Colostrum feeding routines - Passive immunity and welfare in dairy - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Colostrum feeding routines - Passive immunity and welfare in dairy calves

Carlos E. Hernandez, MVZ, MSc, PhD

Background Current projects at the Department of Animal Nutrition and Management at SLU 1) “Effects of colostrum feeding routines (Oesophageal Tube (OT), suckling

• r bottle) on:

A. Calf performance and welfare in dairy calves Project Leader: Kerstin

Svennersten Sjaunja and Carlos E. Hernandez

B. The establishment of the digestive and respiratory tract microbiota in dairy calves” Project Leader: Bengt-Ove Rustas 2) “Comparison of the use of refractometer (%Brix) and colostrometer as estimators of IgG content in milk”. PhD student: Lisa Andree O´Hara, Supervisor: Kjell

Holtenius

3) ”Improved calf performance in small-scale dairy production in Southern Vietnam”. PhD student: Bui Phan Thu Hang, Supervisors: Kerstin Svennersten, Ewa

Wredle, Johan Dicksved and Duong Nguyen Khang

Outline

Background

Colostrum feeding routines- passive transfer of immunity and welfare in dairy calves

• Factors affecting the transfer of passive

immunity include:

1) The timing of first colostrum feeding 2) The quality of the colostrum (i.e. amount

• f immunoglobulins and bacterial

contamination) 3) The volume of colostrum consumed

Background

• Calves are born with insufficient immunity to fight disease
• Calf survival depends on the transfer of passive immunity of maternal

immunoglobulins via the colostrum

Photo: SLU bildbank

Colostrum feeding method Timing Quality Volume

1) Bottle or bucket feeding 2) Suckling the dam 3) Oesophageal Tube feeder

Background

Level of control

Oesophageal Tube (OT) feeder

Pros:

• Allows greater control of quality, quantity and timing of colostrum

feeding

• Higher levels of serum IgG than bottle or suckled calves
• Saves time - faster than bottle feeding

Cons:

• Invasive procedure that requires trained personnel
• Does not stimulate oesophageal groove reflex
• Risk of injury
• Unnecessary discomfort and stress to the calves?
• Possible to feed large volumes in a short period of time exceeding

abomasal capacity and voluntary intake

• Does not satisfy the calf’s natural need for suckling

Background

Bottle or bucket feeding

Pros:

• Allows good control of quality and timing of colostrum feeding
• Higher levels of serum IgGs than suckled calves
• Allows the calf to express and fulfil its high motivation for

suckling

• Allows the calf to control the volume of colostrum ingested

Cons:

• There is limited control over the volume consumed by the calf
• Time consuming, especially in calves with low motivation to feed
• Reduced levels of serum IgG compared to OT

Background

Suckling the dam

Pros:

• Allows the calf to express the full range of neonatal behaviours

and allows contact between mother and young (Suckling and grooming)

• Allows the calf to control the volume and frequency of colostrum

ingested

• Improved rate of immunoglobulin absorption
• Reduction in labour costs for feeding calves

Cons:

• There is no control over the timing and volume consumed by the

calf

• Difficult to achieve consistent and adequate passive transfer of

immunity

Background

To date, most studies have focused on the effects of OT feeding on transfer of passive immunity, health outcomes and mortality rates There are currently no studies evaluating the consequences

• f OT colostrum feeding on the behaviour and welfare of

dairy calves

Background

Cur Current ent pr project

• jects a

s at t the the Depar Department of tment of Animal Animal Nutrition and Nutrition and Mana Management gement

Colostrum feeding routines and management in dairy calves

Photo: SLU bildbank

1) PR 1) PROJECT OJECT TITLE: TITLE: “EF

EFFE FECTS CTS OF C OF COL OLOSTR OSTRUM UM FE FEEDIN EDING G ROU OUTINES TINES ON ON PE PERFOR RFORMAN MANCE CE AND AND WEL WELFAR ARE IN E IN D DAIR AIRY Y CALVES”

Research group: Carlos E. Hernandez, Bengt-Ove Rustas, Lena Lidfors, Lotta Berg, Helena Röcklinsberg, Stefan Alenius, Kerstin Svennersten Sjaunja

Aim

To investigate the effects of oesophageal tube vs suckling vs bottle feeding on the transfer of passive immunity, growth, health, physiological, endocrine and behavioural response to the treatments and sleep patterns in dairy

• calves. Another aim is to study the development of gut

microbiota, over the first 14 days of calf life, in relation to the feeding treatments

A) To investigate the effects of oesophageal tube vs suckling vs bottle colostrum feeding of new born dairy calves on:

1) The transfer of passive immunity, growth and health (birth to weaning) 2) The sleep patterns (birth to 5 days old) 3) Physiological and endocrine response to the three feeding methods (MSc student: Caroline Laestander) 4) The behavioural response to the treatments (MSc student: Ida Lundmark)

B) The public’s perception of oesophageal tube feeding as a routine management for colostrum feeding in dairy calves (MSc student: Anna

Johansson)

Specific objectives

2) PR 2) PROJECT OJECT TITLE: TITLE: “EF

EFFE FECTS CTS OF C OF COL OLOSTR OSTRUM UM FE FEEDIN EDING G ROU OUTINES TINES ON ON THE THE DEVEL DEVELOPMENT OPMENT OF GUT MIC OF GUT MICROB OBIO IOTA A IN IN DAIRY CALVES”

Research group: Bengt-Ove Rustas, Johan Dicksved, Carlos E. Hernandez, Kerstin Svennersten Sjaunja

Aim

To investigate the effects of oesophageal tube vs suckling vs bottle feeding on the development of gut microbiota,

• ver the first 14 days of calf life

3) PR ) PROJECT OJECT TITLE: TITLE: “CO

COMP MPAR ARISON ISON OF THE U OF THE USE SE OF OF REFRA REFRACT CTOM OMET ETER ( ER (%BR %BRIX) IX) AN AND D CO COLOSTR OSTROM OMET ETER ER AS EST AS ESTIMA IMATOR ORS S OF OF IG IG CO CONTENT IN NTENT IN MILK MILK”

Doctoral student: Lisa Andree O´Hara Supervisors: Kjell Holtenius Photo: Lisa Andree O´Hara

To evaluate the potential of the colostrometer and Brix method to predict plasma IgG and to investigate (management) factors that increases the risk of being a failed-transfer-of-passive-immunity calf

Objective

Photo: Lisa Andree O´Hara

4) PR ) PROJECT OJECT TITLE: TITLE:

“IMPR

IMPROVED VED CA CALF LF P PERFORMA ERFORMANC NCE E IN IN SMA SMALL LL- SCALE SCALE D DAIR AIRY Y PR PRODU ODUCTION CTION IN S IN SOUTHERN OUTHERN VIETN VIETNAM AM”

Doctoral student: Bui Phan Thu Hang Supervisors: Ewa Wredle Kerstin Svennersten Sjaunja Johan Dicksved Duong Nguyen Khang

Photo: Bui Phan Thu Hang

• Dairy production in Vietnam is

rather new (50 years)

• Demand for dairy products in

Vietnam is increasing

• Dairy cattle population has

increased from 11,000 in 1990 to approx.167,000 heads of cattle in 2012

• Local production contributes
• approx. 20% of national milk

consumption.

Background

Photo: Bui Phan Thu Hang

To identify calf management routines in small-holder commercial dairy farms that can be improved to reach a sustainable dairy production, considering both female and male calves

Objective

Photo: Bui Phan Thu Hang

Thank you! Any questions?

carlos.hernandez@slu.se

Photo: Mårten Svensson, SLU bildbank