Helpful Benchmarks For Raising Calves

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By Carley Ciolkosz, B.S.
Livestock Nutritionist

Raising healthy calves is one of the most important and hardest tasks on a dairy farm. Healthy calves turn into healthy cows and the months from birth to weaning sets up the calf for the rest of its life, as well as the longevity of being a high producing dairy cow. To ensure that the calves are getting the best care in order to thrive there are a few factors we need to look at including the mortality rates, morbidity rates, growth rates and colostrum management.
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Calfhood Diarrhea: Two Different Causes = Two Different Electrolyte Strategies

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Click here to watch as a video: https://youtu.be/fUI2G9xB41U

Calf scours are an economically devastating disease affecting calf raisers, primarily because scours cause calves to rapidly dehydrate. Providing proper hydration can help shorten the severity and duration of calf scours. Electrolyte therapy should be paired with a prevention plan to address the cause of the scours. Choosing the right electrolyte for the job at hand can be confusing. Crystal Creek® is here to help.

Regardless of the type or cause of calf scours, Crystal Creek® has an effective, economical electrolyte that is right for your operation. For more information, contact Crystal Creek® or your local Crystal Creek® dealer. We’d be happy to discuss how our calf products will help you raise healthier, more profitable calves.

Comparing Calves To Bicycle Wheels- A Systematic Approach To Troubleshooting Pre-weaned Calves

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Dr. Ryan Leiterman holds degrees in both Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine

By Ryan Leiterman, D.V.M and Lorrie Meister, C.V.T.

On October 11, 1826, Theodore Jones of London, England received a patent for what he called “wire wheels”. Jones found that if he added wires, or what we now call spokes, to a circular rim, the wheel could bear greater stress while maintaining its round shape. The addition of the spokes helped the rim distribute the stress evenly throughout the wheel. This strength is dependent on all the spokes working together; if one or more spokes are weak or broken, the rim may collapse.

Progressive Dairy Magazine Features “Calves and Bicycle Wheels” by Dr. Leiterman and Lorrie Meister, CVT

Crystal Creek® is proud to announce that Dr. Ryan Leiterman and Lorrie Meister’s recent article “Calves and Bicycle Wheels-A Systematic Approach to Troubleshooting Pre-weaned Calves“, has been published in the Progressive Dairy Magazine. This article discusses the evaluation of overall calf health. Break one spoke on a wheel, and the whole wheel collapses. Calves are no different. Every aspect of calf care must be carefully managed to optimize calf health and growth. Read more to learn how your calves can benefit from these concepts.

Click here to view as a pdf: Calves and bicycle wheels- A systematic approach to troubleshooting pre-weaned calves

Dr. Ryan Leiterman holds degrees in both Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine.

By Dr. Ryan Leiterman and Lorrie Meister, CVT

On Oct. 11, 1826, Theodore Jones of London, England, received a patent for what he called “wire wheels.” Jones found if he added wires, or what we now call spokes, to a circular rim, the wheel could bear greater stress while maintaining its round shape. The addition of the spokes helped the rim distribute the stress evenly throughout the wheel. This strength is dependent on all the spokes working together; if one or more spokes are weak or broken, the
rim may collapse. In the same way spokes help keep a wheel round, calves have six main “spokes” that help keep them healthy when subject to stress, which are:

1. Colostrum 2. Calories
3. Bedding 4. Air Quality
5. Vaccination 6. Sanitation

Understanding Biofilms In Agriculture – Republished as a Customer Favorite

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Customer Favorite This article was originally published in the April 2017 Issue of the Crystal Creek® Newsletter

By: Jessica Getschel, B.S.

In agriculture today, sanitation technique and protocol implementation have become more important than ever before. An increased awareness of health benefits gained from a clean environment has stimulated a higher standard of cleaning expectations. Many producers not only strive to remove organic matter from surfaces, but also microbial buildup; more accurately, biofilms.

Electrolyte Use

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By Kelly Hubert, B.S.

Electrolytes are an important tool to use when supporting scouring and dehydrated calves. Scours are the leading cause of death in young calves, primarily because scours cause calves to rapidly dehydrate. It is important to monitor calves daily and treat them quickly when needed. A calf needs to receive 10% of its body weight in fluids each day for maintenance, while a growing calf will require even more¹.

Give Your Beef Calves A Strong Start

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By Erik Brettingen, B.S.

The stress caused by weaning decreases a calf’s immune function and makes them more vulnerable to disease. For many years it has been common practice to give medicated feeds, pellets, or additives around the time of weaning to decrease the incidence of disease. Treating with these medicated feeds can be expensive, counterproductive to rumen function, and now requires a veterinary prescription due to the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD). Crystal Creek® formulates products that have natural ingredients proven to support calves during the stress of weaning and do not require the need for a VFD. Crystal Pellets^™ and Heifer Pride^™ are two products that can help give your beef calves a strong start.

Ask The Vet / Ask The Nutritionist

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“We provide our calves with a clean maternity pen to be born in, good quality colostrum at birth and a sound nutrition program as they grow but we still have outbreaks of scours. We work hard to keep our calf pens clean and have developed a good vaccination program with our veterinarian. What are we missing?”

-Wondering from Minnesota

Congratulations on providing your calves with a healthy start to their lives. The three most common areas for exposure of newborn calves to harmful pathogens are 1) the maternity pen, 2) the calf hutch/housing and 3) feeding utensils, bottles and pails. Read More →

Hygiene Protocols For Successful Calf Raising

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By Erik Brettingen, B.S.

Every calf raiser knows that keeping calves healthy is neither simple nor easy. When a calf’s exposure to pathogens “outweighs” its immune resources, the results are clinical illness. One of the keys to keeping calves healthy is reducing disease causing pathogens at their source using proper hygiene procedures.

Providing A Clean Environment=Healthier Calves And Increased Profit

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By Lorrie Meister, CVT
Livestock Specialist

A clean environment is essential to successful calf raising. Housing, air quality and cleanliness of the surfaces the calf comes into contact with (hutches, panels, bottles, pails, feeders, etc.) all play a role in raising a healthy, robust animal. Many producers fall into habits of using certain products, or practices, to clean and disinfect surfaces because they have never considered, or have not taken the time to look for a better alternative.

For many years, bleach has been the most commonly used disinfectant on livestock operations. While bleach is effective in some ways, it has several major downfalls. Cryptosporidium and giardia are two common pathogens that bleach will not control. A common misconception when cleaning facilities is if it looks clean, it is clean. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. Studies of bacterial loads in dairy farm environments have shown that only 10% of bacteria present is free floating. That leaves the remaining 90% of bacteria attached to surfaces or trapped in biofilms.¹ Biofilms are a group of microorganisms which stick to each other and adhere to a surface. This representation of bacterial distribution proves how important the steps of sanitation (past the removal of gross debris) are in our cleaning protocols. Finding a disinfecting agent that can provide a broad spectrum of protection for your animals can be a challenge. Some agents work well in certain settings but not others. New studies have shown that chlorine dioxide is the best choice for on-farm sanitizing applications.