Cost of pneumonia in dairy calves lodged under two housing systems

Pau Pijoan Aguadé; Juan Antonio Chávez Durón

2003, Number 4

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Vet Mex 2003; 34 (4)

Cost of pneumonia in dairy calves lodged under two housing systems

Pijoan AP, Chávez DJA

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Language: English/Spanish
References: 20
Page: 333-342
PDF size: 85.77 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Costs generated by pneumonias in calves raised in two dairies in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, were assessed during a one year period. Calves were housed either in metal crates located inside a building (Dairy 1) or in wooden pens outdoors (Dairy 2). Losses brought about by the disease were calculated as direct and indirect costs. Direct costs included: fatalities, discards, treatments and additional labor. Indirect costs included: vaccinations and preventive treatments. Although pneumonia related mortality was relatively low in both dairies (4.7% in Dairy 1 and 1.1% in Dairy 2), the prevalence of the disease was very high in Dairy 1 (39.9%), whereas in Dairy 2 was lower (19.7%). In Dairy 1, on average, a total of 4.93 days of treatment were given per calf born, whereas in Dairy 2 only 2.06 days of treatment were applied (P ‹ 0.05). The direct and indirect costs of this type of disease per calf born were, respectively, in Dairy 1: 501.41 pesos (52.78 US dl) and 301.07 pesos (31.70 US dl), whereas in Dairy 2 were: 83.25 pesos (8.75 US dl) and 235.12 pesos (24.75 US dl).

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