Calf health is essential for beef and dairy operations, influencing overall herd productivity and profitability. While much of our focus tends to be on post-birth care, the foundation of calf health begins long before calves take their first breath. Producers can significantly improve calf health and performance outcomes by implementing strategic planning during gestation. This article outlines key strategies for managing calf health before birth focusing on nutrition, vaccination, colostrum needs, and environmental considerations.
Nutrition: The Cornerstone of Pre-Calving Care
Proper nutrition for pregnant cows is vital for fetal development and overall calf health. The cow's nutritional needs vary throughout gestation. Maintaining her body condition and meeting all of her needs is essential. Adequate nutrition during gestation supports the growth and development of the fetus.
Balance Protein, Vitamins and Minerals
Ensuring proper nutrition for your cow herd is vital. Assess, adjust, and prepare actively to meet her nutrient needs. Proper nutrition includes adequate protein, vitamins, and minerals essential for supporting fetal growth, developing fetal tissues, promoting healthy growth and immunity, and maintaining the cow’s body condition.
Manage Body Condition Score: BCS 5 to BCS 6
Maintaining optimal body condition is essential. Body Condition Scoring (BCS) is a simple method a producer can use to evaluate the herd’s nutritional status and overall health. As a producer, this assessment is something you can do, and is a simple management tool.
Cows that are too thin may struggle to support the developing fetus, have complications at birth, and cannot adequately provide nutrients to the live calf. Overweight cows may face complications such as dystocia or metabolic disorders. Ideal body condition scores ensure better calving outcomes and calf health. A target body condition score for cattle depends on their purpose, —BCS 5 for most mature breeding females and BCS 6 for most first calf heifers. This indicates that the animal has adequate fat reserves and is in good health. This score represents a well-balanced animal with sufficient energy reserves to maintain reproductive performance, milk production, and overall health.
Build a Nutrition Plan
Our IFA experts assist producers in putting together a herd nutrition plan to ensure all their needs are met. Investing in cattle nutrition not only benefits calf health but also contributes to the long-term productivity of the herd. Healthy calves grow into productive adults, improving overall herd profitability.
Vaccination: Building Immunity Before Birth
Vaccination is a critical component of calf health that begins with the cow. Proper vaccination protocols protect calves from diseases during their early weeks of life. Often we overcomplicate this area of animal health and miss the essential nature of proper vaccination. To keep things simple, consider respiratory disease, reproductive disease, clostridial bacteria, and scours protection.
Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) Vaccine: Vira Shield 6 + VL5
Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) encompasses a range of respiratory conditions affecting cattle, particularly young calves. It is often caused by a combination of viral and bacterial pathogens and can cause serious health issues and economic losses for producers.
Vaccinating against BRD reduces the risk of respiratory illnesses in calves. Some of the same viruses that infect the cow’s respiratory system have a secondary effect on the reproductive health of the cow. One common bacteria that can lead to reproductive failure is Leptospirosis. This can cause abortion or stillbirth and can be transmitted to calves.
IFA offers Elanco’s Vira Shield 6 + VL5, a one-product killed vaccine to protect against respiratory and reproductive illness. Please remember, the label contains complete use information, including cautions and warnings. Always read, understand and follow the label and use directions with all vaccines. Know there are a variety of vaccines that can be administered to provide this protection and immunity. IFA experts help fit the best vaccine to your herd and program.
Clostridial Bacteria Vaccine: Bovilis Vision 8
Clostridial bacteria are significant pathogens in livestock, responsible for various severe and often fatal diseases. Effective vaccination programs and good management practices are essential to control and prevent clostridial infections. There are a variety of vaccinations available to protect cattle against clostridial bacteria.
In my experience, products such as Bovilis Vision 8 by Merck Animal Health offer very good clostridial coverage. It is important to note you need to know what you need protection against and provide the correct vaccine.
