Standard 5.3 and Preventing Calf Diarrhea

01-12-1999, 06:34 PM

From: Hare Krsna dasi

***************************

The "Minimum Cow Protection Standards" are impressive. They are sure to give a
lot
of relief to both cowherds and their community managers who are looking for
guidance about the best way to protect the cows.

Looking through the guidelines, I came across one standard which needs to be
reworded to make it clearer, but I thought I would take the opportunity to
elaborate on the topic to some extent and to see if others have additional
information to add.

The standard is under Section 5) MILKING:

5.3) A Calf and Mother
a) Should have continuous association for the first ten days so the calf can
acquire the essential colostrum.
b) Should have access to mother after milking morning and evening for at least
fifteen minutes each time.
c) Should be weaned no earlier than six months, weaning must be gradual.

My primary concern is that if the calf has continuous association with the
mother
for the first ten days, there is a risk of the calf's developing
life-threatening
diarrhea or scours from overconsumption of milk. I think the standard needs to
be
changed so that inexperienced cowherds realize the dangers of overfeeding the
calf.

**I leave the rewording to you all - since I am not good at saying things in a
few
words.**

Now some discussion on this topic. First my own experience. When Mother
Kaulini
and I learned to milk the cows at Gita-nagari in 1988, the herdsman was Sri
Krsna
dasa, an exceptionally knowledgeable and pukkha herdsman who actually had a
degree
in breeding cows from Penn State University, a well-known ag school.

Sri Krsna told us that it was important not to over-feed the calf. Since he
had
been trained at a university, his method was to bottle-feed the calf, no more
than
half a gallon (about 2 liters). (Our cows were Brown Swiss, a large breed,
like
Holsteins) whose sons were strong oxen.) We fed the calf only at milking time.
One important aspect of Sri Krsna's practice was to let the calf take its fixed
amount, but also to milk the cow completely dry each time so that she would
produce
more and more milk.

Naturally, humans do not usually like the colostrum or first milk the cow
produces,
because it is so high in fat and protein. (Although I think in parts of India,
colostrum is used to prepare a special pudding.) However, the antibiotic
properties of the mother's colostrum as a disease-preventive for the calf are
very
well known - both in traditional societies and in professional dairy practice.
Some farmers refrigerate the extra colostrum produced by the cow. Sri Krsna
just
let it sit out in buckets in the clean milk house. My experience was in the
winter
and early spring before fly season, I think he would have covered them later in
the
summer - but of course the breeding was done in the late summer-early autumn so
that the cow would have her calf just as the pastures were getting nice and
green
in the spring and early summer. He would let the buckets of colostrum milk sit
on
top of our unused milk tank. There they developed a culture, much like yogurt,
which prevented them from spoilage.

When we fed the calf at the end of milking time, we would give it fresh
colostrum
from the mother for the first few days. Then, once the cow started giving
regular
milk, we would bottle feed the calf on the colostrum mixed with hot water. The
mixture was warm and filling, and had the advantage of giving the calf extra
colostrum for a number of days. Since he was trained at a school for
commercial
farmers, Sri Krsna did not nurse the calf with the cow. Neither were our
stalls
designed to make that possible. However, if I were doing it again, I think I
might
have tried letting the calf nurse directly from the mother in the morning, and
then
taking a bottle in the evening, to get the extra colostrum.

The calf was supposed to eat about one half gallon twice a day, that is a total
of
one gallon per day. But if the calf had been left with the mother it would
surely
have died, as those cows were purebred and produced lots of milk. This was
before
the days of hormones or BST, which I am sure we never would have used anyway.
But
the cows were taking grain, soy and molasses mixture, plus excellent hay, plus
rotational grazing on a paddock of alfalfa pasture. I remember about a week
after
she had her calf, our Lugloo gave us 10 gallons (20 liters?) of milk in one day
(3x
milking). A calf could never have drunk that much. Our method was to bottle
feed,
but the bottle had to be scrupulously cleaned with hot water and detergent and
completely dried by the air ("Of purifiers, I am the Wind") before we put milk
in
it. Also the mother's udder is washed with warm water and mild cleansing
detergent
before milking.

Immediately, the calf was given access to small amounts of hay and water.
After
about a week or so, we would start offering him grain. The cowherd would dip
his
(or her) damp hand in the grain and put his hand in the calf's mouth. The calf
likes to suck on your fingers and takes some of the grain off in the process.
Quickly he develops a liking for grain. But, we were careful about giving
access
to green pasture very gradually, for fear of bloating.

