Buying a healthy calf – what signs to look for

With farm-to-farm sales looking the most likely way to source calves over the coming weeks, now more than ever, it is important to know what health signs to look out for when making purchases. While this does make buying calves logistically, more difficult, one benefit is that you can see the calf in its natural environment on farm and it can give you a good indication as to how much attention to detail the farmer gives their calf-rearing system.

We spoke to Tom Julian of O’Connor and Julian Veterinary practice based in Cashel, Co Tipperary, to get some top tips when it comes to things to look for to ensure you have a healthy calf.

Tom says: “There are so many things that could possibly be wrong. Initially, you need to give calves a good visual assessment and identify which ones you want to buy. You need to inspect the calf, from the top of its nose to the tip of its tail.”

Ideally the calves will be lying down when you enter the shed. Put them up slowly and monitor their initial movements. A healthy calf will always stretch when it gets up – and depending on how long it has been lying, it will usually make manure or pass urine. From here we move to examining individual parts of the animal more closely:

Nose

The nose should be clean and free from any mucus or discharge as this can be a tell-tale sign that something might not be right. Calves are like humans in that nasal discharge means there could be a virus running through the system. It does not automatically mean that the calf has pneumonia but it is a visual indicator that should lead to further inspection of the calf for any other signs of sickness.

Eyes

The eyes will tell you a lot about the health of the calf. You always want to see a calf with bright eyes as it is a sign that the calf is healthy. If a calf is unwell, it will be slow to drink which leads to dehydration. This results in their eyes being sunken and dull-looking.

Ears

The ears offer a quick visual clue to the health of the calf. If an animal’s ears are drooped, it should act as a trigger for you to inspect further as something is going to be wrong. Drooped ears are a sure sign that a calf has had pneumonia or is running a temperature.

Navel

The navel needs to be closely inspected as it is the main entrance point for infection to the calf. By the time calves are purchased, navels should be dry. Have a feel of the navel area and make sure it is free from lumps which could indicate a hernia or infection.

Tail end

Inspect the tail end of the calf and look for any visual signs of diarrhoea or scour, especially on the hocks of the calf. In calves that are over three weeks old, seeing blood and discharge on the hock area is a sure sign of coccidiosis. A wet tail can also be a sign of dehydration.

Lungs

Make sure the calf is breathing properly. A calf that has just stood up in a calf pen should not have a fast breath. If the calf is breathing rapidly, it is a sure sign of pneumonia.

Neck

A good way to see if a calf is dehydrated is to pinch a fold of skin at the base of the neck on the calf’s side. Once you let go of the pinch of skin, it should be elastic and spring back to its natural position immediately. If the calf is dehydrated, the skin is slow to retract to its natural position.

Legs

Let the calf walk around the pen and make sure they are putting each leg squarely and firmly on the ground and that there is no sign of swollen joints which would indicate infection.

Managing the purchased calf

Vaccination can play a key role in maintaining the health of calves throughout the rearing phase. Tom says the main reason we use vaccinations is to reduce antibiotic use in animals. “We are constantly trying to reduce antibiotic use in animals and vaccination is an important tool in the toolkit for doing this.

“There are many different vaccinations and products on the market, some of which are one-shot while others are two-shot. There are live and dead vaccines and it can get quite confusing for farmers. The best thing to do is to consult your local vet and come up with a plan that is suited to your individual farm needs.”

After you get your calves home to your farm, the best thing you can do in the first few days is to make them as comfortable as possible and get them feeding right. This should all be done before even thinking of vaccinations.

“A vaccine will not work on a stressed calf. The first few days on farm the calf will be getting over the ordeal of moving from one farm to another. Do not go stressing the calf further with additional handlings in the first few days on the farm.

“Vaccinations are costly so we want them, and need them to work. Remember, no vaccine will work on a stressed calf and no vaccine will cover you for 100% of problems.”

Another area Tom was keen to discuss was the handling of the vaccine prior to giving it to the calf and the way in which it is administered. These vaccines need to be kept in the fridge and used straight away after removal. If you are using a live vaccine, once it is mixed you have a short timeframe in which to use it effectively. On some farms, farmers are going to the trouble of vaccinating calves but due to not following protocols correctly, a lot of faults have occurred by the time the vaccine actually reaches the animal – this is only going to reduce its effectiveness.

Buying young calves will mean that disbudding will need to be done to some calves. Again, Tom emphasised the point that this should not be done on the same day as vaccination as it will increase the stress levels of the calf. Best practice is to leave disbudding for four or five days after vaccination.