Dairy calves are extremely susceptible to gastrointestinal disease during the preweaned period. The risk for enteric disease decreases as the calf ages; therefore, it is important to break the pre-weaned period up into at least 2 distinct phases that likely need to be managed differently, early life (first couple weeks of life) and the remaining time the calf is fed milk or milk replacer. When ...

Large sticky traps were evaluated for stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), and house fly, Musca domestica L., (Diptera: Muscidae) capture under field conditions in 5 dairy calf greenhouse facilities in New York. The farm with the highest stable fly capture had the highest house fly capture, and the farm with the lowest stable fly capture had the lowest house fly capture, suggesting that fly ma...

Bovine abortion is an important cause of economic loss to the cattle livestock industry. In California this may as much as $700 for each cow that has aborted (Thurmond & Picanso, 1990). Kossaibati & Esslemont (1997) estimated the average cost of calf mortality in English dairy herds was £310 per calf death at 1995 prices; for culling an additional cow following illness, such as abortion, it was...

Despite increased emphasis in recent years on declining dairy cow reproductive performance, there has been very little focus on the management of the periparturient dairy heifer and cow at calving time. Perhaps as a result, US producers are now reporting increasing perinatal calf losses at calving. A critical determinant in reducing periparturient losses is good calving management. The tenets o...

In dairy calves kept in pens, lack of sufficient space may inhibit the performance of play behaviour. The present study investigated, firstly, if an increase in space allowance increases the occurrence of play behaviour, and secondly, if calves kept at a low space allowance perform more locomotor play when released individually in a large novel area. A total of 96 dairy calves in six repetition...

T HE reproductive performance and milk production of beef females is closely associated with nutritional status. Swanson and Hinton (1964) found that dairy heifers reared on a subnormal feeding regimen produced less milk than their twins which were fed normally. Blakely (1964) and Wiltbank, Bond and Warwick (1965) have associated anestrus and delay in puberty with a low plane of nutrition. Buch...

the reproductive performance of a dairy herd has a significant effect on the profitability of that herd. common measures of reproductive performance are days to first service, days to conception, calving interval, services per conception, conception rate, estrus detection rate, and pregnancy rate. most cow operations would benefit economically by reducing the number of operational days, decreas...