A new tool in the armoury against calf scour

A new vaccine from Boehringer Ingelheim is the rst to have a prevention claim against E coli F5 (K99) and bovine rotavirus. Sarah Kidby spoke to veterinary adviser Becca Cavill for more information about the vaccine, and wider prevention strategies.

Calf scour is known to cost the cattle industry around £11 million a year, equating to a signi cant £58 per a ected calf. It’s thought that just under 50% of dairy heifers are a ected and vaccination rates in the industry are relatively low.

New vaccine Fencovis o ers passive immunity to calves through the cow’s maternal colostrum. Administered 12–3 weeks before calving, the one-shot intramuscular vaccine stimulates the development of antibodies against bovine rotavirus, bovine coronavirus and E. coli expressing F5 (K99) adhesin – and increases the level of passive immunity of calves against neonatal diarrhoea caused by these infections. In calves fed with colostrum and milk from vaccinated cows, these antibodies prevented diarrhoea caused by rotavirus and E. coli expressing F5 (K99) adhesin – and reduced the incidence and severity of diarrhoea caused by coronavirus. Viral shedding in calves infected by rotavirus and coronavirus was also reduced by the vaccine. Laboratory testing showed none of the calves from vaccinated animals had clinical disease due to rotavirus or E. coli, whereas all of the controls su ered from neonatal diarrhoea. It is the rst calf scour vaccine to be able to make a prevention claim. Field trials, meanwhile, showed there was no impact on gestation, number of calves born or stillbirths.

The vaccine also uses an oil-free adjuvant, which is bene cial from a human and cow safety standpoint, Becca said. Accidental human inoculation with an oil-based adjuvant results in a trip to A&E and a potentially severe reaction lasting weeks or even months; but although medical attention would still be required for an oil-free adjuvant, the reaction should be small and quickly resolved. In cows, using an oil-free adjuvant also reduces pain and lumps on the neck around the injection site – which in TB testing areas also helps to di erentiate between reactions to the vaccine and TB testing, she added.

The vaccine comes in pack sizes of 25, ve and one dose to allow farmers to purchase the number of doses they need, rather than having to open a vial and store the remainder in the fridge, risking contamination and the potential for reduced e cacy. The vaccine o cially launched in October and was presented to the dairy industry at Total Dairy on 23rd and 24th November 2022 and Dairy-Tech on 1st February 2023. Boehringer is also o ering support including lean management training for vets, to help their clients put protocols in place to ensure the vaccine is as e cient as possible.

Other important strategies

“Calf scour will have important impacts on production further down the line – a ecting days to conception, age at rst calving and growth rates. Production in the rst lactation will also be reduced if age at rst calving is outside the optimum 23–35 months.

“There is also the cost of investigation, diagnosis and treatment – as well as the fact that it’s very demoralising to spend so much time feeding and treating sick calves. Plus, calf scour increases susceptibility to BRD, so there is a lot of fallout,” Becca pointed out.

As calves can su er scours from such a young age – E. coli infection can occur within just a few hours of birth – vaccinating the dam is a vital measure in prevention. Whilst vaccination is important, disease is multi-factorial, and no inoculation is a silver bullet. It’s worth noting that as Fencovis o ers passive immunity from the dam, good colostrum management is essential for its e cacy, she added.

Alongside vaccination, other critical components of scour prevention include: Biosecurity/hygiene: As calves are immunologically naïve, being born into a heavily contaminated environment will not give them the best start. Sheds and feeding equipment should be properly cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis, not just swilled out, and the correct disinfectant is also important and will vary from farm to farm – not all disinfectants will work against cryptosporidium, for example. Hygiene in all calf areas is key, including the cow’s environment pre-calving.

Colostrum management: Colostrum quality can be measured quickly and easily on the farm using a Brix refractometer. Harvesting, hygiene and storage should be considered and blood sampling at 1–7 days of age will help to measure the passive transfer of immunity, so you can identify any problems and make adjustments accordingly. Transition cow management will also a ect colostrum quality.

Stockmanship: Vigilant observation and good stockmanship is important for detecting problems earlier and giving a better chance of prevention and treatment of disease – rather than just looking in twice a day when feeding.

“Calves are our biggest investment – they are the future of our herds, so we need to think of them as an investment and consider the longterm impacts of early disease prevention,” Becca concluded. FG

Top tips for using calf jackets e ectively

Cosy Calf’s Mandy Turner o ers advice on the proper use of calf jackets...

The thermo-neutral zone describes the range between lower and upper critical temperatures (10–25ºC in 0–4-week-old calves and 0–23ºC in month-old calves). Calves require 2% more energy for every 1ºC below the thermo-neutral zone. A calf’s actual LCT is a ected by factors including genetics, birth conditions, health, nutrition, air speed and dry bedding. Suggested protocol for putting on calf jackets:

• Jackets must be breathable

• Put a max/min thermometer in the shed. Reset it every morning during autumn/ winter housing

• Agree a protocol for sta on when to start using jackets, e.g., after three consecutive nighttime temperatures below 10ºC

• Most of the afterbirth should be wiped from calves. Once dry, put a clean jacket on all calves below one week of age and on entry to the calf house.

When removing jackets, consider each calf’s condition and refer to weather forecasts and recent night-time minimum temperatures. Agree a temperature protocol with sta for healthy calves (e.g., one week old: >10ºC; four weeks old: >5ºC). Breathable jackets can be left on even with daytime temperatures up to 19–20ºC if night-time temperatures fall below 10ºC. Jackets can be left on for four weeks or longer, assuming they t comfortably. When removing jackets permanently, remove in the morning to allow calves to acclimatise before night-time temperatures. FG

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Closer to nature: A well-fed calf is a healthy calf

The rst eight weeks of a calf’s life are critical for pro table success and future development. Whether calves are reared as replacement heifers, rearing contracts or as part of a beef unit, a healthy start will accelerate and in uence a number of performance indicators. These include daily live weight gains, reaching bulling weights rapidly, increasing dry matter intake postweaning and reducing mortality rates overall.

ear sucking behaviour and the need for gorging.

The Heatwave Milk Warmer is a low cost, labour reducing system that can be used with either whole or powdered milk, Shearwell says. The milk is mixed cold and warmed on demand as it travels through the pipes on a gravity fed system. The heatwave can feed up to 30 calves at a time, is easily set up and takes minutes to clean daily.

For more details please visit: https://www.shearwell.co.uk/pyonproducts FG and often, compared to in a short time period

Replicating a natural feeding environment with an ad-lib system aids calf development through socialising in groups and imitating their feeding patterns with their mothers. A calf with its mother will feed for a total of 45 minutes per day little and often, compared to the large volumes fed in a short time period under once- or twice-a-day feeding systems. A calf on an ad-lib system will limit its own intakes by knowing that warm milk is readily available; generally reducing navel and

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