Dairy Calf Morbidity and Mortality and Associated Risk Factors

Calf morbidity and mortality are important causes of economic losses on dairy farms worldwide. An investigation on the incidence of calf morbidity and mortality was conducted on 30 purposively selected CIG (Common Interest Group) dairy farms in Harar city. A total of 130 calves from the farms were longitudinally followed from February 2017 to May 2017 for major health problems. The overall incidence risk of morbidity and mortality were 63.65% and 11.3%, respectively. The most frequent disease syndrome was diarrhea with incidence risk of 25.32% followed by pneumonia (14.87%) and navel ill (5.82%). In addition, fever, arthritis, disease were encountered. The main causes of death in calf were diarrhea (5.8%) and pneumonia (4%). It is now established that calf morbidity and mortality are an important limiting factors for the success of modern dairy farms and accordingly vigorous and comprehensive research should be taken to minimize the problem.