Young Calves: Relation of Neonatal Health Status and Sex to Some Blood Components

Abstract

Neonatal calves are sensitive to various stresses, yet vary individually in their ability to survive. Those who traffic in such calves develop some ability to visually recognize those which may not survive; errors injudgment are frequent, however. A practical and reliable method of identifying diseaseprone animals would be welcomed. Some reports (Aschaffenburg, 1949; Gay et al., 1965; Schalm, 1965; Watt, 1965) suggest that certain blood components may beuseful in prognosis or as disease resistance indicators. If a method could be found to recognize disease-prone animals before more obvious symptoms appear, their chance for survival could be enhanced. Part of this report deals with the degree of success achieved in finding an index related to health status in young calves offered at auction. Certain weaknesses in the study are acknowledged as a result of compromising between conditions as they exist in practice compared to the ideal experimental design.