Early stressors can set calves behind before they even get started. And there are few stressors as impactful as pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, Clostridia and toxigenic Clostridium perfringens.
Management strategies may be used to reduce calf exposure to pathogens and prevent undesirable outcomes like sick calves, elevated treatment costs and decreased calf performance. Unfortunately, because pathogens persist in the environment, management tools alone will not eliminate calves’ exposure, so it is also important to equip calves to cope with pathogens.
Pathogen perils
Two types of pathogens exist in the environment – solvent-producing and toxin-producing. Solvent-producing pathogens, particularly several types of Clostridia, do not harm the calf directly but decrease the populations of good gut bacteria. This in turn decreases production of both volatile fatty acids (VFA) and short chain fatty acids, leading to less energy for the calf and decreased calf performance.
Alternatively, once ingested by the calf, toxin-producing bacteria will attach to the intestine and produce toxins that damage the intestinal tissue causing a condition called “leaky gut.” This allows toxins and bacteria to enter the bloodstream and translocate throughout the body. The calf’s immune system uses energy to fight the bacteria and repair tissue damage. This redistributes energy that would normally go towards growth and decreases the ability of the immune system to defend against other stressors.
Early signs of calves experiencing a pathogen challenge are decreased feed intake, scours and lethargy, though some calves may experience a challenging pathogen load without showing symptoms. Secondary infections, such as pneumonia, can occur due to the weakened immune system. A dull or patchy haircoat and ill-thrift may be observed. In worst case scenarios, pathogen challenges can lead to death.
In all cases, pathogen challenges in early life will reduce a calf’s lifetime productivity. Luckily, there are several tools and strategies to prevent pathogen colonization and to help calves cope in the presence of a pathogen challenge.
Top 5 best practices to help calves cope with pathogens
1) Prevent contamination: Manage the cleanliness and sanitation of maternity pens and calf housing. Minimize mud and manure transfer with equipment. Focus on thorough sanitation of nipples, tubing, bottles, buckets and other equipment related to feeding calves. Follow sanitation guidelines for chemical application time and temperature to ensure they can eliminate pathogens.
2) Proper colostrum and nutrition management: Start by feeding high quality, clean colostrum to calves to help them achieve passive transfer which prepares them to fight off pathogens as their immune system develops. Following this with a highly nutritious and consistent diet will enable calves to be more resilient to stressors including pathogens.
3) Effective vaccine program: Provide support for pathogen management on the farm by training the animals’ defenses, reducing pathogen shedding and spreading to other animals. However, many vaccines are not comprehensive against all pathogens, and the eligibility for young calves is limited.
4) Monitor calves for signs of illness: Calves that seem sick can benefit from supportive care like electrolytes or antibiotics. Not all sick calves will show obvious signs of illness, so utilizing Papillon’s complimentary youngstock pathogen testing program can help identify which pathogens are present and what level of risk they may pose.
5) Utilize a probiotic: A non-antibiotic microbial like BaciFlex®-Calf aids in comprehensive broad pathogen control, optimizes gut barrier function so pathogens can’t take hold and supports healing a gut damaged by pathogens.
Even with the best sanitation practices, pathogens are persistent in the environment and will challenge all calf operations. However, implementing tools like proper nutrition and the use of a specifically designed probiotic like BaciFlex-Calf will help calves manage pathogens better so they won’t fall behind.
To learn more about how Papillon can help you overcome pathogen challenges on your operation, visit Papillon-ag.com.
