I have heard of a number of outbreaks of pneumonia in calves and weanlings in sheds over the weekend.

Very mild weather has meant that sheds with poor ventilation have struggled to get enough air movement and this had led to health problems.

Met Éireann has forecasted temperatures to increase to 13°C by the end of this week, so conditions could be even more difficult by the end of the week.

While a lot of the pre-determining factors such as good weaning practices, dosing and maximising immunity through vaccination should have already taken place on farms, there are still some practices that can be implemented to reduce health issues.

Know the signs

Number one is regular herding. Cattle should be seen at least twice daily. Take the time to ensure all animals are eating. Feeding meal across two feeds is a handy way of checking that all animals are feeding and healthy.

Look for signs of sickness, such as an animal lying at the back of a pen, dropped ears, dullness or discharges from eyes or the nose in the later stages.

If you think you have a sick animal, one of the first checks you should do is take its temperature. The normal temperature of a weanling should be around 38°C. This can vary a little by about 1°C.

If the animal has an elevated temperature, they will need veterinary treatment. Getting in early with treatment is key to a successful outcome.

Check other animals in the pen, as sometimes other animals can be in the early stages of sickness. Remain very vigilant in the face of an outbreak.

Stress

Stress is a big factor so make sure animals aren’t under any nutritional or parasite stress. Remember in the face of an outbreak not to stress calves too much and to seek veterinary advice.

While vaccinating calves intranasally can work quicker and give faster cover, vaccinating in the middle of an outbreak of pneumonia when animals have high temperatures and animals are actively shedding virus will hinder the vaccination working correctly.

If dosing, weaning or castrating is planned, wait until all calves are fully clear of pneumonia until proceeding with these tasks, as stress could lead to a relapse.

Ventilation

Check your ventilation and see if some temporary measure such as taking off a few side sheets could get you through this winter.

Make sure calves have a clean, dry bed at all times and take care not to stock sheds too heavily. Some autumn-calving herds allow calves access to outdoors via creep areas and this has worked wonders on some farms which have had issues in the past.

While antibiotics will likely cure animals, some can have poor thrive for the rest of their lifetime if affected badly enough. Talk to your vet about a plan to avoid further outbreaks.

Check out our animal health videos on pneumonia at the link below: