Shipping Fever

Originally Posted by DJ in WA

Don't know alot of details, but let me offer a big picture.

I'm not sure why anybody would buy a young calf at a sale barn. At just days old, it could be toast if it did not get colostrum and is exposed to bugs while mingling with others. Antibodies from the mother are critical and not much else will help if it didn't get them. Antibiotics are to help the immune system, not replace it.

I don't like the sound of automatically giving salebarn calves antibiotics. First, there is a big concern about overuse of antibiotics and causing resistance and superbugs. Someday it might be your child needing an antibiotic that won't work because we've overused them. Second, I have a problem using drugs to compensate for poor management. We should not intentionally put animals in a situation that will increase their likelihood of getting sick.

The real cause of disease is often poor management or husbandry which causes stress. Stress comes in many forms. First there is psychological stress (fear) experienced when an animal is shipped and ran around, poked and prodded, and their feed and surroundings changed. When an animal is fearful, cortisol is released from the adrenal glands. This hormone suppresses the immune system, increasing the odds of illness. Then there is nutritional stress when transported and moved around - lack of water, energy and protein needed to support proper immunity. You can't make antibodies out of nothing. Vaccines are often given to cattle when under significant stress (entering feedlots), but under those conditions they are less effective when the immune system isn't working well.

So, we suppress immunity, while at the same time we run them through the ring or mingle with many other cattle so they can get exposed to more viruses and bacteria. Not a good combination. I'm surprised alot of our practices are actually legal.

Best to keep them on the farm, ensure colostrum intake, vaccinate them when older and not under stress. I would buy older calves straight from a farm, transporting as calmly as possible. And keep the number of fears to a minimum. Don't change everything at once. Stay away from them as much as possible till they get used to the place. Buy a few at a time so they can have the comfort of a herd......

Originally Posted by topside1

That's your solution "keep them on the farm", that is impossible. No farmer can afford or have time to manage and sell all their excess calves to an un-educated public. In dairy county, as many as 200 calves will go through the auction ring WEEKLY, that's a lot of calves to sell to the general public...No farmer with a sizeable herd has that kind of time. Farmers don't want calls in the middle of the night about calves he sold are now sick and dieing. DJ not trying to rile you up but there needs to be another solution....I'm a regular at the auction house and have only lost one calf in three years, but that's me....I'm all for buying off the farm, but that's not always practical for the buyer or the seller...Topside