Implemented on a rose veal farm, Mazovian Region, Poland.
Description of the good practice
The calf health assessment system has a simple scoring system, in which six different criteria are assessed. The higher the score, the greater the risk when buying such a calf. A total assessment of more than 5 points indicates a bad health status for a calf. The first step is to assess the rectal temperature of the calves. This can only be done for a specific sample group of animals(10-15%). The individuals should have a temperature that varies between 37.7–38.3 ° C: a higher temperature means health problems. The second important indicator is the respiratory status of the calves, and relates to the occurrence of a cough. No cough is, of course, the most desirable situation, while single coughs can mark the beginning of health problems.
1. Rectal temperature:
0- 37.7–38.3 °C
1- 38.4–38.8 °C
2- 38.9–39,3 °C
3- >39.4 °C
2. Cough:
0- None
1- Induce a single cough
2- Induced repeated coughs or occasional spontaneous coughing
3- Repeated spontaneous coughing
3. Nasal discharge:
0- Normal serous discharge
1- Small amount of unilateral cloudy discharge
2- Bilateral, cloudy or excessive mucus discharge
3- Copious bilateral mucopurulent discharge
4. Eye score:
0- Normal
1- Small amount of ocular discharge
2- Moderate amount of bilateral discharge
3- Heavy ocular discharge
5. Ear score:
0- Normal
1- Ear flick or head shake
2- Slight unilateral droop
3- Head tilt or bilateral droop
6. Faecal score:
0- Normal
1- Semi-formed, pasty
2- Loose, but stays on top of bedding
3- Watery, sifts through bedding
Impact on farm performance
The economic result of farms focused on cattle depends to a large extent on the health and the quality of the purchased calves. Poor calves show lower nutritional efficiency, worse daily growth, higher incidences of illness and cases of mortality. A high percentage of calves die in the first month after arrival on a farm, which usually depends on where the animal was purchase (supplier) and its weight, and age
Farmer’s comment (for Good Practices)
Józef: This simple and easy-to-use system allows me to save money on the purchase of sick calves, which require treatment.
More information https://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/fapm/svm-dairy-apps/calf-health-scorer-chs/