Calving Ease
Calving Ease is a monthly newsletter dealing with many issues related to calf raising in the Northeastern U.S. It is produced by Dr. Sam Leadley. Calving Ease is a resource that brings a different and very practical perspective to the problems of calf and heifer raising. This publication is included here as a service to Calf Notes.com readers.
Sam Leadley passed away on July 2, 2020 at the age of 85. Sam was a friend, colleague, and inspiration. He was a fundamental reason that I chose to continue writing Calf Notes not only to provide my perspective on calf raising, but also to make Sam’s contributions more widely available. Sam’s contributions to calf raising were stunning. More information on Sam’s life and work in improving calf rearing is here. One of the great pleasures of my professional career was working with Sam at workshops and conferences. His enthusiasm was contagious, as was his infectious smile. He will be missed.
2020
- January 2020 – Feed for more than maintenance!
- February 2020 – Newborn calf immunity: How well is your colostrum management program working?
- March 2020 – Out of balance = sick calf
- April/May 2020 – Making your calf care team more robust
2019
- January 2019 – What to do about Scours
- February 2019 – Calf Health: The Futile Search for the “Silver Bullet”
- March 2019 – Hard Calvings: Impact on Calves
- April 2019 – Mixing Milk Replacer
- May 2019 – Calf Notes Update
- June 2019 – Improving Treatment Success for Sick Calves
- July 2019 – Water – The Magic Growth Promoter
- August 2019 – Biosecurity for calves: 5 ways to improve
- September 2019 – Sooner is better for colostrum feeding, but how much better?
- October 2019 – Getting better calf starter intake
- November 2019 – The “when” for oral electrolytes
- December 2019 – Calf starter grain intake – managed or neglected?
2018
- January 2018 – Feeding Space for Heifers
- February 2018 – Consistency Matters!
- March 2018 – Cross Sucking Revisited: Issues and Tips
- April 2018 – Late Winter-Spring Scours in Calves
- May 2018 – Feeding Water to Calves
- June 2018 – Feeding Hay with Calf Starter Grain
- July 2018 – Colostrum: Yet another Update
- August 2018 – Quality Calf Care Depends on Quality Communication Among Calf Care Workers
- September 2018 – Testing Colostrum for IgG’s
- October 2018 – Is ‘Waste Milk’ Good for Calves?
- November 2018 – Luminometer: Using One to Improve Sanitation for Calves
- December 2018 – Tips for Keeping Your Milk Replacer Clean
2017
- January 2017 – What Level of Bacterial Contamination is “Normal” for Colostrum?
- February 2017 – Diagnosis: Salmonella dublin What do we do next?
- March 2017 – Fly Control in March?
- April 2017 – Avoiding Passive Transfer Failure
- May 2017 – Improving Weaning Results: Keeping Weaned Calves Growing and Healthy
- June 2017 – Hay for Preweaned Calves
- July 2017 – Test, Don’t Guess Monitoring Bacteria Counts in “as-fed” Milk
- August 2017 – Take Time to Care for the Dystocia Calf
- September 2017 – Guidelines for Storing Colostrum
- October 2017 Caring for Calves can be Painful
- November 2017 – Don’t Fall Behind with Coccidiosis
- December 2017 – Bottle Feeding Colostrum
2016
- January 2016 – Cold Newborn Calf Care
- February 2016 – Cleaning and Disinfecting
- March 2016 – Too Many Sick Calves? Consider the piBVD Calf!
- April 2016 – Extended Weaning for Intensively Milk Fed Calves
- May 2016 – Do I Need a Calf Vaccination Protocol?
- June 2016 – Preventing Navel Infections
- July 2016 – Managing Protocol Drift
- August 2016 – New Calf Management Resources 2016 @ www.atticacows.com
- September 2016 – Fall Weather and Newborn Calves: Part 1
- October 2016 – Fall Weather and Newborn Calves: Part 2
- November 2016 – Preventing Scours and Pneumonia vs. Treating Sick Calves
- December 2016 – Colostrum Bacteria Control
2015
- January 2015 – Vaccinating During Winter Weather
- February 2015 – Getting Equipment Clean Under Cold Conditions
- March 2015 – Where’s The Hot Water?
