Protecting Newborn Livestock From Disease

As spring quickly approaches, you may be wondering how to protect your newborn livestock from diseases. This post might help you better understand how immunity works and what you can do to help your newborns thrive.

The Importance of Colostrum and Passive Immunity

Unlike human babies, livestock are born with little to no immunity to disease. They have to gain the ability to fight disease by suckling from the dam in the first few days after birth. The milk they consume, called colostrum, contains nutrients and proteins that are very important for the newborn’s overall health. It is ideal for young animals to consume colostrum within the first 24 hours of life, as this is when their intestines allow antibodies to pass into the bloodstream. Colostrum also contains antibodies, immune cells that provide immediate, but short-term, protection against disease for newborns. Not getting colostrum increases mortality and morbidity rates. Mortality refers to deaths, while morbidity refers to illnesses in animals. This can greatly impact farmer income. When an animal is given antibodies to a disease rather than producing them through their own immune system, it is called passive immunity.

Failure of Passive Transfer

Failure of passive transfer occurs when newborns don’t get enough colostrum. The dam may not produce enough. Depending on the breed and her milk production ability, some breeds may not produce enough colostrum. The quality of the colostrum the dam produces also affects the effectiveness of antibody transfer. Dystocia can lead to failure of passive transfer. During dystocia, the calf may experience respiratory acidosis, which can reduce its ability to absorb antibodies.

Environmental stressors that the young experience can affect the effectiveness of the passive immunity from the mother. Examples of environmental stressors are extreme cold, extreme heat, and poor housing conditions. Undesirable conditions increase disease pressure, which then increases the amount of colostrum needed for protection from these diseases. If the situation is undesirable, using a combination of natural and preserved passive immunity will help ensure the calf receives sufficient immunity into its bloodstream. Any physical problems with the calf or poor udder structure can also affect the transfer.

Assisted Feeding

If the quality or the quantity of the colostrum is low, a replacer should be used. Replacer comes d dried or frozen and is usually given via an esophageal tube. This can be beneficial because it is known that young animals receive the amount of colostrum needed. A recommended amount is 10% of the young’s body weight. It is still essential to provide young animals with colostrum within the first few hours of life. Dried colostrum can be bought at many different farm stores. Another option is to collect colostrum and freeze it for later use. The young should receive their colostrum naturally, but if that isn’t possible, having a frozen supply is better than using dried colostrum.

What is Active Immunity

Active immunity is when the body makes antibodies after exposure to a disease. Exposure can occur through natural infection or vaccination. Active immunity takes time (several weeks) to protect animals, but the immunity is long-lasting. If an animal comes into contact with that disease in the future, their immune system will recognize it and immediately start producing antibodies to fight it.

To learn more about colostrum and passive immunity, check out the resources below.