IgG decreased as the number of hours from birth to first feeding increased; serum IgG also decreased as birth weights increased. These results show that feeding appropriate amounts of high-quality colostrum shortly following birth is crucial to the passive-transfer status of dairy calves.
Key Words: dairy heifer calf, colostrum quality, passive transfer
