Don’t Let Coccidiosis Win in Your Calves

Coccidiosis in your calves is like a million hockey pucks, all constantly trying to get past the goalie. Making sure they don’t succeed and score is a constant battle that requires consistency and attention to detail on your part.

The disease is caused by a protozoa – a living parasite that can reside nearly everywhere in a young calf’s environment. They may be living and laying oocysts (eggs) in bedding, water, or feed; and on housing and equipment like walls, gates, and feeding utensils. When calves ingest them, they can multiply rapidly in the lining of the intestine.

The first apparent signs of coccidiosis will likely be scours, which may be bloody at times. It takes about 18 days for a coccidia oocyst to mature to adulthood, which is why it is common to see calves break with coccidiosis scours at about 3 weeks of age, and not likely before.

Coccidiosis scours are consistent with all the issues caused by other types of scours – dehydration, poor growth rates, greater susceptibility to pneumonia, and even death. Sometimes infections also exist at a subclinical level. They don’t cause obvious scours, but they may consume the calf’s immune resources and limit growth and weight gain.

And there is more damage that you can’t see because coccidia infections can permanently impair the intestinal lining and the development of intestinal villi. These are the finger-like structures that absorb nutrients throughout a calf’s life. Coccidia infections can damage the villi or limit their growth. That animal is then less able to absorb nutrients and efficiently convert feed over its entire lifetime, whether it is headed for the milking parlor or the feedlot.

Protecting calves from coccidiosis requires offense strategies on multiple fronts. These efforts fall into two overall categories: management and medication.

Management:

It may sound like “old news,” but coccidiosis is a disease that has been around for decades, if not centuries. The basics for keeping it in check haven’t changed a lot over time, and start with colostrum delivery. The immunity conferred by high-quality colostrum lays the foundation that allows calves to fight invasive organisms, including coccidia.

Manure is a primary carrier of coccidia. Calves’ exposure to adult manure -- particularly in the maternity pen – should be limited. Infected calves can also spread the disease rapidly to their pen mates via their manure, so avoid overcrowding. Calves need plenty of clean, dry bedding wherever they live, whether it’s an individual pen, a hutch, or a group pen. All-in, all-out management of calf living spaces, with excellent cleaning and re-bedding between groups, also helps limit coccidia exposure.

Other important management steps include routinely cleaning and sanitizing water and feed pails and automatic waterers. Using ATP monitoring to detect biofilm on equipment for mixing and feeding liquid milk rations can also reduce coccidia exposure.

Remember that due to their young age and naïve immune systems, calves are almost always at a tipping point as their bodies fight disease and try to grow. So don’t “pile on” stressors like weaning, dehorning, and castration all at one time. And while we can’t change the weather, we can be weather aware. Calves can be supported with extra bedding, increased milk volume or additional feedings, and/or supplemental electrolyte feedings during extreme climate conditions.

Medication: Fortunately, we also have items in our medication toolbox to prevent and treat coccidia infections. These include:

Bovatec® (lasalocid) – This ionophore can be fed in milk replacer or calf starter, and aids in the prevention of coccidia infections. It is easily blended into milk replacer formulations and provides coccidia protection while supporting good rumen development during calves’ early weeks of life – for just pennies per day. It also can be added to starter grain as calves mature.

Rumensin® (monensin) – This is also an ionophore, most commonly added to starter grain. It provides coccidia protection and can promote growth during high-stress periods like weaning.

Deccox® (decoquinate) – Unlike ionophores, this product does not affect rumen development, but can interrupt the early stages of the coccidia life cycle. It is typically blended with milk replacer and is safe for very young calves starting at birth.

CORID®, CocciAid®, or Amprol® (amprolium) – These products fall into the area of treatment rather than prevention. If calves break with coccidia scours, amprolium can be used therapeutically as a drench or water additive. While its primary use should be to treat sick calves, veterinarians sometimes recommend short-term amprolium therapy during periods of stress, particularly if a herd has struggled with coccidiosis and has high oocyst load in the environment.

 Visit with your Strauss Feeds representative and veterinarian to develop the best defense strategy for winning against coccidiosis in your calves.     

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