Calves and dairy cows' health and nutrition in intensive breeding

Abstract

An intensive cattle breeding encompasses a whole range of procedures that should enable continuous production and optimal utilization of production capacities. In such conditions, newborn calves must adapt to a variety of environmental factors, including housing, care, and feeding conditions. Inappropriate rearing conditions favour the emergence of gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases, as the most common health problems for calves. The same factors, and especially the unbalanced diet, have a major impact on the health of dairy cows and the incidence of diseases such as ketosis, fatty liver syndrome, puerperal paresis, rumen acidosis, and laminitis. This review paper is based on monitoring results of the health of calves and adult cows on dairy farms in Serbia, from 2011 to 2019. Also, some procedures in nutrition that can prevent the occurrence of metabolic diseases of cows are discussed.