As other countries have put new rules and regulations into place regarding calf transport, the question is not why, but when could the U.S. add such transportation guidelines. In a Michigan State University heifer management webinar series, assistant professor David Renaud of the University of Guelph in Canada touched on some management strategies to consider as shifts in transportation guidelines come down the pipeline.
Whether on the road to a calf raiser, auction, or other housing facility, calves often experience some sort of transportation. While raising or selling calves off the farm may be a good idea, it is often during this period and afterward that their health begins to deteriorate. “What happens through this road to the calf raiser is we have an accumulation of different stressors that happen and, subsequently, a decrease in the amount of resilience that these calves have toward fighting off disease,” Renaud said.
Because of this, he and his students conducted a study that collected data from over 175 calves across five different dairy farms that were assigned continuous transport lengths of six, 12, and 16 hours. Blood, manure, and health and weight were scored following transportation. Results showed that calves transported for six hours saw significantly lower levels of dehydration, while 12- and 16-hour transports saw very high levels. Calves transported for longer also had more days with diarrhea after transportation. The calf’s age at transport time also played a large role in its chances of contracting a respiratory disease. Younger calves were more prone to a respiratory incident while older calves had less of a chance. “What we can take away from this is that calves transported at older ages are better able to withstand some of that transportation stress,” he noted.
Most countries have strict transportation protocols that have been put into place for quite some time. Canada has a maximum transit time of 12 hours while the U.S. has a maximum of 28 hours. Meanwhile, some countries have an age minimum, such as the European Union with an age requirement of 14 days or older and a maximum of 19 hours transit time. “Just to give some information that we’ve collected here at Guelph, I think it shows that maybe we should be considering transporting calves at an older age,” Renaud encouraged. Australia and New Zealand have also capped travel time and have put age limits in place, too.
Regardless of what your calves’ transport time may be, give them a boost by preparing them before they even get on the truck. At the dairy farm of origin, feed colostrum as soon as possible to provide the calf with the nutrients that it needs, especially for travel. Ensure that water is given and calves are fed prior to hopping on board.