- April 2015 – Calibrating – the Key to Consistency
- May 2015 – Feeding Pasteurized Milk Tips for Success
- June 2015 – Thirty Minutes to Feed or Chill Colostrum
- July 2015 – Choose the Correct Colostrum Feeding Method to Maximize Antibody Absorption
- August 2015 – Bottle Feeding: Do It Right!
- September 2015 – Cold Weather = Poor Calf Care?
- October 2015 – Do Your Calves Have a Cushion?
- November 2015 – Are Your Weaned Calves Rumen Ready?
- December 2015 – Mixing Milk Replacer: Are You Using Best Management Practices?
2014
- January 2014 – Wash Water Always Above 120°F
- February 2014 – Try Sleeping on Concrete!
- March 2014 – Buying and Using Household Bleach
- April 2014 – Spring Slip-ups in Calf Care
- May 2014 – Hot Weather and Calves
- June 2014 – Planning for Success: We Can Feed More without Scours
- July 2014 – Putting the Brakes on Bacteria Growth in Colostrum
- August 2014 – Encouraging Rumen Development Among Preweaned Calves
- September 2014 – Calves: When is a Draft Not a Draft?
- October 2014 – Feeding Colostrum – Do It Right!
- November 2014 – Harvest the Benefits of Bio-Security Measures for Calf Facilities
- December 2014 – Will 3X Milk Feeding Make a Difference?
2013
- January 2013 – High coliform count in colostrum? What to do next
- February 2013 – Salmonella is always a Challenge
- March 2013 – Fixing Passive Transfer Failure
- April 2013 – Persistent Breaks with Coccidiosis
- May 2013 – Less Mortality in the first 24 Hours
- June 2013 – Managing Risk the First Week after Weaning
- July 2013 – Managing Heat in Hutch Housing
- August 2013 – Coccidia – Our friend that just keeps giving
- September 2013 – Cross-sucking: Issues and Tips
- October 2013 – To Wash or Not to Wash
- November 2013 – Practical Ways to Chill Colostrum
- December 2013 – The Calf Kitchen
2012
- January 2012 – Special care for the dystocia calf
- February 2012 – Surges in calvings: respond positively rather than “muddling through”
- March 2012 – Group Housing: doing it right this time
- April 2012 – Why do Bad Things (Sick, Dead Calves) Happen to Good People (Us)?
- May 2012 – How to Save a Penny and Lose a Dollar
- June 2012 – A stich in time saves nine
- July 2012 – Weaning for Success
- August 2012 – How much milk will a calf drink?
- September 2012 – Coccidiosis: Our constant companion
- October 2012 – Gain weight the first week of life?
- November 2012 – When to test for immunity
- December 2012 – Weaning with less stress
2011
- January 2011 – Cold stressed calves
- February 2011 – Bedding calves for cold weather
- March 2011 – Treating too many calves for scours
- April 2011 – Zero tolerance for antibiotic residues
- May 2011 – Disinfecting to Improve Calf Health: Part 1
- June 2011 – Does Water Make a Difference?
- July 2011 – Disinfecting to Improve Calf Health: Part 2
- August 2011 – Colostrum: Quality and Quantity
- September 2011 – Needed: Good Air Part 1
- October 2011 – Needed: Good Air Part 2
- November 2011 – Colostrum testing and feeding
- December 2011 – Navel dipping – Advantages and alternatives
2010
- January 2010 – Feed more milk without scours
- February 2010 – Doing the job the Way it should be done
- March 2010 – Drying off the calf
- April 2010 – Weaning calves
- May 2010 – Improving our handling of colostrum
- June 2010 – Solving water feeding issues
- July 2010 – Refrigerator or storage cabinet?
- August 2010 – Quality care every day
- September 2010 – Quality care at harvest time
- October 2010 – How Much Grain Should Our Weaned Calves Eat?
- November 2010 – Good air = good health
- December 2010 – How good is your calf rearing program?
2009
- January 2009 – Mixing milk replacer
- February 2009 – Calving management
- March 2009 – Lying behavior in calves
- April 2009 – Is cleaning possible?
- May 2009 – Calves not eating grain
- June 2009 – Hay – limited or free choice
- July 2009 – Avoid these cleaning errors
- August 2009 – Testing for passive transfer of immunity
- September 2009 – How do You Respond to a Health Crisis?
