B.NBP.0808-Vaccination of calves and weaners for Clostridial diseases

Summary

Vaccination against common clostridial diseases in cattle is recommended as  best practice husbandry and perceived by farmers and veterinarians to reduce disease and mortality. However, only 8% and 13% of stations within the Barkly and Katherine regions of the Northern Territory (NT), respectively, are estimated to administer either 5-in-1 or 7-in-1 vaccine to weaner cattle.

This producer demonstration study used a multi-disciplinary approach to increase knowledge and awareness around wounding management procedures, such as dehorning and castration, and management of clostridial diseases.

While providing only a single shot 5-in-1 vaccination at the time of husbandry procedures is practical for most northern NT commercial conditions, the results from this study suggest that this may not have established a preventative level of immunity against clostridial disease. The analyses showed that there was no association between vaccination status and missingness within both males and females.

Objectives

The objectives of the project were to:

• demonstrate best practice husbandry procedures routinely conducted on young cattle
• generate mortality data on extensively managed calves and weaner cattle following dehorning and castration
• measure mortality reduction from vaccinating young cattle for clostridial diseases under commercial conditions
• assess cost benefits of vaccinating young cattle for clostridial diseases under commercial conditions.

Key findings

• Data analysis did not show a statistically significant reduction in the occurrence of animals ‘missing’ at future musters when vaccinated at the time of either or both dehorning and castration. 
• The simple economic analyses completed as part of this study demonstrated that only a minimal response from vaccination was needed to make the practice of administering a single shot vaccination at the branding cradle cost neutral to the business if the vaccinations could be performed by existing staff.
• Two workshops aiming to increase awareness and use of best practice husbandry procedures were completed during the course of the producer demonstration study.
• Monitoring and evaluation outcomes indicate that this project was successful in increasing knowledge and awareness around wounding management procedures and management of clostridial diseases.

Benefits to industry

This project reinforced the importance of making management decisions that are based on evidence and the ability to capture informative data. Through their involvement in this study industry stakeholders were equipped with techniques, such as the odd and evens trial, that will allow them to generate evidence on a topic of concern in their own environment.