As the breeding of beef-on-dairy cattle gains traction in the industry, research on these hybrids is becoming more important to producers. A new study from Penn State University examines early-onset pneumonia and how it might affect dairy-beef calves. Previous research has shown that a bout of pneumonia can impact cattle throughout their lifespan, and the Penn State University study provides a jumping-off point for monitoring hybrid growth performance, productivity, and overall robustness after a bout of calfhood pneumonia.

The results are particularly load-bearing at a time when beef-on-dairy breeding has proven to help producers’ bottom line, as it boosts the quality of replacement heifers both in growth performance and meat efficiency. The 143 calves in the study were sorted into two groups: one showing signs of pneumonia and one not. Researchers reported that the sick calves exhibited slowed but not permanently stunted growth: in the three weeks after pneumonia was noted, they were slower to put on weight than their noninfected peers. However, in the next eight months, the calves bounced back and ultimately showed similar average daily growth rates to the control group.

An additional consideration for researchers came when they sought more details about the pathogens found within the sick calves in the study. The specific pathogen in this instance “most of the time does not cause severe effects on the calf,” said research conductor Ingrid Fernandes. She believes that this, coupled with the comparative vigor of the crossbred calves, contributed to the short recovery time.

Also of special note in this study was the absence of antibiotics — none of the hybrid calves were treated with them, so the researchers believe the results might be useful to those in organic farming. Too, given the high rate of Holstein purebred calves which require antibiotics to recover from pneumonia, the comparative vigor of beef-on-dairy crossbreeds could boost the bottom line and improve the genetic profile of herds and their replacements.

Penn State Associate Professor Tara Felix, who in the past several years has been specializing in beef-on-dairy cattle, said of the study, “It is critical to continue this vein of research and determine the implications that these early-life events may have on the feedlot side of the industry, all the way out to the packer.”

A follow-up study is in the works, Fernandes said, and will focus on the calves’ growth during the feedlot phase, as well as the group’s carcass statistics.