- October 2009 – Early Detection of Sick Preweaned Calves
- November 2009 – Using a tube feeder: Yes or No
- December 2009 – Antibiotics in milk replacers: Changes coming soon
2008
- January 2008 – Getting more antibodies into calves
- February 2008 – Measure it or lose control
- March 2008 – Applied immunology: Keeping calves healthy
- April 2008 – How do you feed colostrum?
- May 2008 – Too many sick calves
- June 2008 – Chilling colostrum
- July 2008 – Tips for hot weather management
- August 2008 – Expect the Unexpected
- September 2008 – Know the facts about your calves
- October 2008 – Monitoring for profitability
- November 2008 – Using bleach effectively
- December 2008 – Feeding transition milk and colostrum
2007
- January 2007 – Surges in scours cases
- February 2007 – The pneumonia calf
- March 2007 – Variation in body temperature
- April 2007 – Timeliness of treating pneumonia
- May 2007 – Earlier weaning: yes or nor?
- June 2007 – Loopholes that make calves sick
- July 2007 – Shelf life of stored colostrum
- August 2007 – Once-a-Day Feeding: Yes or No?
- Special Issue (08/28/07) – Colostrum quality: A Key to Scours Prevention
- September 2007 – Feed More as the Weather Gets Colder, Or, Seasonally Adjusted Nutrient Intake
- October 2007 – Feeding for Success
- November 2007 – At what price crowding?
- December 2007 – Colostrum bacteria control
2006
- January 2006 – Dehorning calves
- February 2006 – Feeding refrigerated colostrum
- March 2006 – Holes in biosecurity
- April 2006 – Too many stresses
- May 2006 – Clean colostrum: Letting biology work for you
- June 2006 – Dystocia Calf Care
- July 2006 – Dehydration
- August 2006 – Cleaning milk equipment, yet again!
- September 2006 – Feeding immunoglobulins
- October 2006 – Feed water
- October 2006 – Cold weather bedding
- December 2006 – Basics of feeding more in cold weather
2005
- January 2005 – How much is enough?
- February 2005 – Managing for high antibody colostrum
- March 2005 – Introducing forage to transition calves
- April 2005 – Ammonia is bad for calves
- May 2005 – Dehydration in milk-fed calves
- June 2005 – Calves & water
- July 2005 – Assumacy
- August 2005 – Colostrum composition and stage of milk out
- September 2005 – Did you measure it?
- October 2005 – Colostrum and first week growth
- November 2005 – Calf care and pain
- December 2005 – IDairy.org
2004
- January 2004 – Cold weather calf care tips
- February 2004 – Weaning calves
- March 2004 – Using bleach as a germicide for manual washing feeding equipment
- April 2004 – Spring and newborn care
- May 2004 – Navels and newborns
- June 2004 – Feeding space for heifers
- July 2004 – Pro’s and con’s of feeding frozen colostrum
- August 2004 – How to measure
- September 2004 – Treatment and prevention for scours
- October 2004 – 5 common pitfalls in preweaned calf care
- November 2004 – Doing ID right for replacement dairy heifers
- December 2004 – Beware of Averages
2003
- January 2003 – Scours are NOT normal
- February 2003 – Pooling colostrum
- March 2003 – Calf care and husbandry
- April 2003 – Bottle feeding
- May 2003 – The “only” way to feed calves
- June 2003 – Little slipups add up
- July 2003 – Summer, calves and water
- August 2003 – Learning a skill
- September 2003 – What is colostrum?
- October 2003 – To wash or not to wash: Who knows the answer?
- November 2003 – Why water?
