Are neonatal calves getting enough to drink in northern Australia?

Abstract

The incidence of low milk delivery was assessed in 14 Brahman neonatal calves in the dry tropics of northern Queensland. Calf measures included live weight (as growth is primarily a function of milk intake) and urea space (a measure of body water). Urea space data were inaccurate. One calf dehydrated due to the dam having larger teats. Each of the remaining calves was categorised as having early (n=7) or delayed growth pattern (n=6), depending on whether calf live weight versus day of life had higher adjusted R2 for linear or exponential regression, respectively. Delayed calves did not reach the average growth rate of early calves (0.97±0.09 kg/d) until 4.2±0.7 days of life (P<0.05); and gained 0.57±0.1 kg/d prior to reaching this age. The high incidence of delayed growth in neonatal Brahman calves appeared to be related to delayed lactation, which may potentiate calf mortality under more stressful conditions.