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The incidence of calf mortality on dairy farms in southern England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2017

J. S. Brickell ,
N. Bourne  and
D. C. Wathes
J. S. Brickell*
Affiliation:
Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
N. Bourne
Affiliation:
Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
D. C. Wathes
Affiliation:
Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
*
Email:jbrickell@rvc.ac.uk
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Extract

Reduced reproductive performance of dairy cows is a major challenge facing the dairy industry. Many potential replacement heifers fail to reach their first lactation because they are either born dead, die as juveniles, or fail to conceive. Perinatal mortality has previously been estimated across English herds as 7.8% (Esslemont & Kossaibati, 1996), whereas neonatal mortality in the UK has been estimated at 0 to 10% (reviewed by Mellor & Stafford, 2004). Calf mortality is often poorly documented and estimates that are available are possibly underestimated because a dead calf at birth is not always recorded at the farm level. Therefore, the objective of this study was to accurately calculate the incidence of perinatal and neonatal mortality of dairy calves on commercial farms in southern England.

Type
Theatre Presentations
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 2007 , April 2007 , pp. 107
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2007

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References

Esslemont, R.J. and Kossaibati, M.A. 1996. Incidence of production disease & other health problems in a group of dairy herds in England. Veterinary Record 139: 486–490.Google Scholar
Heinrichs, A.J. and Radostits, O.M. 2001. In Herd Health: food animal production medicine 9: 333–395.Google Scholar
Mellor, D.J. and Stafford, K.J. 2004. Animal welfare implications of neonatal mortality & morbidity in farm animals The Veterinary Journal 168: 118–133.Google Scholar