A new five-step approach to improving and tackling the
management of calf scour problems is helping dairy farmers cut the
cost of the disease.
Working with farm animal practices across the UK,
Intervet/Schetring Plough Animal
Health is promoting a simple, five-set approach to tackling
disease problems.
According to the company's livestock adviser, Paul Williams, the
sheer prevalence of infectious scour agents in the farms
environment means it is vital calf producers keep scour prevention
programmes under constant review.
"Calves are the future of the herd and an important part of
keeping dairy and suckler unit performance on track is preventing
and controlling calf scour. Evaluating herd and farm management
practices, properly diagnosing any infectious bacteria or viruses
and checking colostrum feeding practise are essential steps in
resolving this costly problem," he says.
Results from
Intervet/Schering-Plough
taken from 400 farms showed rotavirus being the most common agent,
detected in 36% of samples, cryptosporidia in 29% and coronavirus
in 26% of all samples.
"On-site testing kits are now available, which means your vet
can often give you a diagnosis of what might be causing a scour
problem within minutes of collecting the samples.
"This diagnostic, coupled with a discussion about calf
management and the type of animals affected will often lead to a
pretty accurate diagnosis of any problem on farm. And once you're
reasonably sure of the cause of the scour outbreak you can then out
an action plan in place to reduce the chances of it happening
again," he says.
