Early Life Scours – 7 Likely Causes
Taking care of calves that are born perfectly healthy and strong—only to break with scours within a few days of birth through 10 days—is a highly frustrating scenario.
Multiple pathogenic organisms cause scours. But in most cases, identifying the opportunity for infection, especially in very young calves, usually is more important than pinpointing the causative organism.
From my vantage point in northern Texas, where tens of thousands of preweaned calves are on feed at any given time, here are the leading culprits of newborn scours:
1. Colostrum delivery
I think a lot of calf raisers don’t associate colostrum with scours. We know it’s critical to building “immunity,” but that seems like a longer-term, big-picture sort of goal. And it is. But colostrum-derived immunity is critical to calf health in the short term, too. It is important for fending off the organisms that can cause scours in the first few days of life.
“Keeping calves healthy requires doing lots of little things right, every day.”
2. Dam nutrition and immunity
The colostrum we give to newborns is only as good as the condition of the dams who produce it. Fighting disease in calves starts with well-vaccinated dams that are being fed for pregnancy and transition to lactation. Deficiency of vitamins A and E in cows often leads to poor-quality colostrum that fails to adequately protect their calves. And don’t forget about vaccinating and properly feeding first-calf heifers. Although they are perceived as young and healthy, they need to pass on the same immunity to their offspring as older dams.
3. Maternity pen hygiene
Calves are born with completely naïve immune systems, and only begin building immunity after they exit the uterus and consume colostrum. If the bacterial organisms from a dirty calving environment outrace the immunoglobulins from colostrum, the calf ultimately is the loser.
4. Housing environment
Beyond the maternity pen, newborn calves need housing that also is clean, dry, draft-free, and devoid of major pathogen loads. Putting a newborn calf into a dirty hutch just vacated by an older animal, or a poorly bedded group pen, again creates a scenario in which their infantile immune system quickly will be overwhelmed.
5. Animal exposure
Many disease-causing pathogens spread quickly from animal to animal, even if the calves are relatively close to the same age. Calves with scours should be isolated from their peers to avoid sharing those bugs. I once saw a handful of calves spread salmonella scours to 469 other calves, because the ones that first became sick were not isolated. I also encourage worker routines that handle sick calves last; work from youngest to oldest animals; and change protective clothing frequently (i.e., every row).
6. Environmental stress
Nearly every climate has its challenges, and young calves need to be protected from them as much as possible. Calves in northern winters may need deep bedding and calf jackets, while calves in the humid south may need sunshades and several daily water refills. In our part of the world, it is often hot during the day and cold at night, which means calves need daily attention by closing hutch lids at night and situating hutches for a northern exposure during the day. Curtained sidewalls on calf barns also are great, but only if they are programmed or manually repositioned to accommodate changing climate conditions. And calves that are shipped long distances will need plenty of TLC—in the form of feedings, rest, fresh water, and electrolytes – when they arrive at their destination.
7. Feeding equipment and timing
All feeding equipment should be on a daily cleaning and sanitizing protocol to prevent the spread of organisms. Don’t forget to manually scrub equipment, as biofilm can build up quickly and needs to be removed with physical agitation. Drying equipment is as important as washing because many organisms like to hang out in moist conditions. And keep calves on as regular of a feeding program as possible. Even an hour delay in their routine feeding time can cause hungry calves to overeat or eat too fast, which can lead to digestive upsets and preventable scours.
Keeping calves healthy requires doing lots of little things right, every day. An early-life case of scours can set calves back for potentially their entire lives. But managing the details that help prevent scours can launch each of them into a strong start in life.
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Calves are creatures of habit. They crave physical comfort, companionship, and, of course, their milk ration.
One of the best things we can do as calf raisers is to deliver those elements consistently.