Calf Rearing - Fences or Hospitals
Which is smarter, to build a fence at the top of a cliff, or to build a hospital at the bottom? Animal health bills for farmers can cut deep into both profits and morale, but they are a fact of life that every farmer must budget for. Like the fence versus the hospital, the animal health dollar is spent in one of two ways, either preventing the problem before it hits, or remedying the problem after it’s struck. Just as fences are cheaper than hospitals, so too, prevention of ill health is usually cheaper than cure.
There is often a hidden cost of ill health that many people will never recognise. For example, if a farmer treats 2 calves when he sees bloody scours caused by coccidiosis, he may feel lucky to have escaped the season with only two patients. However, what he has forgotten is that only 5% of infected animals show the extreme signs. He is unaware of the decreased weight gain and therefore lost future milk yield suffered by the other 95% of subclinically infected calves. That little bit of money spent on coccidiosis prevention would have saved a lot of collective liveweight loss. Just like the fence versus the hospital, prevention is better than cure.
Having established that prevention is easier and cheaper than cure, consider the disease prevention triangle. Imagine a triangle, on one side are management practices, on a second is vaccination/medication, on the third side is biosecurity. This triangle is only as strong as its weakest side. Just as weakness in one side will undermine the others, so too strengthening one side will increase the effectiveness of the others.
Dairy farming is described as extensive agriculture, yet calf rearing is inherently intensive due to the close proximity of animals to each other. Therefore, calf rearing involves switching one’s mind to the biosecurity standards required for intensive industries. This involves addressing all recognised vectors of disease transmission. These not only include the animals themselves, but contaminated feed, water, housing, air, vehicles and humans.
Building a good fence at the top of the cliff involves high levels of biosecurity in a calf rearing operation. This involves cleaning and dis-infection of calf pens before stocking, and the often neglected areas such as footdips outside hospital pens, hand sanitising after working in hospital pens, wheeldips for stock trucks, and sanitising water systems. Sanitising agents should be effective against fungi, bacteria, mycoplasma, and viruses. The products should be safe and non-toxic to both animals and farm staff. Furthermore, the products should be safe enough to continue to use while stock is present, as biosecurity is an ongoing procedure.
It may sound hard to think about so many issues at once. Fortunately, there is a product available on the New Zealand market right now that is proven in over 400 independent trials worldwide effective against viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma, and fungi, including those responsible for viral calf pneumonia and post-natal scours. It is so efficacious, it is MAF approved for exotic disease outbreaks. It is Virkon S®, by Antec products of UK, and distributed in New Zealand by NRM.
This product is safe on animals and humans, cleans and disinfects, and can be used in the presence of stock. It can be used to successfully treat water systems, and is concentrated ready for dilution on farm so that a little goes a long way.
Consider building the fence at the top of the cliff this winter. Consider saving money in the long term. Consider Virkon S®.
