Little association between birth weight and health of preweaned dairy calves

Glover, Ian D; Barrett, David C; Reyher, Kristen K

doi:10.1136/vr.105062

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…As our sample was only from calves 9 d of age or less, older calves may reflect additional time at risk to develop clinical signs of disease. Weight was not found to be associated with health; a recent study in the United Kingdom similarly found no association between birth weight and calf health (Glover et al, 2019). Weight of calves in our study likely reflects both birth weight and early life nutrition.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 79%

Passive immunity and colostrum management practices on Ontario dairy farms and auction facilities: A cross-sectional study

Renaud

Steele

Genore³

et al. 2020

Journal of Dairy Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Failed transfer of passive immunity (FTPI) in dairy calves has substantial health consequences, but there have been no recently published estimates of the prevalence of FTPI on Ontario dairy farms. The major objectives of this cross-sectional study were to determine the level of FTPI in dairy calves across the province of Ontario and to determine colostrum management practices used. A convenience sample of 109 dairy farms in Ontario were visited from June to August 2019, along with 4 auction facilities from January to February 2019. At the single visit to each dairy farm, an in-person questionnaire was administered, and all calves between 24 h and 9 d of age had a blood sample collected to determine the levels of serum total protein (STP). At the auction facility, a blood sample was collected on all calves that arrived on the day of the visit. The dairy farms were distributed throughout Ontario, and the farms milked on average 151 dairy cows. Of the 444 calves sampled on Ontario dairy farms, 46% were male, 54% were female, and the mean weight and age at sampling were 46.3 kg and 4.4 d, respectively. The mean STP of calves sampled on the dairy farm was 5.69 g/dL (standard deviation = 0.78), and 107 calves (24%) had FTPI. The likelihood of FTPI was not associated with sex (female vs. male, risk ratio = 0.89, 95% confidence interval = 0.64-1.24), age (per day, risk ratio = 1.02, 95% confidence interval = 0.94-1.11), or weight (per kg, risk ratio = 0.98, 95% confidence interval = 0.96-1.01). In contrast, at the auction facilities, 386 male dairy calves were sampled and had a mean STP of 5.79 g/dL (standard deviation = 0.83). Using a cut point of ≥5.2 g/dL, 91 calves (24%) had FTPI. From the in-person questionnaire administered on the dairy farms, it was reported that the median time to first feeding of colostrum was 2.5 h (range = 0-12 h). The farms reported providing a mean of 3.3, 2.9, and 3.4 L of colostrum from 0 to 6 h after birth, 6 to 12 h after birth, and 12 to 24 h after birth, respectively. Ninety-one farms (83%) fed colostrum from the dam of the calf as their predominant source of colostrum. The most common method used to deliver the first feeding of colostrum was a nipple bottle (89 farms, 82%). Twenty-seven farms (25%) reported managing colostrum differently for male calves, which included a different colostrum source, use of poorer quality colostrum, a smaller quantity of colostrum, a longer time from birth to feeding, and generally having a lower focus on colostrum management for male calves. The prevalence of FTPI on Ontario dairy farms appears to have decreased since previous estimates, and substantial room for improvement remains. Although no overall differences were found in FTPI between male and female calves, differential reported colostrum management by sex indicates this may be a risk for male calves on a proportion of Ontario dairy farms.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 79%

Passive immunity and colostrum management practices on Ontario dairy farms and auction facilities: A cross-sectional study

Renaud

Steele

Genore³

et al. 2020

Journal of Dairy Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For the study, the animals were distributed into two groups, according to the birth weight criterion, since this is an important parameter that can infer on the rate of dystocia, disease incidence, and lower performance of calves in dairy farms, although its may vary between farms (Holland and Odde, 1992;Jacobsen et al, 2000;Glover et al, 2019). Given this, at birth, all calves were weighed using a tape measure for medium-sized animals, obtaining an average weight of 35.45 ± 4.6 kg, and a median weight of 35.50 Kg.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although other studies investigate the in uence of birth weight on calf performance (Glover et al, 2019), there are still few studies that correlate this parameter with the performance and metabolic pro le of neonates from IVF. In this sense, the aim of this study was to determine the in uence of birth weight on the metabolic, zootechnical, and health pro le of Girolando calves from IVF.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Birth Weight Increases the Chance of Mortality in Girolando Calves 2 Conceived Through in Vitro Fertilization

Weiller

Schmoeller

Barbosa

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of this study was to determine zootechnical and health performance of Girolando calves born with high or low birth weight, and compare metabolic parameters between groups. The study was carried out on a commercial dairy farm located in Passos, Minas Gerais, Brazil. In this sense, a hundred Girolando calves were divided into 2 groups: Control, which consisted of calves that were born weighing ≤ 35 kg; and HBW, calves that were born weighing > 35 kg. Calves were monitored for zootechnical parameters; epidemiological indexes such as morbidity, mortality, recurrence of diarrhea, pneumonia; as well as serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, cholesterol, triglycerides, paraoxonase1, albumin, urea and globulin). Calves from the HBW group had a higher mortality rate as well as a tendency to more cases of pneumonia, but no effect on zootechnical performance was seen. The reasons for the differences in mortality need to be clarified since our study found no changes in biochemical parameters between the groups. The results allow us to conclude that Girolando calves from in vitro fertilization that are born heavier have a greater chance of clinical complications and a higher mortality rate, but the birth weight does not influence the zootechnical performance.

show abstract

“…McCorquodale et al [ 211 ] reported higher mortality rates in LBW dairy calves. Other studies did not, however, find that LBW was a significant risk factor for either diarrhoea or BRD in dairy heifer calves [ 212 , 213 ].…”

Section: Follow-up Studies Investigating Fetal Programming and Fertilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental Programming of Fertility in Cattle—Is It a Cause for Concern?

Wathes

2022

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cattle fertility remains sub-optimal despite recent improvements in genetic selection. The extent to which an individual heifer fulfils her genetic potential can be influenced by fetal programming during pregnancy. This paper reviews the evidence that a dam’s age, milk yield, health, nutrition and environment during pregnancy may programme permanent structural and physiological modifications in the fetus. These can alter the morphology and body composition of the calf, postnatal growth rates, organ structure, metabolic function, endocrine function and immunity. Potentially important organs which can be affected include the ovaries, liver, pancreas, lungs, spleen and thymus. Insulin/glucose homeostasis, the somatotropic axis and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis can all be permanently reprogrammed by the pre-natal environment. These changes may act directly at the level of the ovary to influence fertility, but most actions are indirect. For example, calf health, the timing of puberty, the age and body structure at first calving, and the ability to balance milk production with metabolic health and fertility after calving can all have an impact on reproductive potential. Definitive experiments to quantify the extent to which any of these effects do alter fertility are particularly challenging in cattle, as individual animals and their management are both very variable and lifetime fertility takes many years to assess. Nevertheless, the evidence is compelling that the fertility of some animals is compromised by events happening before they are born. Calf phenotype at birth and their conception data as a nulliparous heifer should therefore both be assessed to avoid such animals being used as herd replacements.

show abstract

Little association between birth weight and health of preweaned dairy calves

Cited by 10 publications

References 37 publications

Passive immunity and colostrum management practices on Ontario dairy farms and auction facilities: A cross-sectional study

Passive immunity and colostrum management practices on Ontario dairy farms and auction facilities: A cross-sectional study

High Birth Weight Increases the Chance of Mortality in Girolando Calves 2 Conceived Through in Vitro Fertilization

Developmental Programming of Fertility in Cattle—Is It a Cause for Concern?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About