Scours Vaccine: Scour Bos
The last thing I want to touch on is scours. Scours, or diarrhea, is a common issue in young calves, often leading to dehydration and significant health risks. Vaccination is an important strategy to help prevent scours caused by certain pathogens. This calf protection comes from the proper vaccination of the mother cow with the proper scours vaccine. There are multiple options available at IFA for scours vaccines. One suggested product would be the Scour Bos vaccine from Elanco. Based on its labeled protection and timing, this has proved to be effective in improving immunity for calves against scours.
Time Vaccines During Pre-Calving Period
It is important to remember the timing that vaccination occurs makes a difference. Always administer vaccines according to recommended timelines. Ideally, vaccinations should occur during the pre-calving period to ensure optimal antibody transfer to the calf through colostrum.
At IFA, we can be your source for all of your animal health needs. If you have questions regarding vaccines, we can help establish a protocol to ensure you have the protection you need as you plan for healthy calves.
Colostrum For Calves: The First Nutrition
Colostrum is the lifeblood of calf health. Ensuring calves receive high-quality colostrum promptly is essential for immediate immunity and development. Colostrum is rich in antibodies (immunoglobulins) that provide passive immunity to calves. Since calves are born with underdeveloped immune systems, these antibodies help protect them from infections and diseases in the early weeks of life. Calves should receive colostrum within the first few hours of life to maximize the absorption of antibodies. The efficiency of antibody uptake decreases significantly after the first 24 hours, so prompt feeding is crucial. It’s recommended that calves consume about 10% of their body weight in colostrum within the first feeding, usually around 2-4 quarts.
If and when supplemental colostrum is needed know that you can contact IFA. We can offer you quality colostrum products to aid your calves in those first moments of life.
Environmental Considerations: Creating a Safe Calving Environment
We cannot control the weather during calving season, but there are many things we can control to help with the environment calves are born into. The environment in which a cow calves can significantly impact the calf's health. Proper planning for calving conditions can help reduce stress and health risks. Always ensure that calving pens or areas are as clean, dry, and spacious as possible. Where possible, avoid overcrowding to reduce stress and the risk of injuries during calving. Cattle handling and calving facilities can profoundly influence the success of herd health.
When we know extreme weather conditions will occur provide proper protection from excessive heat or cold. This can look like various things and will be different for each operation. Newborn calves are particularly vulnerable to hypothermia or heat stress, so ensure they have a dry, draft-free area to stay warm after birth. Not every operation will accomplish this the same way, and some will not have the resources to provide much if any, protection from harsh environments. If this is the case, implementation of management practices to monitor newborn calf health in the environment they have been introduced to will need to be a high priority during weather extremes. Be prepared to warm calves and even fill empty bellies in these situations, this can make all the difference. Lastly, implement biosecurity practices to minimize the risk of disease transmission. This includes controlling access to calving areas and ensuring all equipment is clean and sanitized.
Calving Season Success Relies on Nutrition, Vaccination, Colostrum Needs and Environmental Considerations
Planning for calf health before birth is a proactive approach that pays off in the long run. By focusing on proper nutrition, timely vaccinations, colostrum needs, and a safe calving environment, beef and dairy producers can lay the groundwork for healthier calves and a more productive herd. The investment in pre-calving care enhances calf survival rates and promotes overall herd health and profitability. As you prepare for calving season, please let the team at IFA help you as you prioritize these key strategies and it will set the stage for success.
Please contact your local IFA branch or sales representative for all of your herd nutritional programs. We can help make a difference.
Written by Bryce Roholt, Animal Health & Feed Tub Category Manager and originally published in the IFA Cooperator magazine (vol. 91, no. 1) Spring 2025.
Bryce Roholt is the Animal Health and Feed Tub Category Manager for IFA’s Feed & Animal Health Division. Bryce previously worked for IFA at the Logan IFA Country Store from 2015 to 2019. In 2019, Bryce was recruited away from IFA to work at the Utah State University (USU) Agricultural Experiment Station, where he worked until returning to IFA in 2024. Bryce graduated from USU with a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources and a minor in Animal and Dairy Science. He is currently finishing a Master’s Degree in Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science from USU, with a research focus on bovine nutrition and reproduction. Bryce has a passion for the cattle industry and the hopes to help sustain the agricultural heritage we love through his efforts at IFA.