I found a few quotes from others that I submit for your consideration and
discussion. First, of course is from Srila Prabhupada:

***************************************

>>Bhagavan: There was a question about the cows: At what point should the calf
be
separated from the mother? Because sometimes when the calf is separated, the
mother, she cries.
Prabhupada: No, they should not be taken away.
Bhagavan: Shouldn't be.
Hari-sauri: I think in all our farms they do that.
Bhagavan: I heard in New Vrindaban they took them away very early.
Hari-sauri: The problem is that the calves drink so much milk that they become
very
sick, so they have to separate.
Prabhupada: Therefore they should not be allowed always. Once in a day, that's
all.

Hari-sauri: Oh.
Prabhupada: Not too much allowed, but once. At least while milking they should
be
allowed to drink little milk, and that will encourage the mother to deliver
more
milk.
Hari-sauri: Oh. At the same time they're milking the cow, the calf can come.
Prabhupada: Yes. They can bring it milk. And while milking, the calf may be
standing before the mother.
Hari-sauri: They do that in India.
Prabhupada: So she will not be sorry. Completely separation is not good. And
after
birth at least for one week the calf should be allowed. Because after this
giving
birth the milk is not fit for human consumption. The calf should not be allowed
to
eat more, but at the same time the mother must see once, twice, then it will be
all
right. Of course, we are born in big, big towns, we do not know, but I know
this is
the process. In Allahabad I was keeping cow, there was facility.
Bhagavan: I don't think our farms are doing like that. In New Vrindaban they
do?
Hari-sauri: What, letting the calves come? I don't think so. You can write a
letter
to... The whole system's so perfect, it's completely satisfying in every
respect.
Prabhupada: And if you make others dissatisfied for your pleasure, that is
sinful.
You should act in such a way that nobody is dissatisfied. Then there is
balance.

-Paris, August 2, 1976 - Room Conversation
New Mayapur Farm

*************************************
Once again, we see that Srila Prabhupada is applying that principle: Sarve
sukhino
bhavantu - Make everyone happy. For Prabhupada "everyone" automatically
includes
the cows. One year we figured out how to have the calf associate constantly
with
the mother, but not over-nurse. We had a very nice cow named Visaka. Her
udder
was so heavy that it needed support. Devotees got some kind of support item
for
her, in principle it was like a brassiere. The calf got his milk in the
morning,
but could stay with her all day in the pasture because he couldn't get any milk
from her. Both the cow and calf were very happy. Sri Krsna prabhu really
liked
this system.

What do other cow experts say? Here's Dirk van Loon, a Cornell graduate in
agriculture, who keeps his own family cow in Nova Scotia, who seems to think it
is
usually alright to leave a calf with the mother:

***************************
>>If the calf scours [gets diarrhea], take her off the cow for a day and then
let
them run together by increasing the numbers of hours a day until they have
adjusted
to each other.

[and later]

>>LEAVING THE CALF WITH ITS MOTHER

There are two reasons for taking a calf from its mother - to save milk and to
make
milking and calf feeding simpler. She doesn't have to be take away from her
mother
at all. This past summer a man down the road was keeping a cow and calf
together
in a pasture. For the time being he had no reasonable way to keep them apart.
He
would ilk his cow morning and night while the calf looked on, fat from her own
feeding whenever the spirit moved. The last I heard the man was getting about
14
quarts (3 and a half gallons or 7 liters) a day above what the calf was taking.

Since bottle feeding schedules strictly limit a calf's intake of milk, I
wondered
how it could be that this calf wasn't being destroyed through eating more than
she
should of that laxative food...Given the opportunity to eat all she wants, a
calf
takes a sip now and then, and through the day drinks far more than she could
handle
in two or three gross feedings. She takes what she needs and she leaves the
rest.
And if that isn't taken by hand milking, the cow slows down her production.

–Dirk van Loon
The Family Cow

*************************
Here is Juliette de Bairacli Levy:

**************************
>>In Mexico, Spain, Arabia and other countries where natural animal husbandry
is
habitually practiced, the calves are allowed to run with their mothers on the
hill
pastures and feed from the parent. Indeed all the family pasture together,
bull,
cow and calf. The calves only partly use up their mother's heavy milk
yield...and
there is plenty of milk left for the owner of the herd...

The most general causes of death among young calves are sudden and extreme
changes
in temperature, over, under or irregular feeding, worm infestation, food
poisoning. Calves should always be kept slightly hungry, digestive troubles
due to
the calves consuming more food than they can digest are thus avoided.

