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Weaning / Preconditioning

Stress has a negative impact on calves:

  • Reduced feed intake
  • Reduced response to vaccination
  • Increased incidence of BRD and other diseases
  • Increased death loss
  • Reduced weight gain
  • Poorer feed conversion

A 7-year study compared Dry Matter Intake (as a percent of body weight) of healthy and diseased newly arrived calves.

Days in FeedyardHealthy (SD)Diseased (SD)
0-71.55% (0.51)0.90% (0.75)
0-141.90% (0.50)1.43% (0.70)
0-282.71% (0.50)1.84% (0.66)
0-563.03% (0.43)2.68% (0.68)

- Hutcheson, et al., 1986