Some of you will know the devastation a scours outbreak can cause. Rapid progression of very sick calves spreading through the calf shed like wildfire. Some of the pathogens causing these scours are commonly found in the environment and will therefore likely challenge newborns. To fight these bugs, the calves will need good immunity i.e., antibodies. Calves are born with no immunity and rely on their mother’s colostrum to provide them with the immunity they need. This means calves rely on you to give it to them in a timely manner, sufficient quantity, and premium quality.

There’s a wide range in colostrum quality between cows – which comes down to factors like parity, colostrum volume, collection timeframe (how long after calving), cow health status etc. Some of the factors you have control over, while others are outside your influence.

The best way to enhance the colostrum quality across the herd is to boost the cows’ immunity with scour vaccines. Scour vaccines are given 3 weeks pre-calving and will significantly increase the quantity of antibodies in the colostrum to provide protection to the most common scour pathogens: rotavirus, coronavirus, and E. coli. It’s then up to you to make sure your colostrum management is optimal by following the three Q’s:

• Feed newborns within 6-12 hours of birth – quickly.
• Feed 10-15% of their bodyweight twice a day – quantity.
• Feed good quality colostrum: 22% or over on Brix refractometer = ‘gold colostrum’ – quality.

Good immunity is vital to maximising growth in your youngstock. So, improving the colostrum quality with scour vaccines is one step towards giving your calves the best start.

If you’re interested in implementing scour vaccinations into your farm system and disease management, please give us a call as the time is near to start vaccinating the herds pre-calving.