ESTABLISHING PECKING ORDER IS STRESSFUL

By Russell Schnepper, D.V.M.

Pecking order is the basic pattern of social organization within a group in which each animal pecks another lower on the scale without fear of retaliation and submits to pecking by one of higher rank. Groups go through this scenario each time a new member is added to the group. Pigs exhibit the peck order establishment by violently fighting for a couple hours. Then the pigs that are alive know exactly where they fit in the pecking order. Each time you add a new member to the group they go through the same procedure again until they learn exactly where the new member fits in the hierarchy. Calves go through the same situation each time they are mixed. I think a Holstein calf can worry himself to death, just trying to figure where he fits in the pecking order. This is a very stressful time for the animal. The stress suppresses the immune system. The calf normally has Pasteurella organisms in its upper respiratory tract. Suppressing the immune system allows the Pasteurella to multiply at a rapid rate, and in 14 days there are enough Pasteurella present they move down into the lung. Pneumonia is the result. This is why you see pneumonia two weeks following a stress. Avoid the stress and avoid the pneumonia.

We use Immunoboost at the time of mixing calves. Immunoboost causes the calf to produce interferon, which helps to protect the calf during the mixing procedure. A modified live virus vaccine, like Express-5 and many other brands also make the calf produce interferon. I feel the interferon from the vaccine only lasts about three days, whereas Immunoboost lasts for seven days and Immunoboost is much more effective than the short term benefit of the modified live virus vaccine.

There have been articles published suggesting calves be grouped in small groups and then gradually added to larger groups to avoid stress of being introduced to a larger group. This is contrary to our experiences. We had a calf client that did an excellent job of caring for the calves in hutches up through weaning. Then in an attempt to make the transition to a larger group easier she moved them from a hutch to a super hutch of 8 calves, then a week later to 16, and after another week, to 32 in a pen. Even with vaccinating with a Modified Live Vaccine each day the calves were moved we were not able to control the Pasteurella pneumonia. During this same period we had clients that went from individual hutches to100 calves in each pen. The groups of 100 did much better than the calves introduced to a larger group in steps. The one to one hundred groups only went through adjusting to the pecking order once whereas the others went through it each week.

Work done at the University of Wisconsin shows mixing adult cows costs several pounds of milk per cow per day on the entire herd for the first week following adding the fresh cows to the milking herd. Every time calves are mixed, it costs you money in lost rate of gain and sick calves. The calf is a creature of habit and hates change. Do not move him any more often than necessary and never more than once a month. Inject Immunoboost the day you move the calves.

Contact information for ordering information and questions about our products:

Schnepper International, Inc.

3210 County B, Platteville, WI 53818

608-348-6141, Fax: 608-348-6146

www.calfdoctor.com email: rschnep@centurytel.net