>>[Remedy for diarrhea includes an internal cleansing "drench" of 2 oz Epson
salts
disolved in a half pint brew of dill seed water, then fasting, then gradually
feeding on special gruel. p. 196]

– Juliette de Bairacli Levy
The Complete Herbal Handbook for Farm and Stable

*************************

And finally, Bruce Haynes, a well-known doctor of veterinary medicine:

*************************

COLIBACILLOSIS [diarrhea or scours]
Colibacillosis is a major disease of the young encountered primarily in calves,
pigs and lambs. It also affects foals and kids, although less frequently. The
disease takes two primary forms, enteric, involving the intestinal tract to
cause
profuse diarrhea, and septicemic (in the blood stream), which may cause sudden
death with no premonitory signs. Colibacillosis is the leading component of
the
neonatal diarrhea complex commonly called "scours."

The causative organism, Escherichia coli, is a common environmental contaminant
found universally in manure...Experimentally, minute quantities of E. coli
endotoxin given intravenously have been shown to produce circulatory collapse
and
death in a matter of minutes...Colibacillosis is more frequent when large
numbers
of young animals are housed in close confinement.

The Enteric Form

The enteric form is most common in dairy calves, pigs and lambs...The route of
infection is primarily oral, making sanitation an important factor in control.
Typically it appears within the first week after birth. Although there is
usually
a moderate fever at the outset, the first sign noted may be a pasty or watery
yellowish diarrheas which has a foul odor...After the affected animals refuse
feed
and because of tremendous fluid loss from the diarrhea, they rapidly become
dehydrated. Without treatment the disease usually terminates in coma and death
within three to five days. In some dairy herds calf mortality from this
disease
may approach 100 percent...

Prevention

Clearly, colibacillosis is a serious and complex disease that must be prevented
by
whatever means possible. **The single most effective method is to ensure that
all
newborn animals receive colostrum as soon as possible after birth.** The
majority
of older animals, through prior exposure to pathogenic strains of E. coli, will
develop protective antibody that is transferred in colostrum...

Overeating is a common predisposing factor for all types of gastrointestinal
disease and is a frequent cause of nonspecific diarrhea in dairy calves.
Restricting milk intake to 10 percent of body weight [calves are "weighed" by
measuring a tape measure around their belly] for the first seven to ten days
will
help to prevent trouble. And of course, sanitation is important. Animals born
in
a filthy environment are certain to be exposed to overwhelming numbers of E.
coli...

Treatment

....In many cases the disease is compounded by the loss of tremendous volumes of
fluid and electrolyte resulting in dehydration. For best results this loss
must be
replaced by equivalent quantities of electrolyte solution given intravenously
and
orally. Good results have been reported in calves when no milk at all is given
for
twenty-four hours. Instead, a simple homemade electrolyte formula is given:

Table salt - one heaping teaspoon
Baking soda - one heaping teaspoon
Water - one gallon [3 liters?]

[This formula] given instead of milk for twenty-four hours will relieve the
diarrheas by reducing the number of organisms present, and at the same time
counteract loss of sodium and chloride ions as well as correct the acidosis
that
occurs with dehydration. The calf with diarrhea but not yet severely
dehydrated
will need two quarts of this warmed solution every eight hours for the first
day.
After that, milk diluted with the same solution to fifty percent of normal
concentration can be fed. Gradually increase the percentage of milk until it
is
back to normal at the end of the third day. This procedure will save many
calves
that would otherwise die...

Prevention

The really important thing is to prevent the disease from occurring in the
first
place. The following suggestions have proven helpful:

* Keep the calving pen...as clean and sanitary as possible. [Sri Krsna's
favorite
place was a clean pasture.]

*Insofar as possible, isolate newborn animals from each other.

*Don't overfeed. Although it may seem heartless, keeping newborn animals on
the
hungry side for the first few days helps insure their survival.

*Thoroughly scrub and sanitize feeding equipment after each use.

*Provide supplemental heat, especially for lambs and piglets.

*Be certain that newborn animals get colostrum as soon after birth...Colostrum
can
be frozen in plastic bags and kept almost indefinitely. It's a good idea to
keep
some on hand to fee the animal that becomes an orphan soon after birth.

- N. Bruce Haynes, D.V.M.
Keeping Livestock Healthy: A Veterinary Guide to Horses, Cattle, Pigs, Goats
&
Sheep, Third Edition. (Pownal, Vermont, Garden Way Publishing, Storey
Communications, 1994) ISBN: 0-88266-884-6 {this book is a classic}

************************

So there we have slightly different opinions from different experts, but all
agree
that to save the life of the animal, milk must be withheld from a calf with
diarrhea. It would be good to hear from other with experience in this area.
Hopefully this information will help save calves.

your servant,

Hare Krsna dasi

01-12-1999, 07:12 PM

Dear devotees from cow conference,
Please accept my humble obeisances.

