Essential steps to safely transport heifers off-site

Rearing replacement heifers requires a significant investment of money — the second largest expense on a dairy after feed — and time to develop them into productive cows. Many dairies are turning to off-site facilities that provide specialized care to calves and heifers to give these animals the best chance of long-term return on investment.

Nearly two-thirds of dairies that send their calves and heifers to off-site facilities send them to facilities where they have contact with cattle from other operations. It’s important to establish health protocols to reduce the possibility of disease introduction, especially for calves comingled with cattle from other dairies. A well-designed immunization plan and breeding protocols — along with good communication between the dairy farm and the heifer raising facility — are crucial to prepare heifer calves for successful breeding and milking performance and improving the health of their offspring to protect the future of the dairy.

Preparing healthy calves for the next step

calves to a heifer raising facility. The first step to getting neonatal calves off to a healthy start is feeding colostrum soon after birth to achieve successful passive transfer of immunity. Calves should receive 4 quarts of high-quality colostrum within the first one to three hours after birth followed by a second feeding eight to 12 hours later.

The second step is to bolster the calf’s immunity against diseases such as bovine respiratory disease (BRD.)

Work closely with your veterinarian to develop a vaccination protocol for your calves before they leave the home farm. Consider choosing an intranasal vaccine that is shown effective against the most common pneumonia-causing bacterial and viral pathogens; some can be administered as early as one week of age.

Intranasal vaccination is a good choice for young animals because it delivers antigens directly to the calf’s nostrils to initiate a rapid immune response while bypassing potential interference from maternal antibodies. This needle-free route of administration is less stressful, and disposable shields over cannulas can help mitigate cross-contamination between calves.

Maintain detailed records of vaccinations, including vaccine type, date and observed reactions to share with the off-site facility. Some intranasal vaccines include a blue colorant, making it easy to visually identify calves that have been vaccinated.

Low-stress calf handling

When preparing to move calves to an off-site facility, exercise patience and remember to apply low-stress handling techniques. Low-stress handling is fundamental to good dairy animal husbandry.

Ensure calves have adequate footing along the route to the trailer. If calves walk on concrete, distribute sawdust, sand or lime to increase traction and help prevent injuries. The trailer should also be well bedded for good traction.

Offer the calf the opportunity to decide to take the step onto the trailer. Gently swipe your hand down the spine of the calf from front to back to encourage forward movement. When unloading calves, start at the back door of the trailer and work into the group slowly to encourage just a few calves to step off the trailer at a time. Work up and back the length of the trailer to encourage other calves to follow.

For more information on best practices for low-stress handling of calves and heifers, Merck Animal Health offers detailed training modules at DairyCare365.com.

Turning good heifers into great cows

Work with your heifer raising facility to establish the proper age and weight for breeding and discuss estrus synchronization protocols.

Prior to breeding, heifers should be vaccinated with a minimum of two doses of a five-way modified-live virus vaccine that is shown effective against infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVD), vibriosis and leptospirosis. Reproductive diseases like IBR, BVD and leptospirosis can cause early embryonic death, congenital defects and abortions.

Vaccines should be administered at least 30 days prior to breeding to help minimize any negative vaccine effects on fertility, as well as embryonic losses due to infectious reproductive diseases. Keep in mind that modified-live vaccines are only safe for use in pregnant heifers if the heifers were vaccinated within the past 12 months with any of the modified-live IBR and BVD containing vaccine(s) in the same product line.

If heifers are scheduled to return to the dairy farm shortly before they calve, a scours vaccine should be administered 12 weeks pre-calving. This is generally followed by a booster dose three to six weeks later.

Calf scours is responsible for 56.4% of mortality among pre-weaned dairy calves.³ Only dam scour vaccines protect calves against all four major disease-causing pathogens and eliminate the need to vaccinate individual calves.

Returning to the home farm

Before animals return to the farm, transport vehicles and pens should be disinfected. Avoid unnecessary stops and ensure staff members utilize low-stress cattle handling techniques, keeping animals calm upon arrival.

When moving heifers, stay in the pressure zone but outside of the flight zone to reduce stress on the animal while controlling its movement. Apply the minimum amount of pressure necessary to cause the heifer to enter the trailer and release the pressure a bit when cattle respond and move as you intended. Cattle are more sensitive to sound than humans, so refrain from loud noises that would distract them from loading onto the trailer.

Upon return to the home farm, heifers should be placed in a clean pen away from other animals. Ideally, shipped heifers should be quarantined for 30 days before comingling with other animals to prevent disease spread.

Out of sight, but top of mind

Last but not least, communication is key between dairies, their veterinarians and the heifer raising facilities. Clearly define the age at which calves are transported to the calf ranch, when they return, expectations of care and growing performance, and health protocols.

Regularly scheduled reports should address successes and concerns and cover topics such as veterinary interventions and biosecurity protocols. Monitoring technology can help track and compile data on an individual calf basis and establish long-term performance by monitoring calves during the first 12 months of life.

The steps you take now to grow and nurture your replacement heifers are an investment in the future of your operation. If you are investing in off-site heifer raising, ensure you get the most out of your investment through well-developed immunization protocols, clear communication among the heifer raising team and effective breeding protocols.

References available upon request.

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