Calf Scours in Southern Australia

Summary

Calf scours have demonstrated to be a significant and time-consuming disease problem on many beef properties. Calves were most severely affected between one and six weeks of age. Twenty-eight percent of respondents had a prevalence of 20% or greater in one or more of the age groups and 33% of respondents had a mortality rate greater than 2% from 0 to 16 weeks. A historical survey of veterinary pathology laboratories in 4 states established that the most common pathogens isolated from faecal samples are cryptosporidia and rotavirus.

Diagnosis of calf scours was shown to be frustrating, because it is relatively expensive and results are not guaranteed. Producers were employing a large and contradictory range of management practices to control and treat calf scours, indicating that there was little clear and consistent advice available. The establishment of key management strategies at a herd level is essential to minimise calf scours in Australia. This report details the strategic research, product development and extension required for reducing the impact of calf scours on beef enterprises.