- December 2003 – Stress and coccidiosis
2002
- January 2002 – Improving heifer handling (Part 2)
- February 2002 – The right water temperature
- March 2002 – Colostrum – the four quart myth (Part 1 of 2)
- April 2002 – Colostrum – the four quart myth (Part 2 of 2)
- May 2002 – Value of colostrum feeding – fact and speculation
- June 2002 – Are we achieving our goals? (Part 1: Measuring and Recording)
- July 2002 – Are we achieving our goals? (Part 2: Summarizing and Analyzing)
- August 2002 – Heat stress and calves
- September 2002 – Abomasal ulcers
- October 2002 – Scours: Make a list and check it twice
- November 2002 – Coccidiosis and young calves
- December 2002 – Coccidiostats and Murphy’s Law
2001
- January 2001 – Cold weather and energy for calves
- February 2001 – Biosecurity when the veterinarian works with calves
- March 2001 – Newborn navel care
- April 2001 – Accelerated growth: An elusive goal
- May 2001 – Mastitis and flies
- June 2001 – Coccidiosis and the three-week old calf
- July 2001 – Using Electrolytes
- August 2001 – Wholesome colostrum
- September 2001 – Habits: good and bad
- October 2001 – Maternal immune cells in colostrum
- November 2001 – Good colostrum management
- December 2001 – Improving heifer handling (Part 1)
2000
- January 2000 – Cold weather and newborn calves
- February 2000 – Measuring and mixing milk replacer
- March 2000 – Decontaminating feeding equipment
- April 2000 – Heifer colostrum an overlooked resource
- May 2000 – Mama’s white bread recipe
- June 2000 – Water a vital element for calf growth
- July 2000 – Beginning to eat starter grain
- August 2000 – Aim for fewer pathogens at calving
- September 2000 – Scours in two-week old calves
- October 2000 – Quality of starter grain
- November 2000 – Feed bunk space for heifers
- December 2000 – Vaccination does not equal immunization
1999
- January 1999 – Hay – more thoughts on which to ruminate
- February 1999 – Calves and cold weather in Wisconsin
- March 1999 – Safety at clean-up time
- April 1999 – Newborn poops
- May 1999 – Blood serum total protein
- June 1999 – Flies
- July 1999 – Caring for twins
- August 1999 – Growth rate goals for weaned heifers
- September 1999 – Feeding more than 1 lb. of milk replacer per day
- October 1999 – Milk feeding in an accelerated growth program
- November 1999 – Grain feeding in an accelerated growth program
- December 1999 – Care and feeding of calf raisers
1998
- January 1998 – TLC
- February 1998 – Money saving tips for calf raising
- March 1998 – The frustration of Cryptosporidiosis
- April 1998 – Weaning stress in healthy calves
- May 1998 – Vaccination records
- June 1998 -Preserving colostrum quality
- July 1998 – Coccidiosis and stress
- August 1998 – Growth rates for preweaned calves – rates from published studies
- September 1998 – Consistent growth, desirable but hard to achieve
- October 1998 – Growth rates for preweaned calves – weights from two farms
- November 1998 – The challenge of variations in maturity and size
- December 1998 – Cleaning plastics questions and answers
1997
- January 1997 – Rumen development
- February 1997 – Newborn calf care
- March 1997 – Body temperature
- April 1997 – Inconsistent starter consumption
- May 1997 – Heifer identification
- June 1997 – Reminders for warm weather management/a>
- July 1997 – Dairy-L, DairyNew, and Calf Notes – Electronic tips for calf feeders
- August 1997 – The “no-colostrum” calf
- September 1997 – Feeding fermented transition milk
- October 1997 – Me? sick from a calf?
- November 1997 – Cleaning plastics
- December 1997 – Time saving tips for calf raising
1996
- January 1996 – When is a calf sick?
- February 1996 – HEAD TO TOE – Dress for Successful Calf Raising
- March 1996 – Esophageal groove
- April 1996 – Pathogen management
- May 1996 – Colostrum, again
- June 1996 – Summertime calfcare
- July 1996 – Caring for twins
- August 1996 – Starter
- September 1996 – Nursing
- October 1996 – Early weaning pleasures and perils
- November 1996 – Stress and calf management
- December 1996 – Winter feeding
1995
- January 1995 – Calves aren’t hungry
- February 1995 – Teaching a calf to drink
- March 1995 – Weaning calves
- April 1995 – Feed me!! I’m yours!
- May 1995 – Superman Comics Revisited
- June 1995 – Saturday Night Special
- July 1995 – Hot weather and flies
- August 1995 – Poor Doer or … BLAD?
- September 1995 – Bio-security
- October 1995 -Calf pneumonia
- November 1995 – Healthy calves
- December 1995 -Looking ahead to the New Year