>The standard is under Section 5) MILKING:
>
>5.3) A Calf and Mother
>a) Should have continuous association for the first ten days so the calf can
>acquire the essential colostrum.
>b) Should have access to mother after milking morning and evening for at
least
>fifteen minutes each time.
>c) Should be weaned no earlier than six months, weaning must be gradual.
>
>My primary concern is that if the calf has continuous association with the
>mother

We here have diferent experience also. I mean especially with this word
CONTINUOUS. We had an ex herdsman who was guiding us in taking care of our
cow. He was old and his entire life he has spent with cows and sheeps. He
was our advisor. He advised us to keep the calf just near the mother so she
can feel his presence always having him on her sight and very near, but to
tight them so that they cannot turn to each other sso that the calf can
suck. In that way he sucked only when we allowed him to do so.

Your servant,
Maha-ratha das

01-13-1999, 07:08 PM

Re: Standard 5.3 and Preventing Calf Diarrhea

TextCOM2011220 (28 lines)
Date:13-Jan-99 10:12 +1000
From:COM: SFCP Gopala (Paramesvari dd & Maha-ratha das - YU)

To:Cow (Protection and related issues)

Dear devotees from cow conference,
Please accept my humble obeisances.

>The standard is under Section 5) MILKING:
>
>5.3) A Calf and Mother
>a) Should have continuous association for the first ten days so the calf can
acquire the essential colostrum.
>b) Should have access to mother after milking morning and evening for at
least fifteen minutes each time.
>c) Should be weaned no earlier than six months, weaning must be gradual.
>
>My primary concern is that if the calf has continuous association with the
mother.

We here have diferent experience also. I mean especially with this word
CONTINUOUS. We had an ex
herdsman who was guiding us in taking care of our cow. He was old and his
entire life he has spent with
cows and sheeps. He was our advisor. He advised us to keep the calf just near
the mother so she can feel his
presence always having him on her sight and very near, but to tight them so
that they cannot turn to each
other sso that the calf can suck. In that way he sucked only when we allowed
him to do so.

Your servant,
Maha-ratha das

Comment 980113:
'continuous association for the first ten days', when I wrote the above
standard the purpose was to stress
that the calf and cow should have full access to each other for ....e first 10
days of the calves life>. This is
based on the following reasoning acquired from over 20 years of daily
experience and observation added to
this reference from sastra and sadhu (after testing).

1. Cows milk contains, following calving, colestrum which when consumed by
them is poisonous to their
spiritual life.
2. This colestrum is present for 10 days. Western scientific research states,
it is present in large amounts for
the first 4 days, after which it decreases gradually over the following week
then from then on is only found in
trace amounts (less than 0.5% of milk total).

The first three days (under normal conditions) the calf is not to focused an
will normally feed every few
hours in small amounts, then gradually as the consume more at each feeding
they will decrease the number
of times they feed. Usually by the tenth day they are feeding twice a day. At
this time I begin to restrict their
access to their mother to two fifteen minute periods following the cows
milking (one in the AM and the
other in the PM). They do not need 15 minutes and usually can clean out all
milk in under 5 minutes, but I
allow them to associate (grooming is the main activity that takes place). This
then is the calves regular
activity until about a month before weaning takes place. Prior to weaning (one
month) the evening feeding is
dropped. Each calf is weaned when it reaches a certain weight (based on breed
and its rate of development).
If a calves coat changes color (becomes darker) I stop the milk feeding of
milk. The change in colour is
indicative of a change over from a single stomach to four stomachs (stomach
develops into four pouches at
maturity). Breed has an affect also on when this occurs, usually the smaller
breed mature quicker as also the
Taurus breeds do (the non-humped cows of European descent).

The only times I have had trouble with calf scours is:
1. In our winter (mid- December to mid-February) when it is frequently windy,
very humid (+90%) and near
freezing (25 to 55`F, -4 to 13`C). Scours usually occur after a warm spell (60
to 70`F, 15 to 21`C).
2. Those cows that are high butterfat producers (very common in Jerseys).

When the two above conditions are present (together or singularly) I will skip
a feeding on those who have
problems (with young calves I usually spend their feeding time watching them,
this means I spend 30
minutes a day observing them and their mother). If the problem is not solved
then I bottle feed using 1/2
mothers milk and 1/2 from another cow fed at each feeding (morning and
evening) in 1 litre bottle (more
than 1 quart); if the calf is also exhibiting dehydration another feeding of
warm water (if they have diarrhea,
this warm water is in the form of oak bark tea) fed at mid-day. We have a
large number of Jerseys here and
some bloodlines seem to more prone to scouring, these calves I have bottle
feed in the evenings with the
above mixture letting them have access to their mother only in the morning.

ys,
Rohita dasa