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Pre-Weaned Calf Rearing on Northern Irish Dairy Farms: Part 1. A Description of Calf Management and Housing Design.

ABSTRACT: The first few months of life are of great importance to the longevity and lifetime performance of dairy cows. The nutrition, environment and healthcare management of heifer calves must be sufficient to minimise exposure to stress and disease and enable them to perform to their genetic potential. Lack of reporting of farm management practices in Northern Ireland (NI) makes it difficult to understand where issues impacting health, welfare and performance may occur in the rearing process. The objective of this study was to investigate housing design and management practices of calves on 66 dairy farms across NI over a 3-month period and also identify areas that may cause high risk of poor health and performance in dairy calves. An initial survey was used to detail housing and management practices, with two subsequent visits to each farm used to collect animal and housing-based measurements linked to hygiene management, animal health and performance. Large variations in key elements such as weaning criteria and method, calf grouping method used, nutritional feed plane, and routine hygiene management were identified. The specification of housing, in particular ventilation and stocking density, was highlighted as a potential limiting factor for calf health and performance. Lack of measurement of nutritional inputs, hygiene management practices and calf performance was observed. This poses a risk to farmers' ability to ensure the effectiveness of key management strategies and recognise poor calf performance and health.

SUBMITTER: Brown AJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8300315 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundThere is concern that the use of antimicrobials in livestock production has a role in the emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in animals and humans. Consequently, there are increasing efforts to reduce antimicrobial use (AMU) in agriculture. As the largest consumer of veterinary antimicrobials in several countries, the pig sector is a particular focus of these efforts. Data on AMU in pig production in Ireland are lacking. This study aimed to quantify AMU on Irish pig farms, to identify the major patterns of use employed and to compare the results obtained to those from other published reports and studies.ResultsAntimicrobial use data for 2016 was collected from 67 Irish pig farms which represented c. 35% of national production. The combined sample population consumed 14.5?t of antimicrobial by weight of active ingredient suggesting that the pig sector accounted for approximately 40% of veterinary AMU in Ireland in 2016. At farm level, median AMU measured in milligram per population correction unit (mg/PCU) was 93.9 (range: 1.0-1196.0). When measured in terms of treatment incidence (TI200), median AMU was 15.4 (range: 0.2-169.2). Oral treatments accounted for 97.5% of all AMU by weight of active ingredient and were primarily administered via medicated feed to pigs in the post weaning stages of production. AMU in Irish pig production in 2016 was higher than results obtained from the national reports of Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and France but lower than the United Kingdom.ConclusionsPig production in Ireland is an important consumer of veterinary antimicrobials. The quantities and patterns of AMU on Irish pig farms are comparable to pig production in other European countries but higher than some countries with more advanced AMU reduction strategies. This AMU is characterised by a high proportion of prophylactic use and is primarily administered to pigs post weaning via medicated feed. Further studies to better understand the reasons for AMU on Irish pig farms and strategies to improve health among weaner pigs will be of benefit in the effort to reduce AMU.

Project description:The objective of this experiment was to determine if dosing pre-weaned calves with enriched ruminal microbiota alters the rumen microbial environment and growth performance. Twenty Holstein bull calves were removed from their dam at birth, fed 3.8 L colostrum within 4 h after birth, and housed individually. Calves were fed pasteurized milk 3×/d from 0 to 7 weeks of age and offered a texturized calf starter ad libitum at 6 days of age. A randomized complete block design with repeated measures and a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used to evaluate responses. Treatments were administered by stomach intubation once per week from 3 to 6 weeks of age and included: 50 mL autoclaved rumen fluid (RF), 50 mL bacterial-enriched RF (BE), 50 mL protozoal-enriched RF (PE); or 50 mL of each BE and PE inoculum. A rumen content composite was collected from 4 rumen fistulated, lactating cows and used to create the inocula. BE inocula were microscopically confirmed to be free of ciliate protozoa before inoculation, while PE contained 2.9 ± 2.2 × 105 protozoa/mL. RF was collected from the calves once per week before 50 mL of the inoculum was administered. Animal performance (e.g., weight gain and dry matter intake) was not altered by inocula type. All calves were microscopically free of rumen ciliates before inoculum administration and calves that did not receive PE remained ciliate-free. Ciliate protozoa were observed in RF from 6, 8, and 6 PE treated calves (n = 10) at weeks 4, 5, and 6, respectively. Ruminal NH3 was lower in PE treated calves (3.3 vs. 6.8 ± 1.0 mM), while ruminal butyrate molar percent was greater in BE treated calves (10.8 vs. 8.3 ± 0.8). Rumen bacterial diversity measures did not differ by treatment at 3-6 weeks. Individual calf bacterial communities from treated calves became temporarily similar to the inocula at 4 weeks of age, but these communities diverged from the inocula at 5 weeks. This study provides new information about two types of rumen-derived inocula and insight into the challenges of directing the rumen microbial environment in the pre-weaned calf.

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Pre-Weaned Calf Rearing on Northern Irish Dairy Farms: Part 1. A Description of Calf Management and Housing Design.

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