Healthy calves are the foundation of a productive, resilient herd. Early-life management determines survival, lifetime performance and antimicrobial need: poor colostrum management, hygiene lapses, and delayed treatment of illness increase morbidity, mortality and downstream antibiotic use. A proactive, prevention-first approach reduces vet bills, improves welfare and lowers selection pressure for antimicrobial resistance.
Nutrition & feeding management
Adopt a consistent milk/CMR feeding plan to support growth and immunity: feed volumes and frequency tailored to your system (examples: step-down weaning after a high plane of milk nutrition; wean based on concentrate intake rather than fixed age). Monitoring weight gain and feed intake reduces weaning shock and disease risk. Good practice materials recommend feeding colostrum + consistent milk/CMR to meet nutritional needs pre-weaning.
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Antibiotic stewardship in calves
Treat illness promptly and under veterinary guidance, but prioritize prevention and diagnostics. Follow “treat-only-when-necessary” principles and choose narrow-spectrum agents where appropriate, record all uses, and track farm-level metrics (treatments per animal, DDDvet or DAPD equivalents).
Disease prevention & biosecurity
Prevention lowers antibiotic need: strict calving-area hygiene, individual calving pens when possible, prompt removal to clean housing, all-in/all-out groups, optimized stocking density, and vaccination of dams (where appropriate) to boost colostral antibodies.
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