The first few months of a calf’s life will largely determine how well she grows, how much milk she produces and how healthy she stays throughout her lifetime.

It all starts during gestation, when a cow passes on many of her own immunities to her baby. Once born, her colostrum coats the newborn calf’s belly, which helps protect against the pathogens she’ll encounter in the outside world.

However, bacterial pathogens are opportunists, said Dr. Corale Dorn, DVM, a large-animal veterinarian from Dell Rapids, South Dakota, who specializes in disease prevention and outbreaks on dairy farms.

“We’ve gotten good at recognizing bugs and being able to vaccinate the cow and transfer protection over to the baby calf,” said Dorn. “However, Salmonella is more difficult to approach in that manner. We are also now seeing a big spike in Salmonella cases that have become resistant to different antibiotics. Because of that, we really need to approach things from a prevention standpoint.”

Nutrition: The Front Line of Defense

The Alltech^® Gut Health Management program can assist dairy producers in preventing the effects of Salmonella and other bacterial pathogens by promoting good bacteria and building strong defenses.

“The gastrointestinal tract is the largest immune organ, and everything the calf touches with its mouth will go through this tract — the good, bad or otherwise,” said Dorn. “It’s all a balance, and when we look at the role of nutritional technologies like BIO-MOS^®, I see it as one of the mainstays for supporting gut integrity and overall health.”

Scientifically proven and supported by 734 research trials, BIO-MOS feeds the gastrointestinal tract, which is essential for optimal gut health and animal performance.

“One of my clients has been using BIO-MOS for a year, and not only do they have calves with exceptional growth rates, exceeding well over two times the calf’s birth weight at weaning, but less than 2 percent of their calves have needed to be held back or culled due to sickness.”

Maximizing Milk Production Starts at Birth

The first four months of a calf’s life are critical, and illness early on can plague the heifer at first lactation two years later.

“Recent studies show that if we can get better-than-expected growth rates on our replacement heifers when they are young, that will equal more milk when they come in and calve,” said Dorn. “Having to treat a case of scours, even once, when a heifer is a baby will later stunt her growth and milk production. That’s where we see prebiotics playing an important role in helping to promote healthy gut flora to generate more body growth, more weight and more milk in their first lactation, plus much less disease.”

Ultimately, Dorn says healthier young heifer calves will equal more milk later, and prebiotics play an important role in warding off Salmonella strains and promoting optimal health and growth during calving.

For additional resources on managing dairy cow and calf health, sign up below to access Alltech’s Dairy eGuide.