Every dairy producer knows that calcium deficiency during freshening can lead to Hypocalcaemia, which is better known as Milk Fever.  Calving triggers the onset of milk production which in turn drains the animal’s blood calcium levels faster than they can be replaced.  This forces the animal to begin drawing calcium from its bones.  All of this results in the various ailments we associate with milk fever such as stiffening of joints, worsened muscle contractions, rumen motility, paralization, and if left untreated, death.  Milk Fever usually occurs within 72 hours of calving, and it is estimated that clinical cases affect 3-8% of all dairy cows, with some herds experiencing instances as high as 25-30% with older cattle and Jerseys being the most prone animals.  Also, if a cow has experienced milk fever during past lactations they tend to become more susceptible to it in future lactations and they should be watched closely.

One case of milk fever cost on average over $345 in treatment cost, loss milk production, and potential culling.  Once weakened by the fever other ailments such as retained placentas, metritis, mastitis, loss of appetite, displaced abomasums, and ketosis often occur affectively compounding the odds of losing the animal or at least drastically expanding the cost of recovery.  Many producers I have worked with claimed to never or very rarely experience milk fever on their herd which is terrific, but precautions must still be considered as subclinical cases are extremely common and seldom diagnosed.  Subclinical milk fever is caused by and damages the animal the same as clinical cases do, just at a lesser extent.  These ‘lesser’ cases can still cost producers hundreds of dollars as they may result in lost production, lower conception rates, and increased chances of mastitis.  As such, it is essential for any profitable dairy operation to prevent milk fever, clinical or not, whenever possible.

The prevention of milk fever begins with the dry cow ration.  In the past, many dairy producers have fed their dry cows whatever feed was most convenient or inexpensive; saving quality feed stuffs for the production animals.  This way of thinking must be re-visited as research continues to show the importance of managing your dry cow program just as effectively as your milking herd.  Improving your dry cow program can result in better conception rates, lower instances of mastitis, increased production, and generally healthier animals.  To do this you need a properly balanced ration formulated with the help of your nutritionist, proper bedding and ventilation to maintain a high standard of cow comfort, and your time to check these animals regularly to catch any ailments they may get.  Milk fever has been nearly eliminated from numerous farms once a proper ration was started for the dry cows, this means balancing calcium and potassium levels, utilizing anionic salts or similar additives, and balancing all other feed traits such as chloride, sodium, sulfur, and phosphorus.  It is best to consult your nutritionist to find the best ration for your herd.

Along with managing your dry cows ration, there are other management practices you can follow to help control milk fever.  One method is to treat fresh cows with intravenous fluids such as Calcium Gluconate IV’s; IV’s work very quickly as they are administered directly into the blood stream where the low calcium levels originally caused the milk fever.  If an animal is ‘down’ and unresponsive, an IV is usually the only option available to get the animal back on its feet.  Either get trained properly in the administration if IV’s or have a licensed veterinarian do it for you.  The limiting factor with IV’s is that although they get calcium directly into the blood, it is at relatively low levels and does not stay with the animal long, often requiring multiple follow up treatments before the animal is back to 100%.  Oral calcium supplements have come a long way in recent years and have been proven very effective at preventing milk fever if they are used at the right time in the right way.  Calcium Chloride gels and drenches are the most common and effective forms of oral calcium treatment as they have the ability to bypass the rumen and get into the animals blood in around a half hour.  This is the fastest way of getting calcium into an animal short of an IV.  A popular program is to administer calcium chloride gel or drench to every animal immediately after calving and again the following day.  This will increase the animal’s blood calcium levels and can dramatically aid in preventing clinical and subclinical milk fever cases.  If an IV is used it is still recommended to give oral calcium as a follow up to prevent relapses due to the IV’s low level of residual calcium.  Just remember to never administer oral supplements to an animal which is down, paralyzed, or unable to swallow as this may result in aspiration and possibly death.  A good rule of thumb when administering oral supplements after a cow has recovered from being down is to wait three hours or until you witness the animal eating or drinking.  An actual drench applicator gun should be used to ensure the right amount of product is administered at the right speed, using pop bottles or other methods may result in harming or killing the animal.

There are other types of calcium supplements on the market which have proven themselves beneficial.  They include calcium boluses, drinkable drenches, pumpable drenches (used via stomach or esophageal pump), and calcium powders.  Each of these products should be scrutinized thoroughly before use as some are much more effective than others.  Also remember that unless the product is calcium chloride drench or gel it will have to be processed by the rumen and will take between 6-8 hours before full utilization is achieved.  As such these products are most beneficial if given the day before the animal calves as well as immediately after or used as a follow up to IV treatments.

Every farm should look at their needs, capabilities, and fresh cow programs to decide how best to handle milk fever on their herd.  But by using some of the above strategies you will be giving your herd and checkbook a serious advantage.

Shawn Parish

www.PSCfarm.com
www.ProbioticSmart.com

Shawn Parish has an Associate’s degree in Animal Science from Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire, WI.  He grew up working on farms around Western Wisconsin.  Shawn was an Artificial Insemination Technician for Genex, CRI, and he has spent the last 7 years working in the dairy health/nutrition field.