Farm Calf Scours Prevention and Welfare

Neonatal calf diarrhea, or scours, is the leading cause of death in young calves and causes significant suffering that is preventable through improved husbandry and vaccination programs.

Key Facts

Scours is responsible for over 50% of calf deaths in the first month of life in beef cattle operations
The condition causes severe dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and death within days if untreated
Calves with scours experience acute abdominal pain, weakness, and inability to stand
Inadequate colostrum intake in the first hours of life is a primary risk factor for scours
Oral rehydration therapy is effective and inexpensive but not consistently applied on all farms
Vaccines for rotavirus, coronavirus, and E. coli can substantially reduce scours incidence
Environmental hygiene, particularly in calving areas, significantly reduces pathogen load and transmission

Welfare Considerations

Scours causes intense suffering in neonatal calves. Dehydration, acidosis, and intestinal pain leave calves unable to stand, nurse, or thermoregulate. Without prompt oral rehydration, many die within 48-72 hours. The condition is largely preventable through adequate colostrum management, vaccination, and clean calving environments. The high incidence of scours on many operations reflects systemic management failures that prioritize cost reduction over calf welfare. Improving neonatal calf welfare requires investment in prevention protocols and rapid treatment when illness occurs.

What You Can Do

Support mandatory welfare standards requiring adequate colostrum management for calves
Advocate for farm-level scours prevention programs including vaccination requirements
Choose beef from producers with strong herd health and calf welfare programs
Support organizations providing technical assistance to farmers on calf health management
Reduce beef consumption to decrease demand from systems with poor calf welfare outcomes
Advocate for reporting requirements on calf mortality and disease incidence on farms