Healthy calf rearing is critical to the long-term success of dairy farms, as only robust calves develop into productive dairy cows.
As a result, farmers and veterinarians are increasingly focused on methods that allow health issues to be identified earlier, while reducing the need for intensive treatments.
At Benninghoff Milchenergie in Bevern, Germany, herd manager Anna Schaate and her calf team have been using CowManager’s activity-based monitoring for cows and young stock for more than 10 months.
Since last year, the same approach has been applied to calves, supporting day-to-day management with a particular focus on the early detection of respiratory disease.
Pneumonia remains one of the most persistent challenges in calf rearing.
Often, infections are not immediately visible, and clear clinical symptoms such as laboured breathing often appear only once the disease has progressed.
By that stage, lung tissue may already be damaged, which can negatively affect performance later in life.
Activity monitoring helps highlight subtle changes in behaviour before outward signs become apparent.
At Benninghoff Milchenergie, calves that deviate from group averages in activity or drinking behaviour are flagged for closer attention.
This allows the calf team to investigate potential health issues at an early stage, before clinical symptoms develop.
Data plays an important role in daily decision-making on the farm.
“I rely strongly on figures and facts,” Anna said.
“If calves reduce their drinking behaviour, that’s usually a sign that something is wrong.”
Although she initially expected activity differences in young calves to be minimal, the data has proven useful in identifying early deviations from normal patterns.
Each morning, calves showing irregularities are reviewed, considering management events such as regrouping, weaning, or dehorning.
If no clear explanation is found, the calves are examined more closely using lung ultrasound.
Health data are reviewed several times a day, after which calves with notable deviations are checked by the calf team.
Lung ultrasound is used to confirm the presence of respiratory disease and assess its severity.
Depending on the findings, calves may receive anti-inflammatory treatment or pain relief.
Anna said combining activity monitoring with lung ultrasound allowed pneumonia to be identified earlier than before.
“In many cases, we now see signs of pneumonia around two days earlier than we would base on visible symptoms alone,” she said.
This enables treatment to begin before calves show clear clinical illness and supports a more targeted use of medication.
Routine antibiotic treatments are avoided wherever possible.
The farm’s veterinarian, Hanna Strodthoff-Schneider, also sees clear benefits in early detection.
She said at an early stage of pneumonia, lung tissue often shows only minimal changes on ultrasound.
Because damaged lung tissue cannot regenerate, early diagnosis is essential to limit long-term effects on lung function, which may also influence future milk production.
At the same time, she emphasises that technology should complement, not replace, good management practices, including proper nutrition, housing, ventilation and hygiene.
Preventive measures are a central part of calf management at Benninghoff Milchenergie.
Regular checks of ventilation systems, avoiding damp conditions and drafts, and strict hygiene protocols are standard practice.
Additional measures, such as shaving strips along the backs of older calves to help them dry more quickly, are also used.
Although lung ultrasound takes several minutes per calf, Schaate considers the time investment worthwhile.
The farm has seen a noticeable reduction in both acute and chronic respiratory disease, along with improved staff motivation.
“Working with healthy animals is far more rewarding than constantly treating sick ones,” she said.
“If these measures help us raise strong, healthy heifers that are well-prepared for their first lactation, then the effort pays off.”
For more details, visit www.cowmanager.com/australia