Raising strong, healthy calves doesn’t require reinventing the wheel, but it does call for consistent, thoughtful execution of animal husbandry fundamentals. While many foundational practices are likely already in place, it’s often the small, strategic refinements that unlock better health, stronger immunity, and more productive cows down the road.
The following management reminders are designed to help you take a fresh look at what’s working and where a few tweaks could pay big dividends for your future herd.
Raise the bar on colostrum management
Colostrum protocols should be viewed not as routine, but as a critical control point for all dairies. The goal isn’t just to deliver colostrum — it’s to deliver the right volume, at the right time, with the right quality every single time.
Ensure you have reliable systems in place for timely collecting, properly storing and efficiently feeding colostrum. Calves should receive 10–12% of their body weight in high-quality colostrum within the first two hours of birth.
Monitoring quality through regular testing helps ensure the bacterial load remains low and the immunoglobulin levels are sufficient, so calves have more passive immunity at the start of life. On-farm tools like a colostrometer or Brix refractometer provide quick, effective insights. Look for immunoglobulin concentration greater than 50 g/L or 22% on the Brix scale.1 Lower-quality colostrum can be used for second or third feedings, rather than being discarded.2
Update biosecurity habits
On today’s dairies, where calves are often raised off-site and group housing is more common, proactive biosecurity practices are more important than ever. A strong biosecurity program helps protect herd health, maintain productivity, and prevent costly disease outbreaks.
Good recordkeeping is a must for biosecurity as well as for disease management. Accurate records allow you to track disease prevention, detection, and response. Monitor when animals get sick, what treatments they’ve received, and when. Also, keep track of calf movement, particularly as many dairies send their calves to be developed by custom heifer growers or calf ranches.
Close contact between animals can also pose a biosecurity risk. While group housing helps support social development, it can also increase the risk of disease spread. It’s important to maintain strict hygiene and sanitation standards, especially with young calves, to limit exposure to bacteria and other pathogens.
Similarly, bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a major risk in group housing. Test for any persistently infected (PI) BVDV calves to identify problem animals. If a PI calf is identified, use your records to quarantine, monitor, and trace other cattle it may have come into contact with to limit disease spread.
Boost immunity with early action
Young calves are especially vulnerable to disease as maternal immunity wanes and their immune systems are still developing. That’s why rapid protection through early vaccination is essential. Injectable vaccines can be given to calves early in life to help deliver a fast defense against diseases. However, antibodies delivered from colostrum to the calf may interfere with these vaccines. Make sure to use vaccines that have been proven to be effective in the face of maternal antibodies. For instance, PYRAMID® vaccines can be administered to calves at 4 weeks old, while also providing a long duration of immunity with broad coverage.3
Work with your veterinarian to find a vaccine, such as PYRAMID®, that protects against key bovine respiratory diseases (BRD) like BVDV, bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) and parainfluenza 3 (PI3).
To further protect calves and build early immunity, vaccine protocols should include the cows. A quality dry cow vaccination program increases antibody levels in colostrum, helping establish immunity early on in calves. Aim to maintain a 45- to 60-day dry period and vaccinate cows during this time to optimize passive immunity.
Evaluate calf stress triggers
Overall, with animal husbandry practices, it’s important to limit stress on calves as much as possible to maximize health and performance. As calves become more stressed, effectiveness of the immune system declines.
Stress can come in many forms, but these are some of the most common:
- Transportation can be stressful on calves, whether they are moving to new pens on-farm or they are being transported across the country. When picking calves up or guiding them on foot, do it as gently as possible to limit unnecessary stress. Ensure the bedding is clean and dry to help calves get comfortable in a trailer or their new home.
- Inconsistent feeding schedules can leave calves hungry, impacting their health and increasing stress. Consistent, evenly spread-out feeding times are important to protect calf health and maintain growth. For instance, ideally, two feedings per day should occur in 12-hour intervals, or three feedings per day should occur in eight-hour intervals.
- Bacteria and viruses can cause health challenges that put stress on calves’ immune systems. Reinforcing cleaning and sanitation protocols and having good ventilation go a long way toward limiting disease spread.
The more focus we place on raising calves using low-stress methods and exercising our best animal husbandry practices, the greater the reward. Talk with your veterinarian to fine-tune your approach to stress mitigation, colostrum management, biosecurity and vaccine protocols to identify small changes that could yield lasting impact.
References:
1 Godden SM, Lombard JE, Woolums AR. Colostrum management for dairy calves. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 2019;35(3):535–556.
2 Van Soest B, Cullens F, VandeHaar MJ, Weber Nielsen M. Short communication: Effects of transition milk and milk replacer supplemented with colostrum replacer on growth and health of dairy calves. J Dairy Sci 2020;103(12):12104–12108.
3 Kolb EA, Buterbaugh RE, Rinehart CL, et al. Protection against bovine respiratory syncytial virus in calves vaccinated with adjuvanted modified-live virus vaccine administered in the face of maternal antibody. Vaccine 2020;38(2):298–308.
PYRAMID® is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc. ©2025 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc., Duluth, GA. All rights reserved.
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