Healthy calves are essential for good farm profits. All Sprayfo products are supplied with the Sprayfo Safety Package (S.S.P.) for healthy calf rearing. In addition, we offer a portfolio of Sprayfo Health products that provide support in the case of health problems.
Immunity
The calf is born without any resistance to diseases. Immunity provides the calf with the necessary resistance.
There are two kinds of immunity  :
Passive immunity:
- This is transmitted from the mother to the calf
- The mother is actively immunised and the calf receives antibodies through the colostrum
- In some cases, colostrum from a different cow may be better for the calf
This type of immunity is crucial during the first few weeks of life.
Active immunity
- This is acquired by the calf on its own, through contact with pathogens (bacteria, viruses), without falling sick
- Through exposure to disease (whether bacterial or viral)
- Through vaccination with a weakened virus or bacterial antigen
Active immunity is effective for longer than passive immunity and provides greater resistance, but will develop gradually after birth. It therefore takes a few weeks from birth for a sufficient level to be reached. The mother (antibodies through colostrum) and/or calf (development own immune system) could be vaccinated in consultation with a veterinary surgeon.
Calf mortality
Calves suffer a high level of mortality: 10 – 12% of them die before they reach the age of three months. 90% of losses take place around birth and during the first week of life.
This means not only a loss of market value for the calf – in the case of rearing calves it also means a two-year set-back for that breeding line. Apart from calf mortality, diseases are also a significant expense not just in the form of the actual costs of treatment, but also in the form of delayed growth, not to mention the extra work and added frustration disease causes.
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