What is the best practice vaccination protocols for suckler cows pre-calving?
Calf diarrhoea and calf pneumonia are the leading causes of death in Irish calves pre-weaning. Vet Doreen Corridan joins Catherine Egan on this week’s Beef Edge to explain why vaccinations should be used.
Preventing disease, less antibiotics and less labour are major benefits Doreen highlights for using vaccinations.
As scour accounts for more than 50% of all calf deaths Doreen recommends vaccinating pre-calving to avoid issues on your farm. She outlines the vaccinations and protocols in detail.
Cryptosporidium also known as crypto can’t be vaccinated for, but Doreen gives tips and advice on how best it can be treated and prevented.
Hygiene at calving is important to ensure the calf gets a good start in the first few hours after birth along with adequate colostrum. Doreen gives a number of tasks for farmers to do on their farm to get in every calf.
For further information, watch a recording from the Virtual Beef Conference 2020 which focused on improving the health and welfare of beef cattle here