Farm and Animal Factors Associated with Morbidity, Mortality, and Growth of Pre-Weaned Heifer Dairy Calves in Southern Brazil

This study investigates morbidity, mortality, and weight gain in pre-weaned female dairy calves, which pose economic and animal welfare challenges for farms, particularly in family-run operations in southern Brazil. We aimed to identify the rates and factors associated with these outcomes in Alto Uruguai, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, tracking 547 calves from 70 farms across 27 municipalities from July 2015 to September 2016. We assessed calf-rearing practices, nutrition, health, and the environment using farmer questionnaires, direct observations, and systematic weight and health monitoring of female calves from birth to weaning. The association between predictors and perinatal mortality (stillbirths and deaths within 24 h), postnatal mortality (deaths from 25 h after birth to weaning), calf morbidity, and weight gain was analysed through regression models. The participating farms had 25 (9-70) (median and range) lactating cows and produced 411 (96-1631) L/d of milk (median and range). Total mortality rate was 6.8% (median 0, range 0-50%/range), of which 2.4% (median 0, range 0-50%/range) was perinatal and 4.5% (median 0, range 0-40%/range) postnatal. Average morbidity was one case for every five calves born alive (106/538), 83% of which were reported as diarrhoea cases. Weight gain was 570 +/- 212 g/d (mean and standard deviation). The postnatal mortality rate was highest in the first few weeks of life and among calves with at least one case of diarrhoea. Younger and winter/spring-born calves became sick more frequently. The calves of purebred bulls, fed with cow's milk, which received at least 4 L of milk and 0.5 kg of feed daily, had greater weight gain. The calf mortality rate was at the lower end of the range reported in international research. The main disease affecting calves was diarrhoea, and weight gain was insufficient for calves to double their weight by the time they were weaned. The results of the present study suggest that the quality of the management adopted in calf rearing in many of the family-run dairy farms of southern Brazil may be compromising the welfare, health, performance, and survival of the calves and possibly the productivity of dairy herds.